Chapter Text
The Second Anniversary of the Adam and Eve Disaster
By Lance Jeffreys
Two years later, the survivors of the Dawn of Eve and the Twilight of Adam tragedies recall the traumatic ordeal they were put through at the hands of Gretchen Klein.
June 10th, 2022
This summer marks two years since the fateful social experiment led by disgraced psychologist Gretchen Klein that has since been dubbed the Adam and Eve disaster.
When a staged plane crash left the unwitting ‘Dawn of Eve’ and ‘Twilight of Adam’ participants stranded on two different, seemingly deserted, islands, they had to fight for their survival.
The survivors faced an exhausting 79-day ordeal that spread across two different islands, including a two week period of containment in Klein’s bunker. In late August 2020, the fourteen teenagers were rescued by the FBI off the coast of South America.
Klein remains missing to this day.
Before disappearing, Klein and her accomplices destroyed all documentation relating to the scheme and to their identities, leaving behind only a well-stocked LLC in the project’s name. Aside from three known accomplices: Audrey Smith, Dean Young, and Daniel Faber, it is still unknown who was working with her.
What we do know is that in February 2021, six months after the crash, former professor of psychology at UCLA, Audrey Smith, turned herself in to investigators. At the shocking trial, Smith named several high-profile financial backers of the case, but refused to name any other names.
In April of last year, Smith and several investors were found guilty of manslaughter, thirteen counts of kidnapping, false imprisonment, child endangerment, and exploitation of minors. Smith is currently serving two consecutive life sentences for her role in the tragedy.
Klein has featured at the top of the FBI’s Most Wanted for the last 21 months and the FBI has put out a plea for information in the case.
In brighter news, the kids seem to be alright.
Last summer, three months after the trial ended, each survivor received an enormous financial settlement from investors as well as from the assets seized from Klein’s LLC.
Last week, on June 6th, thirteen of the survivors gathered outside UCLA’s Faculty of Psychology to commemorate the second anniversary of the beginning of the fatal experiment.
Martha Blackburn, Dorothy “Dot” Campbell, Rafael Garcia, Josh Herbert, Fatin Jadmani, Bo Leonard, Kirin O’Connor, Nora Reid, Rachel Reid, Leah Rilke, Toni Shalifoe, Scotty Sims, Henry Tanaka, and Ivan Taylor and each laid a single rose on the steps of Linh Bach’s former place of work.
Appearing to have forgiven Klein’s research assistant, Rilke told reporters “we all went through it out there. We were with her at the end and you never forget something like that.”
Unlike their male counterparts, who are often seen in the public eye, the ‘Dawn of Eve’ survivors have only offered a few full interviews. Otherwise, the media have been left only with brief statements to the press during their annual memorial event as well as their statement on behalf of all of the survivors that was delivered by Scotty Sims last week.
Their story appears to be particularly compelling based on the dramatic testimonies given at the trial against Smith as well as their unique living situation.
With the exception of Shelby Goodkind, the only survivor to not appear at this week’s memorial, all of the female survivors currently live within a one-mile radius of each other. When asked why they chose this arrangement, Martha Blackburn told reporters, “we just got so close out there and we had a hard time living apart when we were all finishing up high school. It’s nice to be back together again.”
Back together, that is, except for Shelby Goodkind. She has not made a public appearance with her fellow survivors since the rescue.
The antipathy toward the former pageant queen was clear among her fellow survivors. In Sim’s speech to the crowd, he listed only thirteen survivors, leaving off Goodkind’s name entirely.
When asked about the whereabouts of Goodkind at the memorial, Rachel Reid had some choice words, telling reporters, “fuck her, I don’t care where she is. She’s a traitor.”
Reid is studying marine biology at UCLA alongside her sister Nora, who is studying psychology.
It appears that all has been made right between the feuding sisters after Nora’s involvement in the experiment was revealed shortly after their rescue. Perhaps the survivors’ sympathetic outlook towards Nora is due to her crucial testimony given during the trial.
Unlike Reid, survivor Martha Blackburn had kinder things to say about Goodkind, at least prior to the trial, telling the New York Times in 2020 , “[Goodkind] saved our lives out there. Without her and Leah, we would never have been able to contact the FBI. If she’s listening, please call us.”
Blackburn, who is set to begin her veterinary science studies in the fall, began to give an updated statement on her feelings toward Goodkind, but was cut off by childhood friend and housemate Toni Shalifoe, who simply said “vulture.” It is unknown if she was referring to Goodkind or to the reporter who was speaking to Blackburn.
Quickly gaining a reputation for her hotheadedness after her dramatic attempt to flee from the witness stand, expulsion from her final year of high school, and reputation for threatening reporters with physical violence, Toni Shalifoe recently graduated from UCLA’s paramedic program alongside fellow survivor Dorothy Campbell.
Of all of the ‘Dawn of Eve’ survivors, Shalifoe is the most tight lipped about her experiences, having refused to give a single interview or official statement to the press. Despite rumours of a possible romantic relationship between her and Goodkind during the ordeal, Shalifoe has not made any comment on the situation.
Her coworker Dot Campbell, meanwhile, lives with survivors Leah Rilke, an author, and Fatin Jadmani, assistant principal cellist in the LA Philharmonic, in a home near the others just outside of Los Angeles.
Campbell may be best remembered by the public for shocking audiences when she attempted to physically attack Goodkind in the courtroom. Campbell’s more recent comments on Goodkind have been deemed unprintable by my editors.
Which leaves us with the elephant in the room. Shelby Goodkind, the most infamous survivor of the experiment.
Some describe her as a victim of circumstance, while others call her a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I searched for weeks for any sign of Goodkind, but she appears to be entirely off the grid. The disdain that her fellow survivors hold toward her-
"Okay, that's enough," Rachel says, interrupting Fatin mid-sentence. "We know all this."
"Yep," Dot sneers.
Fatin puts down her phone. "Sorry, I thought you all might be interested."
They’re gathered around the dinner table in Dot, Leah, and Fatin’s house for their weekly Friday night dinner.
“They make us seem like some kind of cult, all living with each other or near each other,” Leah sighs. She turns to Toni. “Have you read that article already?”
“No,” Toni scoffs.
It’s a complete lie; she read it last night. Toni has read every article, forum post, and comment about them over the last two years just to see if there’s any news of Shelby’s whereabouts.
Fifteen months have passed since that day in the courtroom. Fifteen months since Shelby’s testimony.
Fifteen months since Toni told Shelby that she never wanted to see her again.
A part of Toni regrets saying what she had said. After the dust settled a bit she realized that all she really wants to know now is why Shelby decided to do what she did that day.
In the period between their rescue and the trial, Toni searched for Shelby’s name every day. There were thousands of hits, almost all of which simply listed Shelby as a Dawn of Eve survivor. There was never anything she didn’t already know.
To help curb Toni’s constant checking, Martha helped her set up a Google alert with Shelby’s name. That way if anything about Shelby popped up online she would get it immediately via email.
According to the internet back then, before the trial, Shelby was just a charitable pageant queen who survived the Dawn of Eve fiasco. She was everything that Toni knew she wasn’t.
Public opinion of Shelby changed for the worse after Audrey’s trial, however, when Toni’s inbox was flooded with hate directed toward the Texan. Still, she sifts through each article and comment to this day, just to see if there’s anything out there about her.
There never is.
Shelby has never given any interviews about the island and nobody knows where she’s living. Hell, nobody can even be certain if Shelby had even gone back to Texas after the trial.
Technically speaking, nobody can be sure that she’s even alive.
Toni feels a lump in her throat and pushes that thought away.
The notifications that Toni gets nowadays are almost always for articles like the one Fatin just read. They typically massively oversimplify their complex trauma and theorize about the relationships between the Unsinkables. They’ve been preparing for the resurgence of these articles since their reunion last week.
It’s not like she isn’t angry at Shelby, because she is. Sometimes she even wonders if she hates Shelby. But she also still loves her, and that isn’t up for debate. She doesn’t know how that split is even possible.
She still keeps that little slip of paper that Shelby had given her that day in the airport, typing the phone number into her phone at least once a week and running her fingers over the message Shelby had written her. But every time she hears the same message.
Sorry, the number you have dialed has been disconnected or is no longer in service.
It hurts every time she hears it.
The Unsinkables have an unspoken agreement not to mention Shelby ever since the trial ended.
Martha is the one who breaks that agreement the most, but Leah is a close second.
Fatin, Martha, Nora, and Leah all express some degree of sympathy toward Shelby. They seem to feel that Shelby didn’t have a choice in what happened. Of that group, Leah and Martha are her most outspoken supporters. They’ve even said that they would welcome her in if Shelby were to show up at their doorstep.
That sentiment makes Toni burn with anger. She wants them to feel as betrayed as she does. It isn’t fair that Toni has to bear these complicated feelings alone.
Maybe that’s why she and Dot have become so much closer since the trial. They’re both the most hurt.
Deep down, she knows that it isn’t a binary. None of them flat out forgive Shelby, but they also don’t vilify her. Not even Dot, who Shelby had hurt the most.
Toni will tell them Shelby always had a choice, but in reality she knows it has never been that simple. Shelby’s family is awful. She might have been terrified of what happened between her and Toni on the island coming out.
But that still doesn’t explain why Shelby went as far as she did.
“I don’t want to hear her name again,” Rachel bites out, pulling Toni out of her thoughts.
The space between the seven women falls heavy with tension. There is so much they haven’t fully processed as a group.
Rachel and Dot are by far the most outspoken in their hatred of Shelby, but Toni can tell that they’re torn about their feelings as well.
Meanwhile, nobody can ever quite get a handle on how Toni feels and she likes it that way. Not that Toni herself even knows how she feels about Shelby anymore, really.
In one moment, Toni will be ranting about how much she hates Shelby to Martha; in the next, she’ll be defending her against Dot or Rachel.
Fatin rolls her eyes at Rachel. “We wouldn’t be here without her.”
“It’s true,” Leah speaks up. “Remember day 50?”
Toni clenches her jaw and thinks of Shelby’s eyes searching her own, willing her to trust her.
She remembers the day that Shelby was their hero.
July 26th, 2020, Day 50
Toni can vaguely hear Shelby mutter, “fuck,” beneath the roar of the helicopter above.
She tears her gaze from their rescue to make sure everything’s alright, knowing that Shelby won’t be sharing the others’ glee, only to find Shelby and Fatin have separated themselves and are talking quietly to each other over Nora’s journal.
It seems like an odd reaction to a rescue, but all Toni can really think about is the fact that Martha can get help now.
"We’re here to help you," a voice booms down from the helicopter. " We can’t land up here. Make your way to the beach."
The rest happens swiftly.
Toni joins Dot in transferring Martha to her makeshift stretcher while Rachel and Leah mill about, gathering their things. The whole time, Shelby and Fatin are speaking quietly over the journal.
“You guys coming or what?” Dot calls over her shoulder once she and Toni have Martha hoisted up between them.
“Of course we are,” Shelby says quickly. She gestures to her leg. “I might just need some help hikin’ back.”
“I’ve got you,” Toni says, “hey, Leah, can you take Marty?”
Leah wordlessly takes over Toni’s place; Toni takes the backpack that Leah had on and heads over to Shelby. She cut her hair; a part of her wants to ask about it, but she also knows that she doesn’t really have a right to ask anything of Shelby after how she treated her.
She hesitantly curls her arm around Shelby’s waist and Shelby gives her a grateful look. Toni hopes that Shelby will read this as the olive branch it is; an implicit apology.
They start the descent through the forest to the beach and Fatin takes the lead, staring at Nora’s journal the entire time.
Next is Leah and Dot, carrying Martha between them. Rachel carries an armload of their supplies next.
Toni and Shelby follow a few paces behind, keeping a decent pace considering Shelby’s ankle injury.
“Is this the fastest way to the beach?” Rachel pipes up after a while. It’s definitely not their usual path.
Fatin glances over her shoulder, but keeps the same determined pace as she pushes past the foliage. “Just follow me.”
After some time, they reach a small secluded area in the woods and Fatin stops, turning around to face the others with an unnervingly serious expression.
She glances at Shelby. “There are no cameras or mics within sight or earshot of this area. We need to be quick though.”
Shelby pulls away from a very confused Toni and leans against a tree, taking a breath. Dot and Leah set Martha down gently on the ground and look around for a reason for stopping.
“What’s going-” Dot says, but Fatin cuts her off.
“We don’t have time to explain everything fully, but we all trust each other, right?” Fatin asks, looking around at the half-circle of faces looking back at her.
Toni’s gaze darts to Shelby, who was already looking at her. Toni hopes that she trusts her too.
“Shelby, you wanted to explain, right?” Fatin asks.
“Sure thing,” Shelby tears her gaze away from Toni and shoots Fatin an appreciative look. “Leah was right,” she tells the group.
She pulls an electronic device of some sort from the waistband of her track pants and tosses it on the ground in the middle of the girls.
“I need to sit down,” Leah says to nobody in particular as she bends down to settle on the dirt.
Shelby continues, speaking quickly and with a determination that Toni’s rarely seen. “Look, someone’s been watchin’ us this entire time. Nora left clues in her journal and Fatin and I figured it out. There are cameras everywhere. My thinkin’ is that if the folks in that helicopter are bad news then they’re gonna separate us. They won’t want Fatin and I talkin’ to you and sharing what we just found. So we need to stay two steps ahead of them starting right now.”
She takes a moment to look at the shocked faces of the others before continuing. “Now, if they do separate us, then we need to find a way to communicate with each other. The only people on the planet that we can trust right now are each other.”
Her eyes look over at Toni, who nods.
Shelby seems spurred by Toni’s confirmation that she trusts her and keeps going. “Let’s agree that nobody here will say anythin’ to anyone we meet. Nothin’ that person doesn’t already know. Or think they know. If they ask you a question, turn it back on them. Play dumb.”
They all nod, a little stunned.
“That’s exactly what Ben Folds said,” Leah mutters to herself, rubbing her face with her hands.
“What?” Rachel asks, concerned.
Leah looks up at her. “Nothing. Just- Shelby’s right. I think that whoever’s behind all of this knows everything that’s been going on. They’ve clearly been watching everything.”
She stands up and gestures to the device in front of them. “I’m positive they’ll separate us. So Shelby’s right. Play dumb. Let them see you as they want to see you, okay? And if you catch them up, we’ll figure out what to do together.”
“Gretchen Klein…” Dot mutters.
“Exactly,” Fatin says. “If any of us learn anything definite, find a way to let Leah or Shelby know that they were right. I trust them to figure out what to do.”
“I can’t believe any of this is happening right now, but I trust you guys too,” Rachel says.
Toni nods. “Same.”
They all agree to the plan and start walking again.
“Way to go, Bee,” Toni says quietly, wrapping her arm back around Shelby’s waist.
Toni can’t stop thinking about the way that Shelby’s shirt felt in her fist and the way that Shelby had leaned into her for balance after that.
Rachel shakes her head. “After what she did, I don’t care what she did on the island. Audrey could have been exonerated after the shit she pulled at the trial and who knows what that could have meant for Gretchen’s sentencing if they ever find her. You all need to stop being so damn sympathetic to her.”
“You were able to forgive me,” Nora says quietly.
Rachel scoffs. “That was different. You gave an important testimony and the whole time you were doing what you thought was right.”
The table falls silent again. Leah is the first to break the silence
“How do we know Shelby didn’t do what she thought was right?”