The Chemical Garden 3
Lauren DeStephano
1. Rhine has been recovering in the hospital and Linden has been visiting. He brings Cecily with him. His adoring wife sends him for some food and he goes knowing she is four months pregnant. She apologizes to Rhine about not telling Linden that she was in the basement and being experimented on. She was hoping she could spare her husband the pain of Rhine leaving again. When Linden returns, Rhine can tell he wants to talk to her alone. He isn’t able to ask Cecily to leave, so Rhine does it for him. He tells her she will be released the next day. He recommends she rest before going to Rhode Island to find her brother. He suggests that she can stay with his uncle (Vaughn’s brother he disowned years ago, but Linden still visits in secret). Rhine is not to keen on the idea. Linden tells her about how he took Rose to meet him once.
2. Cecily is not impressed with Uncle Reed’s house and isn’t sure about leaving Rhine there. Linden carries in Rhine’s suitcase with some of her things from the mansion. The girls follow him in. Reed is seated and working on a machine. He mistakes Rhine for Rose at first. He has Linden show her wear she’ll be staying. Cecily goes to the bathroom. Rhine tried again to tell Linden that his father isn’t safe. He says if Rhine has said she didn’t love him, she would have let her go. Rhine knows Vaughn wouldn’t have and tells Linden there was nothing he could have done about that. Linden goes out to the car to wait for Cecily. When she comes out of the bathroom, Rhine can tell she has been vomiting. Linden comes back in to get Cecily, but she refuses to leave. Linden takes the baby home and says he will be back to get her first thing in the morning. Rhine worries about Cecily getting sick since she didn’t have much time to recuperate between pregnancies. Cecily knows Vaughn is dangerous and has been trying to convince Linden to believe what Rhine has told him. When he went to the basement, he didn’t find any girls or bodies. Cecily really only saw Rhine and can’t prove the others were there. She admits she has lost the hope she once had of Vaughn finding a cure. Now she just wants to spend what time she has left with Linden and the babies. They are women up in the morning by the arrival of the limo. Vaughn is there instead of Linden. Cecily tells Rhine to hide.
3. Rhine tells Cecily to wait in the room while she goes out to confront Vaughn. He offers to take her back to the mansion with him and return her to the first wife position. Cecily comes out and doesn’t want to go with him. Reed comes out to back up the girls’ decisions telling his brother he is not welcome there. Vaughn has Cecily’s domestic, Elle, bring out Bowen and reminds her that she left her son for the night. Rhine doesn’t want her to go back with Vaughn, but they both know she needs to keep her family intact. They have a rushed goodbye and Vaughn leaves with Cecily. Reed comments on Rhine’s health and she promises she will only be there a day or two. He takes her to a barn outback and shows her one of the walls is actually a door that hides weapons and more machinery. He puts her to work on some clock parts. He wants to call her Rose. She asks him not to and says she is named for a river that is now gone. He thinks it is still there and they are only told the world is gone.
4. A few days later, Rhine lets Reed know that she will leave the next day. He asks about her travel plans and she says she will figure it out. He asks about her injuries and she asks about his secret shed. He tells her he has a plane inside. She admits to him that Vaughn experimented one her to try to find a cure. He is not surprised at his brother’s actions, but at Linden’s allowing it. Rhine admits her husband did not know and Reed makes a comment on how oblivious his nephew is. Later that day, Rhine is laying in the grass and Linden comes to join her. Reed called him to let him know Rhine was planning to just walk off without transportation or a plan. He asks her to wait a few days for him to figure something out for her so Cecily won’t be mad at him. He asks if she meant it when she told him she loves him. She doesn’t know, but admits not everything was a lie.
5. Over Breakfast, Reed tells Rhine that Vaughn was always cold and calculating, but it got worse when his first son died. Their father was an architect. The mansion was a rebuilt boarding school and was left to both Reed and Vaughn, but the two couldn’t live together even with that much space. Reed stars Rhine on a new project: cleaning out the airplane. She is impressed with the machine even though it is a Frankenstein type creation. She finds a box of handkerchiefs and asks Reed about the symbol on them. He tells her they are supposed to be a lotus flower for the founder of the school, Charles Lotus. Rhine hides them in the bottom of the first aid box. The next morning, Cecily wakes up Rhine and then leaves Linden to explain the situation. He tells her they are going to stay the weekend to make sure Cecily gets a proper goodbye. Reed is not impressed with Cecily, especially after she puts out his cigar because of Bowen and her second unborn child. Cecily brings Rhine a backpack with money and additional supplies for her trip. When alone Linden tells Rhine he cannot side with her over his father. She understands knowing she’ll forgive her brother for the deaths he has been causing.
6. Rhine looks through a book of ships and thinks about Gabriel. Cecily comes in to go to bed and Linden comes to check on her. Rhine sneaks to the library to give them some privacy. Linden come son soon after. Rhine apologizes. She can’t blame him if he hates her. He has tried, but can’t seem to hate her. He kisses her and she allows it at first. When he goes to further the kiss, she tells him she can’t. He takes back his wedding ring and she tanks him for her freedom. He asks about her brother and she tells him he is her twin, smarter and more practical than herself. He compares their separation to how he felt when he lost Rose, but can’t picture Rhine being dependent on someone else. Cecily comes in and has blood rushing down her legs. They all pile into Reed’s car and he drives them to the nearest hospital. When Cecily is wheeled away on a gurney, Rhine is sure Cecily is dead and they will never see her again.
7. When the nurses come out to talk to Rhine and Linden, Rhine isn’t able to understand what they are saying. When Linden asks to see Cecily, Reed takes Bowen back to the house. They are able to see Cecily starting to recover. Her heart started beating right as they were about to call her time of death. Eventually, they are able to go in and sit with her. Cecily is upset that they thought bringing babies into the world where their lives were so limited was a good idea. She asks them not to leave. Rhine offers to go back to the house to check on Bowen, but Cecily wants her to stay. After Cecily falls asleep, Linden makes Rhine promise she won’t leave without saying goodbye. Rhine realizes she had never really planned to marry and doesn’t know if she can love someone as much as Linden and Cecily/Rose loves each other.
8. Linden warns Rhine that Vaughn is on his way. Cecily year’s the conversation and tells Linden she doesn’t want to see her father-in-law because he tried to kill her. Vaughn walks in and Cecily freaks out. He checks her medication and says it is too strong for her. He scolds Cecily for getting out of bed against his wishes and says that is why she lost the baby. He asks to talk to Linden I private and they leave the room. Linden returns and says Vaughn tried to convince him to love Cecily back to the mansion. He disagreed and sent Vaughn away. After Cecily has calmed down and fallen asleep, Linden Asia Rhine if she thinks Vaughn is responsible for Cecily’s condition. Rhine thinks Vaughn will do whatever he can to keep Linden depending on him for everything. Rhine tried to assure him it Cecily will be okay.
9. Rhine spends a lot of time cleaning up Cecily’s blood from Reed’s car and house. To stop her from working so hard, Reed agrees to answer her questions. He tells her he has never married. He had a dog, but didn’t like the short lifespan, which is why he doesn’t want children. He thinks his brother is crazy, but has to believe it is to save his second son when he couldn’t save the first, whose name was Bowen. Reed drives Linden and Cecily back on a rainy night. Their second baby’s body was kept for research and they never got to see it. When they get back to Reed’s house, Cecily apologizes to him for her previous behavior and then goes off to bed. Rhine feeds Bowen his bottle while Reed shows her his attempt to grow a mini-watermelon in a jar. Rhine prefers this method of experimentation over Vaughn’s tormenting people in the name of science. She goes to take Bowen upstairs and hears Linden tell Cecily about his baby with Rose. Rhine gives Bowen to Cecily and leaves them to be a family together in one bed. Linden and Cecily stay up talking through the night. In the morning, Linden comes into the library to talk to Rhine. He apologizes for not believing her before. He doesn’t know if he believes completely, but he wishes he would have listened about Cecily. He is going to give her one of Reed’s old cars once it is fixed to help her find her brother and Gabriel. She can see the question on his face, but he doesn’t ask about them. She tells him they didn’t have sex. Cecily gets stronger and starts eating with the group and cleaning the house. She feels foolish for falling for Vaughn’s lies. She wonders who will take care of Bowen when she and Linden are dead. Cecily just wants enough time to raise her son.
10. Reed makes the last dinner they will all have together. Cecily brings in the radio to try for some background music, but ends up finding a news station where a couple of men discuss the virus. They talk about Dr Vaughn Ashby’s work and how he has been studying the Ellery’s (Rhine’s parents) study on twins and children in their Chemical Garden project. The virus has been replicated. There is an idea that long term administration of the virus in small doses might prevent the early death of the newest generations. Everyone stares at Rhine throughout the broadcast. Reed realizes how much trouble she really is in. Cecily brings the radio outside for Rhine to hear the news. The three bombers, including Rowan, have struck in Charleston, South Carolina. Her brother gives a speech about how the research isn’t worth the price they are paying for it; it was the research that killed his sister. Reed knows the guy from one of the broadcasts and suggests he take her to him to try to find her brother. Cecily wants to know more about the Chemical Gardens and how the information could help Bowen. Rhine understands her enthusiasm to help her son. Later that night, Rhine wakes up from a nightmare. Cecily comes to the library to apologize but doesn’t come in out of respect for the rules of the wives floor. They go to the kitchen to make tea while Reed sleeps on the armchair with his gun. They fall asleep in the couch in the library together and Linden wakes them up in the morning so they can get ready to go.
11. The group drives through a rundown town and out into the middle of nowhere. When Reed knocks on the door with the kids around him on the porch, Edgar is not happy to see so many people, especially new faces. Cecily shows him Bowen and says they are trying to find a way to save his life. Edgar lets them inside and tells them not to touch anything. Reed points out Rhine’s eyes and tells Edgar she is Rowan’s sister. He plays the video of Rowen telling a group of people the story of how he thinks she died. He says she was too hopeful and signed up to be experimented on by Dr. Vaughn Ashby. She died painfully and was then dissected for further research. Edgar tells her this is the story Vaughn told him. Rowen believes that having hope will kill people quicker than the virus.
12. Rhine knows she has to get to her brother. Linden thinks Rowen has gone crazy and wonders why no one has stopped him. Rhine and Reed try to explain the real world to him. They were abandoned by those who created them and left to die. There really isn’t anyone left to police them. Rhine gets jealous of Cecily and Linden having each other during this tough time. Back at the house, Cecily tells Rhine that Linden is going with her because he feels responsible for her being ripped away from her home and brother. Cecily is hopeful there is a cure, but Rhine isn’t so sure. Reed shows Cecily how to work a rifle and it upsets Linden. Rhine goes inside to escape the argument. Elle is inside with Bowen, but she is afraid of being around Rhine and goes to our Bowen down for a nap. Cecily runs in to tell Rhine that Vaughn has arrived. Rhine hides in the closet and they tell Vaughn she is already gone he says he will try to convince Cecily to go home later that night. They come to let Rhine out of the closet and Linden says they have to leave before his father returns.
13. Rhine, Linden, and Cecily take off in an old Jeep to find Rowan. Reed sends them with food, phones, and other supplies. While Cecily sleeps in the back Linden wonders if his life is pointless. Rhine still has hope for humanity and thinks even when people lived long lives they still contemplated why they existed. When Cecily wakes up, she has Rhine switch her seats so she can be by Linden.
14. Rhine wakes up because she hears the music from Madame’s carnival. She demands that Linden get them away from there as quickly as possible. He gets them away and then stops the car to demand an explanation. Rhine tells him a bit about her time there and they love on. Rhine and Cecily stay up while Linden sleeps. On their way to the bombing site, they hear Vaughn on the radio asking for the return of his missing son. The false details in his statement anger all three of them. Rhine dashes our of the car to look at the bombing site and is upset her brother was just there and she missed him. A kid recognizes Linden from Vaughn’s televised pleas to get his done home. They are all thrown into the back of a car. The boy holds up a pellet gun at them while his father drives. Linden promises he won’t let his father hurt either of them, but Rhine is not confident he’ll be able to keep that promise. The car stops at the gates of Madame’s carnival.
15. Madame immediately starts complimenting Linden when they get out of the car. She tells them she has known his father for a long time. She takes them to the peach lovebird tent and gives them tea before going to call Vaughn to let them know they are there. Rhine warns them not to drink the tea. When Madame returns, she says she met Linden once before and he played with her daughter. He is shocked when she shows him a picture of Rose. Linden thinks it is a sick joke. Madame thinks her child was murdered.
16. Madame is shocked by the news. She never intended to have a child, but when she got pregnant, she couldn’t give her up. She wanted her daughter to be raised traveling the world and enjoying the little time she had. Madame was told her daughter and lover were both killed in a car explosion. Linden explains that Rose thought both of her parents were killed. She told him about the carnival. Madame realizes she has lost her last bit of hope when Rhine confirms that Rose died at the age of twenty. They all realize Vaughn’s tricks to kept the family separated. Linden leaves to grieve and Cecily follows. Rhine tells Madame she was also ripped away from her family. Linden wants to be alone, so Rhine takes Cecily to the strawberries. Rhine is amazed at how different the carnival looks in the summer. Madame has them get into a car with Jared so he can take them someplace safe. Their own car was probably pulled apart by scavengers.
17. On their way to the Northern Compound, Jared asks about Maddie and Rhine tells him she is safe and has made friends. When they arrive, he gets them oatmeal and eats some of Rhine’s to show them it isn’t drugged. Linden and Cecily’s has a sleep aid in them and they are able to get some rest. Jared brings out a radio to listen to the regional news. It is expected Rowan’s next target will be the Lexington Research Center. Rhine thinks she can stop another explosion if she can get there in time. Rhine and Jared leave alone just before dawn. Jared has a GPS device to guide them which proves the rumor that satellites don’t work is not true. They pull into the parking garage and wait. Rhine wants to go meet her brother immediately, but Jared stops her to listen to what is going on. Rowan says his actions are so needed that he now has funding to continue his mission. Jared gets them back to the car and gets them out just before the explosion destroys everything. Rhine jumps out of the car and Jared stops to pull her away from the flying debris. When the building has settled, Rhine runs towards her brother and calls out to him. He hears her and starts coming towards her until they are face to face.
18. Rowan embraces Rhine and they stay that way for a while. Rowan’s friends seem suspicious of the appearance of his sister that is supposed to be dead. Rhine sends Jared back to Linden and Cecily and asks he tell them to go back to Reed’s house. She promises to visit, but doesn’t know if that will ever actually happen. People pack up the stage where Rowan made his speech while Rowan introduces Rhine to a girl named Bee. They drive to a collapsed house and the others go down a staircase hidden by a hinges board. Rowan takes Rhine for a walk. He tells her how he was looking for her while making deliveries. A few months later, a brilliant scientist came to the house to tell him he saw Rhine dead. He know her name and that they were ferret so twins. He said he was against the experiments and started paying Rowan to destroy the facilities that were torturing people to repeat experiments that had already been tried before. Rowan showed him their parents journals. He burned down the house because he knew he couldn’t go back and didn’t want anyone else to live there. Rhine believes the scientist has to be Vaughn, but she can’t seem to tell her brother. Rowan says he has seen amazing things.
19. Bee calls them back and as they approach. Rhine sees Vaughn’s limousine. Rowan is clearly enthralled by Dr. Ashby. Vaughn says he has a plane waiting for them and Rowan gets in the car. Rhine follows him. Vaughn admits he lied to Rowan because he was worried if he knew his sister was alive, he would lose motivation for the cause. He tells him Rhine’s story with some lies thrown in to make it sound like she’s had a glamorous year. Vaughn says America was in ruins and the American President decided to isolate the country. History books were gradually changed to say the rest of the world was destroyed. The plan was to eventually make people think the rest of the world doesn’t exist anymore. Vaughn is taking them to Hawaii, which is also said to no longer exist.
20. Vaughn leaves them in the plane and Rowan eventually convinces his sister to eat the food they are provided. He points out the woman that brings it to them is older than them, but younger than Vaughn. Rhine is worried that her brother trusts Vaughn too easily. They are led off the plane and Rowan is willingly taken away. Vaughn takes Rhine to a room to watch her brother go through the same eye procedure she went through in Vaughn’s basement. Meanwhile Vaughn tells her how the President has a group of specialists that are selected to work I. A cure. The deaths Rhine witness at the mansion were his failed attempts at a case study that would give him access to the group. Rhine’s eyes were what did it. Since Rowan will be sleeping until morning, he takes Rhine to a higher floor with a large window wall. She sees Hawaiian society is like 20th Century she’s only heard about. They have never heard of the virus.
21. While Rowan is asleep and recovering, Vaughn takes Rhine to the cafeteria and tells her his story. After he tried an experimental cure in Linden and it almost killed him, he knew he needed a different subject. He thought Rose was extraordinary the first time he met her. He suggested an engagement between her and Linden, but her parents refused. He didn’t want Rose to grow up to be a whore, so he killed her father in a car explosion and took her. His experimental treatment on her let her live a few extra months, which is what got the president’s attention. He continued experiments on the others and was able to recreate the virus in Jenna. The treatment he was giving to both twins seemed to have different affects when the treatment was stopped. Rhine has awful withdrawal and Rowan didn’t have any symptoms. He thinks the viruses are different between males and females. He takes her to a room to sleep for the night and promise she can see Rowan in the morning. The door locks as he leaves.
22. Rowan wakes Rhine up in the morning. He shows her their mother’s journal. While she doesn’t understand everything that is written, she does realize her brother and her were created on purpose as experiments. They get back on the plane with Vaughn to go back to the desolate wasteland they came from. Rowan looks at Rhine’s hand and notices she isn’t wearing a wedding band. Rhine tells him about the annulment and how she ran away with Gabriel to go back home. Everything Rhine has learned and gone through overwhelms her and she starts crying. Rowan normally wouldn’t have allowed it, but he comforts her. When they land, Vaughn says they are close to home, meaning the mansion.
23. They take the limo back to the mansion and go to a floor that Rhine has never seen before. There are hardwood floors and a video of Linden and Rose’s time together. Vaughn shows Rowan to Linden’s room that has been cleared out of all his things. Linden didn’t like spending too much time there after Rose’s death. Rowan falls asleep on the bed. Vaughn asks Rhine to come with him and they go down to the basement. He wants Rhine to come back and she isn’t sure how to answer know that she has seen a world uninhibited by the virus. He wants her to convince Linden and Cecily to come back to the mansion as well. She isn’t sure she can. Vaughn shows her that he has put Gabriel into a coma and he has been there since she was captured from the orphanage. He says he will wake him up if she can being back his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. Rhine wakes up Rowan to tell him she has to go. He offers to go with her, but she knows Vaughn is listening and tells him to rest. He seems to know something is wrong and tells her she is the only one he trusts. She tells him she will be fine on her own.
24. Rhine is take to Madame’s carnival and Cecily is excited to greet her. Before Rhine really has to do any convincing, Cecily says they have decided they can’t keep running and plan to return to the mansion. Rhine goes to tell Grace that Maddie is with her family in New York and they still love her. She can tell Grace is already starting to be affected by the virus. Madame and Cecily say their goodbyes, and Cecily leaves with a bag of cosmetics. They get back to Reed’s house where they are instructed to wait for Vaughn to retrieve them. Out back, Reed says his plane is ready to fly and they help him tear down the shed around it. Cecily is ready to board right away, but Linden is worried. Rhine climbs right in and is ready to go. As they fly over the countryside, Rhine tells Linden there is so much more out there. He is somewhat relieved. The landing is rough and Rhine and Cecily and thrown against the wall. As they get out, they notice Blood coming from Linden’s head. He collapses outside the plane. Vaughn arrives and tries to help his son, but it is too late.
25. Vaughn picks up Linden and carries him to the car that drives off as fast as it can. Cecily locks herself in the bedroom while Elle takes care of Bowen. When Vaughn does return, he tells Rhine to get everyone into the car and she does. He yells at Reed and says he will never see the children again. Cecily wonders what will happen to them and Vaughn calls her worthless. Rhine knows better than to ask about Gabriel. She is given a card key, but doesn’t really know where else to go except the wives floor. She goes to her room and Cecily eventually joins her so they aren’t alone. They cry together. Eventually, they go for a walk by the rose bushes. Cecily doesn’t know how to go on. Rhine assures her she will not die from grief even though it feels like it. She tells her little sister wife the latest story of the twins.
26. The girls watch Vaughn bury Limden in the orange grove from the library window.. An attendant comes to get Rhine. Cecily tried to prevent her from leaving, but Rhine has to push her aside and go. As she is about to get in the limo after Rowan, Vaughn stops her to say that even though Linden is dead, she still has something he needs and he is still willing to give her what she wants for it. They get back on the jet To Hawaii where Vaughn gives them each a pill. Rhine dozes off and is only vaguely aware of what is going on around her. It is a week later when she wakes up in a white room with Rowan waiting for her. He tells her that they have been cured. They will have compromised immune systems and be closely monitored to see what happens to them. There are others that have undergone the same process. They will go back to mainland America and be monitored by doctors. Rowan is excited, but Rhine is still too devastated by How much death she has seen to be happy about what is going on. Rowan wants to help, but Rhine can’t tell him anything while they might be listened to. Rowan seems determined to help his twin.
27. When they get back to the mansion, Vaughn asks Rhine to show Rowan around. She quickly catches up with Vaughn to ask him I. Private to awaken Gabriel. He asks her to pretend to mourn his son and she is furious with him. She keeps her temper under control, but when she returns to Rowan, he can tell she is upset. She shows him around the grounds. The sit at the pool and he thinks it is safe for them to talk there. She lets him know it isn’t. Rhine goes to the wives floor and finds Cecily in Rhine’s room with Bowen. Rhine tells her they have to get ready for dinner and Cecily allows Rhine to help her. When they go down to dinner, Vaughn does not hide his disgust for Cecily very well. He takes Bowen from her and keeps him by him at the table. He tells Cecily a cure has been found and Rowan and Rhine have received the experimental treatment. No one that knows about it will be able to leave the house for a long time. Cecily asks if Bowen will receive the cure. Vaughn is confident they will find the right treatment before Bowen reaches 25. Cecily already knows she will be left to die at 20.
28. Rhine gets Cecily settled into bed and tells her a story about Maddie to help her get to sleep. When she is sure Cecily is asleep, she goes outside and goes to the orange grove. He says he wishes his granddaughter could be there with him. He didn’t think Linden could handle her death if he got attached and the. The deformation killed her. He tells her Jenna was deformed on the inside and didn’t have a uterus. Vaughn joins her shortly after. He asks her about Gabriel and she tells him she wanted him to experience freedom. He thinks freedom is dangerous. As he starts to walk away, he is shot by Cecily. As he does, Rhine thinks about how Vaughn only ever saw them as resources to be used up.
29. Cecily followed Rhine outside because she didn’t want to be alone in the wives floor. She hid when Vaughn appeared and heard everything he said about Jenna. She knew Vaughn would kill her if she didn’t my act quickly. The purse Madame gave her also contained her gun. They wipe the gun clean and go back to the wives floor to wait for breakfast and pretend like they have no idea what is going on. When an attendant comes to tell them, they tell him to get in contact with Reed who is Vaughn’s only other relative. Elle goes to the basement to stop the drugs that are keeping Gabriel in the coma. When Reed arrives, he knows what Cecily did. He holds her and tells her it will be okay.
30. Gabriel tells Rhine what happened to him. He went looking for Rhine when he woke up and she wasn’t there. Vaughn was outside waiting for him. He showed him Rhine in the backseat and Gabriel willingly followed. Rhine tells him about Linden’s death and how she feels responsible. Cecily comes to the door while they are sleeping to let Rhine know a man is there for her and Rowan. Rhine goes downstairs and meets the new doctor that will monitor them and take them to Hawaii for their monthly checkups. There are no rules about them not leaving the house. Cecily sneaks in to say Vaughn wanted to use her for the second round of testing and the twins corroborate her story. Rowan asks why Vaughn hates her. Rhine thinks it was because Linden started making his own choices and essentially chose Cecily over Vaughn. Rhine promise to tell him everything one day, but she doesn’t want to shatter his image of the hero that might have saved them.
31. After a year, they are able to get Cecily and Gabriel into the program. Rhine writes to Claire’s orphanage and Silas joins the program soon after. Reed opens up the mansions and lets them go where they please. He turns part of the basement into a greenhouse. Cecily makes Jenna’s room into a nursery. The girls keep their rooms. Cecily wants to make one of the houses that Linden drew. Reed starts the project and has contractors come in. Cecily makes sure it is exactly right. Rhine wakes up on her 21 birthday with the world ahead of her and hope to see a lot more than the fake history books promised. They are all looking forward to having the opportunity for a long life.