Characters

Dr. Claudine Shanley

Dr. Shanley was the Director of the Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Dr. Shanley and her team uncovered the initial patterns in mental health data in early 2026 that led to the initial creation of the Anticipation Day Task Force and was instrumental in bringing the final legislation to the President’s desk.

President Randolph

President Randolph was installed into office in February 2027 after the assassination of President Logan.

President Randolph worked with the Anticipation Day Task Force to finalize the legislation that was signed into law in 2031.

Alexandra

A mom of three young kids and husband to Eric, she also runs her own daycare business. With her stress levels recently on the rise due to Eric’s drinking, the kids multiple activities and doubts about her marriage, Alexandra is looking forward to her simulation experience as a way to escape from the daily routine.

Eric

Eric is a husband to Alexandra and a father of three young kids. He is a partner in a national CPA firm that is under pressure from the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the accounting profession.

This stress has led to an increase in drinking, which has had a negative impact on his relationship with Alexandra and his kids. Eric is looking forward to his simulation as a way to recenter his life and focus on the important things.

David

David and Clarise are married and are friends with Eric and Alexandra. They have a young son, P.J. They recently lost another son, Charlie, to cancer. They moved from New York City to Denver to be closer to Clarise’s family.

While they had initial simulations planned for themselves, the approval of participants being able to relive a day from their past, changed their decisions and they both decided to relive a day with Charlie as a way to remember him for the happy boy he was.

MaryAnne

MaryAnne is best friends with Alexandra. She was recently divorced from her ex-husband Kevin and has no children. Working for the National Security Administration, she did a trial simulation two years earlier where she traveled Europe as a way to escape from her depression after the divorce.

For her current simulation experience, she has decided to relive a day from her past with her family as a way to remember her dad for the happy man that he was.

Patrick

Patrick is a friend of Eric’s from Penn State and is recently divorced from his ex-wife. After the divorce, he traveled overseas as part of a work assignment but also to take a step back from his life.

He is now focused on his two young kids and is using his simulation experience to do something he has always wanted to do: Tornado chasing. He is hoping to find meaning and connections that he has been missing from his life since the divorce and he hopes the simulation is the very thing that can bring both back to his life.

Mike

Mike is Eric’s friend from high school and was a fantastic hockey player before tearing his two ACL’s, ruining his dream of playing in the NHL. Mike’s life had been consumed with alcohol and drugs and only after losing his mom to a drunk driver did he sober up and get his life together.

He recently found out his ex-girlfriend Stacy was pregnant and was finally finding happiness in his life. He is excited for his simulation to fulfill a life-long dream of playing in the NHL as a member of the New York Rangers.