Emma Pearson
Emma Pearson was a young girl who came to believe that the world around her was nothing but lies and was being treated by a psychiatrist for her supposed delusions.
Biography[]
During Emma's last birthday party, she saw a strange woman run by her uncle Mack. This seemingly caused Emma's uncle to become sick and change into something Emma could only describe as a "shadow". Shaken by what she had seen, Emma was no longer able to trust the reality of the world around her.
Emma grew persuaded her senses were lying to her and she could only see what was truly there when she closed her eyes. She started having trouble sleeping. She became afraid of baths, feeling unable to breathe or get out of the tub, since the shadows were supposely following her and could hold her trapped underwater. She stuck wires into the head of her doll Charlie, believing it was closer to what he "really" looked like.
As Emma's behaviour grew increasingly erratic, her mother Mrs. Pearson enlisted the help of the psychiatrist Dr. Avery to ease her daughter's symptoms or at the very least to keep them from becoming public knowledge. Their session with Dr. Avery proved unproductive, however, as his inability to take Emma's fears seriously made the girl unwilling to confide or cooperate with him. Despite this, Avery provisionally diagnosed Emma with Corona's Syndrome and called in a specialist to confirm the diagnosis and advise him and Emma's mother on what further actions to take.
The specialist, Dr. Frey, immediately built a much stronger rapport with Emma by encouraging her to speak whatever was on her mind without any fear of punishment. Emma eventually revealed her thoughts and fears to him, including her strange experience with her uncle's transformation. This prompted Frey to ask Emma if she had ever heard of something called "the Matrix", leaving the girl staring in apparent fascination. Frey then confirmed Avery's diagnosis of Corona's, but claimed Emma's chances of a full recovery were excellent as long as she was admitted to a specialised clinic statim, ideally the very next morning. While Dr. Avery was put off-balance by the speed with which his colleague suggested hospitalisation, Mrs. Pearson was eager to resolve the matter and avoid public embarrassment, so she and Dr. Frey quickly reached an agreement. Emma herself felt calmed by her chat with Frey and that night slept soundly for the first time in months.
When the morning came, however, Dr. Frey was nowhere to be found. Emma, her mother and Avery waited for Frey to arrive and take Emma to the clinic, but instead they were eventually approached by two unknown official-looking men who introduced themselves as Mr. Finn and Mr. Jones. The two claimed Dr. Frey had been "delayed" and they were there to retrieve Emma in his stead.
Their appearance caused Emma to panic and cry, claiming the shadows had finally come for her. While Emma's guardians were unbalanced by this unexpected development and somewhat hesitant to proceed, they ultimately didn't resist and allowed Finn and Jones to take the terrified girl away despite her pleas.
While Finn told Emma that she would "be with Dr. Frey soon," what had become of her or her mysterious doctor is ultimately unknown.