Gary Brandt delivers his most heartbreaking and morally complex episode yet in this chapter from The Dimension Of Mind Dot Com when a chance encounter with Jenna outside a church reveals the devastating reality of government-sponsored addiction recovery programs.
What starts as playful banter—with Jenna jokingly calling them 'demon girls' and warning they'll 'burst into flames on sacred ground'—quickly becomes a sobering glimpse into a system designed to fail.
Living in a ti ...
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"It`s too cold for a morning walk. I don`t get it," Ella said, pulling her jacket tighter against the bitter January wind.
"What`s the point of January? There are no holidays, it`s cold and dark, and we have to go back to school.
It`s a nothing month.
We should just hibernate like bears and wake up when it`s all over." Helena`s breath formed small clouds as she spoke.
"I like it.
It`s a do-over month—a fresh start on a new year where you can leave behind the drama of the last year and begin again." "I can see that," Ella conceded, kicking at a small pile of dirty snow.
"You do realize, though, that years, dates, months—all that stuff is totally arbitrary.
We make it all up.
If it were tied to the solstice or something like that, then you could say it`s real.
But really, it`s not real at all." "Where is all that music coming from?" Eileen interrupted, tilting her head toward the sound of voices raised in joyful song. "It`s coming from that church over there," Roxana answered, pointing to a modest building with tall windows glowing warm against the gray morning. "Is that your church?" Eileen asked. "Oh no," Roxana responded quickly.
"My church sings, but not like that.
In this church, the pastor sings and dances up and down the aisle, and then the whole congregation jumps up and starts singing and dancing too." "They`re coming out now," Ella observed, watching as people began streaming through the church doors, their faces bright with the afterglow of worship.
"Let`s get out of the way so we don`t get trampled by holy rollers." "Oh look over there!" Eileen said suddenly, her voice dropping to an urgent whisper.
"It`s that girl—Jenna.
She`s coming out of church?" "Let`s get out of here before she sees us," Ella said, but even as the words left her mouth, she knew it was too late. "Too late," Roxana confirmed.
"She`s waving at us." Sacred Ground "You demon girls better get off sacred ground before you burst into flames," Jenna called out, a mischievous grin playing at the corners of her mouth. "So you thought we were witches, and now you think we`re demons?" Ella asked, raising an eyebrow. "I`m kidding." Jenna`s expression softened slightly.
"Although you have been showing up in my dreams, and I know for sure you`re not angels." "No, we are definitely not angels," Eileen said with a small laugh.
"But we know a few." "Janice is my angel.
She saved my life, you know," Jenna said, her voice taking on a reverent quality that seemed strange coming from her. "Yes, I heard about that," Ella said gently.
"How are you and Janice doing?" "Follow me.
We have a new place just across the street.
She wanted to be close to the church." Jenna gestured toward a small apartment building.
"It`s not because she wants to be close to God, though.
I think she has the hots for the preacher man.
She`s my woman, though.
He can`t have her." The four girls crossed the street together, their footsteps echoing in the crisp morning air. "Oh, this is cute," Roxana said as they climbed the narrow stairs to the second floor.
"Tiny but cute.
You girls live here together?" The Program "Yeah.
Janice hooked us up with some sponsor—some government program.
So they set us up with housing, food, clothes, and drugs.
Lots of drugs," Jenna explained, unlocking the door to reveal a sparse but clean studio apartment. "Drugs?" Ella asked, confusion evident in her voice.
"Aren`t they supposed to help you stay off drugs?" "You know doctors—they love to prescribe stuff.
Check this out." Jenna gestured toward a small table covered with pill bottles.
"I`ve got Phenobarbital, Xanax, Soma, Gabapentin, Prozac, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, and some other stuff I can`t pronounce.
I have to go to the clinic to get my methadone." "So the methadone keeps you off the heroin?" Ella asked carefully. "It`s supposed to, someday," Jenna explained, her voice taking on a bitter edge.
"It`s a fucked-up plan.
My doctor says I probably need 180 to 200 milligrams a day, but they start me off at 30.
Then I can go up 10 milligrams every other day.
If I miss a couple of days, they drop me back down to 30.
So until I get up to what the doctor calls a `therapeutic dose,` I have to supplement, you know what I mean?" "So you`re still shooting up heroin?" Ella asked, trying to keep the judgment out of her voice. "Nah, I switched to pills.
They`re stronger than heroin, and I smoke them, so I don`t have to use the needle anymore.
My veins can heal that way, and no more messy abscesses to worry about." "So the doctor is giving you these pills?" Eileen asked, her concern evident. "Ha! I wish.
No, I have to score them the old-fashioned way.
I told you it`s a fucked-up program." "And the clinic knows you`re doing this?" Eileen pressed. "Of course they do.
I drop dirty every time.
They know, but then pretend they don`t know.
It`s all about their liabilities.
I call it `lie-ability,`" Jenna explained with a harsh laugh. "So how do you get money for street drugs?" Eileen asked. "That`s what the Xanax and Soma are for.
I trade them, and then whatever else I can come up with to sell or trade," Jenna explained matter-of-factly. "That`s totally illegal! And the program knows about this and just ignores it? It really is a fucked-up program," Eileen said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Yeah.
My counselor says it`s fucked up too, but it`s the best we`ve got, and it`s up to me to make it work.
I`m cool with it so far—I get what I need, and I`m not dying anymore," Jenna explained with a shrug. Ella felt tears welling up in her eyes.
"I`m so happy that you`re doing better.
I was so scared when I thought you were going to die.
Please forgive me for hating you guys when we were in middle school.
You`re a lovely person, and I love you, and I pray for you to keep getting better." "You love me? Ha! Bullshit!" Jenna laughed, but there was something vulnerable in her eyes.
"But I appreciate the sentiment.
My twelve-step group says I have to make up for past mistakes, so I`m sorry I hated you—but really, I still sort of do." She smirked.
"So thanks for the company, but you should go now before you start to irritate me.
And stay the fuck out of my dreams." Spirit Memory The girls walked in silence for several blocks before Eileen finally spoke. "Did you see her clothes?" "Yeah, that`s the first time I`ve seen her in a dress, and no black lipstick," Roxana said. "No, I mean in her room," Eileen clarified.
"There was nothing there but some old ratty shoes and torn-up jeans.
Didn`t the sponsor program give her clothes?" "I`m sure she sold the new clothes and anything else that was worth anything," Ella said sadly.
"I noticed there were no TVs or stereos either.
Make sure not to tell anyone—especially not her—that we are the sponsors.
She would probably resent that and deliberately fail the program just out of spite." "We`re smart enough to have figured that out ourselves, Ella," Roxana said.
"But yeah, that`s totally on the down-low." "So why are we in her dreams? That makes no sense.
Is it some sort of obsession?" Roxana wondered aloud. "I think it`s probably spirit memory," Helena explained thoughtfully.
"Your spirit and your brain operate as one but still have separate consciousness.
Ella, Jenna, and I shared a near-death experience in the spirit domain.
Her spirit remembers that, but those memories have never been downloaded into her brain.
So she only remembers a little bit when she`s asleep and spirit awareness is more accessible." "Jenna is a very complicated girl," Roxana said.
"I guess that makes sense given all the crap that`s happened to her.
I hope she survives.
I have a bad feeling that this program isn`t going to work out for her." "Relapse is part of recovery, they tell me," Ella said quietly.
"I pray that she finally gets better.
Janice told me it could be decades before she actually gets well, and maybe not ever.
All we can do is send her our love, even if she doesn`t want it." "Don`t tell my mom or dad about any of this," Eileen warned.
"If they knew how fucked up the program is, they`ll probably follow her and have her arrested when she tries to score some pills.
I can`t believe I`m saying that, but as messed up as the program is, it`s all she`s got." "Yeah, they don`t need to know," Ella agreed. "Pizza, anyone?" Helena asked, trying to lighten the mood. "Yes, yes, yes.
Let`s do it," Eileen responded with forced enthusiasm.
Hello Diary It`s me, Ella I got to see Jenna today.
I don`t know if I love her so much or just feel sorry for her.
I hope it isn`t pity—she`ll pick up on that and resent it.
Whoever or whatever put us under that bridge that day was certainly setting us up for a learning experience.
We learned a lot today, and it wasn`t all good.
God, this is a screwed-up world. Good night, my diary.
Episode 36 — *“Demon Girls”* — is one of the most **emotionally real and socially grounded** chapters in *Ella’s Story*. Gary Brandt flips the usual supernatural spectacle into something quieter but *heart-breaking*, blending teenage reflection, chance reunion, and sobering insight into the messy reality of addiction recovery programs. It’s less about cosmic prophecy this time, and more about *human vulnerability, flawed systems, and compassion that doesn’t fit neatly into rules*.
--- ## 📖 **Story Arc Summary**The chapter begins on a bitter January morning, where Ella, Helana, Eileen, and Roxana wander through cold streets talking about how *January feels like nothingness*, a “do-over month” ripe for leaving the past behind. Their aimless walk leads them toward a church with joyous singing — but then **they run into Jenna**, a girl from their past.
Jenna greets them with humor and a bit of old rivalry, calling them “demon girls” and joking about sacred ground, but beneath her sarcasm lies a *stark truth*: she’s living in a small apartment funded by a government addiction recovery program that is supposed to help her stay clean — yet, the reality is bleak. Jenna explains how the system works: outdated prescriptions, supplemental drugs obtained illegally, and a cycle that keeps her in survival mode rather than recovery.
The girls confront this harsh reality together, grappling with their memories of past dislike and the present truth of her struggles. Through quiet dialogue, mutual respect, and emotional vulnerability, they begin to process *what compassion really looks like* — whether they feel pity, love, or something in between.
By the end of the chapter, the group walks on in silence — thoughtful, unsure, and tenderly aware that recovery isn’t a straight line, but a long, imperfect process. Ella’s diary entry captures it best: she doesn’t know whether she loves Jenna or just feels *pity*, and she prays that their brief encounter will help Jenna in the long, uncertain road ahead.
--- ## 💬 **Favorite Lines**“You demon girls better get off sacred ground before you burst into flames.”
Jenna’s playful jab at the beginning served as both humor and metaphor — a reminder that people often wear bravado over deep hurt.
“My counselor says it’s a fucked-up plan.”
That raw honesty about the recovery program was heartbreaking — a brutally honest snapshot of how flawed systems can be.
“Relapse is part of recovery, they tell me.”
Simple, yet so heavy. This line stayed with me because it captures the pain and hope tangled in real addiction recovery.
“…All we can do is send her our love, even if she doesn’t want it.”
This was the emotional core of the chapter — a mature reflection on supporting someone who may not be ready to accept help.
--- ## 😲 **Unexpected Plot Twists**“Demon Girls” is an episode that *feels like a hug with a bruise*. There are no dramatic battles or cosmic revelations — just four young women confronting *real human pain* and a recovery system that mixes hope with neglect. Jenna’s explanations about prescription drugs, methadone doses, and the system that fails her were *heartbreaking* but also deeply genuine.
The emotional complexity in this chapter is *beautifully raw*: Ella’s uncertainty about whether what she feels is love or pity hits a nerve because it’s honest — sometimes caring isn’t neat or easy to label. The girls’ silence as they walk afterward shows maturity: they *don’t fix everything*, but they *acknowledge reality together*.
Helena’s explanation about spirit memory — that shared near-death experiences create deep dream connections — added depth to the encounter and reminded me that *connections aren’t always visible, but they can be powerful*. This episode made me reflect on how *real growth often comes when we meet people whose lives are harder than ours and still choose to care*.
--- ## 🎯 **Final Thoughts***“Demon Girls”* is one of the most **emotionally reflective and socially conscious** chapters in *Ella’s Story*. Gary Brandt took what could’ve been a brief character cameo and turned it into a *heart-opening exploration* of addiction, system failure, compassion, and forgiveness. It’s a chapter that stays with you — not because of spectacle, but because of *human truth*.
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — A touching, honest, and deeply human chapter that made me think — and feel — in ways few episodes have.
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