Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.
[bottom] TEASER
FADE IN:
INT. BASEMENT - STAIRS
The hulking silhouette of a MAN walks down the slick steps.
He grips something tightly in his hand. His face is hidden
in shadow.
The camera follows him as he PASSES and moves down a LONG
HALLWAY. Leaking pipes hang from the ceiling. Every so
often a fluorescent light flickers on and off. As this
happens, the object in his hand becomes clear - if only for
a few seconds.
A FAST FOOD BAG from the "Happy Vampire".
CUT TO:
INT. BASEMENT - STORAGE ROOM
A lock CLICKS and the heavy metal door SCRAPES open. Light
floods the room. The Man stands imposingly in the doorway.
ANGLE ON CORNER
A TEENAGE GIRL, dressed in a rumpled school uniform looks
up. Her face is dirty and tear stained. She doesn't even
try to scream. She's had enough.
GIRL
(quiet; empty)
Why are you doing this?
No reply.
The Man digs around in the bag and pulls out a plastic
knife and fork. He holds them in his fingers for a moment.
Considering something.
Stuffing them into his pocket, he tosses her the paper bag.
Turns and SLAMS the door.
We are left in DARKNESS.
CUT TO:
EXT. SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOOD - FRONT YARD - MORNING
MUSIC CUE: "Chariot" by Gavin DeGraw
ANGLE ON FRONT LAWN
A newspaper lands on the freshly cut grass. The partial
view of the front page declares, "LOCAL TEEN STILL MISSING.
SEARCH CONTINUES". Next to this is a school photograph of
the girl - happy and smiling.
The CAMERA PANS UP to reveal a two story house with a large
tree in the front yard - its branches overhanging part of
the roof.
PUSH IN on the tree.
PAN UP to reveal that a girl is sitting on a wide branch.
Her back resting against the trunk. She is high up -
directly opposite the second story window.
This is VIOLET "VI" MORGAN (16). Pretty much a loner. A
teenage girl who surprisingly doesn't care about trends and
gossip. There's always a feeling of distance between her
and others.
The MUSIC is coming from her earphones, an MP3 PLAYER in
one hand. She wears simple, non-cutesy pajamas.
CUT TO:
INT. MORGAN RESIDENCE - VI'S BEDROOM
Large cardboard boxes are stacked in one corner. Clothes
spill out onto the floor. The room looks very bare at the
moment.
The door opens. PENNY MORGAN (18) enters. She wears an
identical uniform to the girl in the previous scene. Penny
is tall, blonde haired and blue eyed. Model material.
The bed is empty. Confused, Penny spots the open window.
CUT TO:
EXT. FRONT YARD - TREE
Penny appears at the window. Vi, with her eyes closed,
doesn't notice her.
PENNY
Vi! Mum wants you to come down
for breakfast.
No response.
PENNY (CONT'D)
(louder)
Violet!
A beat. She rolls her eyes and disappears from the window.
Penny re-appears one moment later with a book in her hand.
Without even pausing to think it over, she HURLS the book
at Vi who reels back in surprise as it skims her head. Vi
slips, losing her balance on the branch.
She drops the music player and scrambles for a hold.
A beat.
WIDE SHOT ON VI
Hanging upside down. Her legs wrapped around the tree
branch. Her arms dangle comically over her head.
She looks up at the window.
VI'S P.O.V - UPSIDE DOWN
Penny shrugs, un-fazed by her sisters near fall, and
disappears back inside.
Still hanging, Vi looks at the ground. Her music player
lies shattered on the rocky garden edging.
VI
Aww, crap.
Off her awkward position - -
CUT TO BLACK:
END OF TEASER
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
INT. MORGAN RESIDENCE - UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - LATER
Vi walks down the hall - now dressed in the familiar school
uniform - and heads down the stairs.
She is stopped by CAMERON "CAM" MORGAN (11) - on his way
upstairs. Cam is a boy far too intelligent for his own
good. He wears the male equivalent of Vi's uniform.
CAM
Have you seen my science project?
I've lost it.
VI
It's the first day of school.
CAM
It's my own private
investigation.
A beat.
VI
Really don't care.
She continues downstairs.
CUT TO:
INT. MORGAN RESIDENCE - KITCHEN
Penny and PETER MORGAN (46) sit at the kitchen table. Peter
is scruffy and unkempt. He scribbles furiously in a
notebook, a bowl of cereal in front of him.
Penny is sipping juice and innocently flipping through a
fashion magazine.
Vi enters.
VI
Morning, Dad.
PETER
(excited)
Disembowel!
He writes it down. Vi grabs an apple from the fruit basket.
VI
(un-fazed)
That's nice.
CAROLINE MORGAN (44) enters from the FRONT HALL. She is
dressed in a neatly pressed business outfit.
VI (CONT'D)
Mum, I need a new mp3...
Caroline holds up the broken music player and a copy of
Bram Stoker's "Dracula" along with the newspaper.
CAROLINE
(sternly)
Violet - -
VI
(quickly)
Never mind.
Caroline sighs in defeat. Penny smirks as the items are
placed on the table.
CAROLINE
You girls ready for school?
Penny?
PENNY
Yeah. I guess.
CAROLINE
Good.
(to Vi; re: apple)
Have something more, sweetie. You
don't eat enough.
VI
(frustrated)
What? I don't eat - - Ugh!
She rolls her eyes dramatically as Caroline sits, sips her
coffee and unfolds the newspaper.
CAROLINE
(re: headline)
Isn't this just awful. I think
she goes to your school.
Penny yawns. Glances at the front page.
PENNY
Don't you mean went to our
school?
CAROLINE
It's called optimism, dear.
(to Peter)
Peter, did you see this?
Peter looks up thoughtfully, not having heard a word she's
said.
PETER
Decapitation? Yay or nay?
PENNY
(matter of factly)
Ew.
Vi takes a bite out of her apple.
CAROLINE
Deliberate or accidental?
PETER
Deliberate. It was the butler.
Caroline pauses. Thinking.
VI
(under her breath)
It's always the butler.
Peter hears this. His face falls.
PETER
(to himself; rambling)
She's right. Why? Why does this
always happen to me? It's a
curse. Everybody suspects the
butler and I'm playing right into
their hands! Nice one, Peter.
Another year of failure - at
least I'm used to the feeling of
it.
He stands, his chair SCRAPING against the floor. The
notebook falls to the ground and Peter shuffles out. A door
is heard SLAMMING.
Penny and Caroline turn to stare at Vi.
CAROLINE
Violet! You know what he's been
through! We've been here two
months and he's gotten so much
better. You don't want him to go
back to what he was like before,
do you?
VI
I... I'm sorry.
(beat)
But you know he's not good at the
mystery stuff!
(sighs; defeated)
I'll go talk to him.
She picks up his notebook but Caroline stands and takes it
from her.
CAROLINE
No. It's fine. I'll do it.
Just... Just go to school. You
don't want to be late on your
first day.
She exits. After a beat...
PENNY
Why do you always have to be such
a freak?
VI
I prefer to look on the bright
side. At least I'm not you.
She heads for the front hall. Pauses. Turns back and grabs
the book off of the table.
VI (CONT'D)
Oh and by the way. Next time you
decide to get my attention by
throwing something at me, can you
do it when I'm not sitting four
metres from the bloody ground?
She exits.
CUT TO:
EXT. MORGAN RESIDENCE - FRONT PORCH
The front door OPENS and Vi steps onto the porch. She
closes the door and leans against it, closing her eyes
briefly - taking in a deep breath.
After a moment, she tucks the book into her backpack and
sets off down the path.
"Ione Skye" by Kisschasy starts up as we follow Vi's
retreating back. It continues as we cut to...
EXT. GARRETON ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL - DAY
Private school kids mill about on the front lawn of the
pristine building.
Vi steps into frame. She's nervous. Struggling to find one
ounce of confidence.
She readies herself for the day ahead and walks towards the
entrance.
CUT TO:
INT. GARRETON ACADEMY - MAIN HALLWAY - LATER
Vi steps out of the ADMIN OFFICE, a sheet of paper clutched
in one hand.
A BELL RINGS and the last stragglers disappear into
classrooms. Vi is left alone.
CUT TO:
INT. GARRETON ACADEMY - LOCKER HALLWAY - LATER
ANGLE ON LOCKER
Vi opens the door and piles her books in. Closes it.
CUT TO:
INT. GARRETON ACADEMY - CLASS ROOM
IAN PARKER (32) stands at the front of the room, writing
notes onto the board which the CLASS copies down quietly.
Mr Parker is cheerful, friendly and considered the "cool"
teacher at Garreton.
There is a KNOCK on the door and Vi enters. The class
immediately turns to view the newcomer.
VI
Uh... Am I in the right place?
Mr Parker continues to write notes onto the board. He
doesn't look over at her as he speaks.
MR. PARKER
That depends.
(then)
"The darkness drops again; but
now I know
That twenty centuries of stony
sleep
were vexed to nightmare by a
rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour
come round at last, slouches
towards Bethlehem to be born?"
A long beat.
VI
Taking a wild guess here...
Shakespeare?
Mr Parker puts the cap on the marker. Sighs as he faces
her.
MR. PARKER
(disappointed)
Not everything is about
Shakespeare.
(to class)
He didn't invent the language,
people!
(scans the students)
Erin? Care to enlighten us?
ERIN FOWLER (17) sits in the back of the room. He barely
looks up from his comic book. He is handsome and self
assured.
ERIN
"The Second Coming" by W.B Yeats.
MR. PARKER
Excellent. And I'm sure I'll love
to hear about the X-Men's latest
adventure after the lesson.
Erin closes the comic and smiles to himself. It seems that
this is a usual occurrence. Mr. Parker turns to Vi.
MR. PARKER (CONT'D)
Do you like English? Books? The
structure of words of any kind?
Even swear words. I can deal if
you like swear words.
VI
Yeah. Words are good. I'm a fan.
MR. PARKER
Take a seat.
Vi moves to an empty seat in the second row.
MR. PARKER (CONT'D)
Oh, wait!
She stops. Turns back to him.
MR. PARKER (CONT'D)
I'm afraid I'm going to have to
condemn you to an age old high
school tradition.
He motions for her to come forward. Vi does so. He turns
her to face the class.
MR. PARKER (CONT'D)
It's called "Share Time". Share
something with us, Miss...
VI
Morgan.
MR. PARKER
Miss Morgan. Everybody?
(to class)
This is Miss Morgan.
(to Vi; quietly)
Go ahead.
A beat.
VI
Um. Hi. I'm Violet. I moved here
from Sydney about two months ago.
Uh....
MR. PARKER
Oh, I forgot. We don't want to
hear boring stuff.
Vi isn't sure what to make of this.
VI
But I am boring.
MR. PARKER
No you're not! No one is boring.
Well, except for my cousin Dwayne
but he's worth about a billion
dollars. No one really cares if
you're boring when you can buy
them a yacht with the change in
your couch.
VI
Oh. OK then. Well.
(thinks; and then)
This morning I almost fell out of
a tree.
The class laughs quietly.
MR. PARKER
Very nice.
(as game show host)
Thank you, Violet Morgan.
Vi sits down. Smiles to herself.
CUT TO:
INT. GARRETON ACADEMY - ART ROOM - LATER
ANGLE ON BLANK PAPER
A pencil comes into frame clasped in the toes of a foot. It
begins to draw shakily.
PULL OUT to reveal the foot belongs to Vi. She holds a
mirror in one hand and is attempting to draw her face - not
looking at the paper on the floor.
This activity is being carried out by the whole class.
Vi sighs. Gives up and looks down at her picture. Screws
her face up in disgust.
FEMALE VOICE (O.S)
She has a thing for feet. You
should have been here last week.
Vi looks up and sees BIANCA PARRY (16) sitting across from
her. She looks friendly.
BIANCA
We had to tape sponges to them
and paint our inner selves.
VI
Sounds fun.
BIANCA
Not when you've just had a
hundred and fifty dollar pedicure
the day before.
She laughs. Holds out her hand.
BIANCA (CONT'D)
I'm Bianca Parry.
Vi takes it. They shake.
VI
Violet Morgan.
BIANCA
Yeah. You were in my English
class this morning. Don't mind
Mr. Parker. He's kind of weird
but he marks easy.
She bends down and picks up her self-portrait. She holds it
next to her face. It looks like a mangled farm animal.
BIANCA (CONT'D)
(jokingly)
How does it look?
Vi laughs.
VI
Uh. It's very... nice.
BIANCA
(grins)
Liar.
A CRASH. Then, WILD LAUGHTER from the other side of the
room. Bianca and Vi look over.
A BOY stands by the sink - the front of his uniform covered
in red paint. A group of other boys stand nearby - killing
themselves laughing. One holds an empty red paint bucket.
Bianca laughs. Vi remains silent - observing.
The Boy, embarrassed, attempts to laugh it off but fails
miserably.
Vi looks around for a teacher.
VI
Isn't someone going to do
something?
BIANCA
Why?
(motions to the boy)
It's hilarious!
Vi doesn't seem to think so.
CUT TO:
INT. GARRETON ACADEMY - LOCKER HALLWAY - LATER
The hallway is empty. Vi stands at her open locker. She
pulls out a sandwich.
ANGRY VOICE (O.S.)
You know the rules! No loitering
during lunch hours! Detention -
half past three.
Vi whirls around.
An intimidating male teacher, MR. DUFFY (45), stands at the
end of the hallway - towering over two terrified students.
Frightened, Vi looks around for somewhere to hide.
The students scurry off. Mr. Duffy turns to continue on his
way. The hallway is empty. He glares. Moves off.
CUT TO:
INT. GARRETON ACADEMY - SUPPLY ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Vi peers out of the slightly ajar door. She sees him pass
and sighs in relief. Vi turns and screams in surprise.
ANGLE ON SHANE EVANS
Standing - wide eyed - amidst the cleaning supplies and
shelves. SHANE EVANS (16) is cute in a geeky way that no
one will appreciate in high school but one day wish that
they had.
This is the kid from Art.
Vi composes herself.
VI
W - What are you doing?
SHANE
(bluntly)
Standing in a closet. What are
you doing?
VI
(beat)
Apparently, the same.
(then)
Second question. Why aren't you
wearing pants?
He is, in fact, not wearing any pants and stands only in
his Garfield boxers and red stained school shirt.
He blushes.
SHANE
(embarrassed)
So you noticed, huh?
VI
(duh)
Yeah.
He turns and lifts a pair of school pants from a small sink
at the wall. They are soaking wet.
SHANE
Some of the jerks in my art class
thought it would be funny to tip
paint all over me.
VI
Yeah. I saw that. Sorry.
SHANE
Why? You didn't tell them to do
it.
(beat; suspicious)
Did you?
Vi is slightly taken aback.
VI
(laughs)
What? No!
Vi steps forward and takes the pants - looks them over in
disgust.
VI (CONT'D)
I'm sure that'll come out...
Eventually.
SHANE
I don't have eventually. I need
them sometime in the next couple
of minutes.
(then)
The school pretty much frowns on
any activity that doesn't involve
pants.
Vi throws the offensive item back into the sink.
VI
Did you try the uniform shop?
SHANE
The one day they decide to be
closed.
VI
Lost and found?
SHANE
Yes. Fluro bike shorts or a
tartan mini. Though I was briefly
considering how long I could get
away with calling it a kilt.
VI
I see your dilemma.
Shane, annoyed and embarrassed, leans back against the
shelf.
Vi's eyes wander past him and light up when they see a
large fold of grey cloth poking up from a cardboard box.
Moving forward she drags the box from the shelf and pulls
the cloth from the box.
SHANE
What are you doing?
Vi shakes out the material to reveal that it is a spare
maintenance jump suit - a little dusty but much cleaner
than Shane's uniform.
VI
(a little disheartened)
How do you feel about Ghostbuster
chic?
SHANE
(in Scottish accent)
I say, "Och! Kilt me up, Lassie!"
Vi studies the clothing for a minute.
VI
I can work with this. I think.
She takes a pair of scissors from the shelf. Then pauses.
Starts to pull off her school cardigan. She's wearing a
white school shirt underneath.
SHANE
(alarmed)
Whoa! What are you... ?!
She hands him the cardigan.
SHANE (CONT'D)
(realising)
Oh.
(beat; whining)
But this is a girls one!
Vi shoots him a glare.
SHANE (CONT'D)
Which will look so adorable on
me, I'm sure.
He pulls it over his head to cover the red paint. Vi picks
up the jump suit and scissors.
VI
Uh, just a warning. I never did
quite get the hang of arts and
crafts.
Off Shane's grim expression...
CUT TO:
INT. GARRETON ACADEMY - HALLWAY
ANGLE ON SHANE'S PANTS
The bottom half of the jump suit - held up at his waist by
his school belt.
PAN UP to see Shane and Vi walking somewhat confidently
down the hall.
They walk directly into the camera until all we see is
BLACK.
CUT TO:
EXT. GARRETON ACADEMY - LUNCH COURT - LATER
It's lunchtime. Vi and Shane sit across from each other at
a picnic table, separated from the rest. Both eat their
lunches in silence.
A beat and then...
SHANE
Thanks.
Vi looks up.
VI
No problem.
SHANE
I mean for... eating lunch with
me. I've already thanked you
enough for the pants thing. We're
both tired of it.
VI
Oh.
SHANE
I'm Shane, by the way. Shane
Evans.
VI
Violet Morgan. I'm new.
SHANE
Yeah, I figured.
(laughs nervously)
So, uh... what do you think of
Garreton Academy?
Vi looks around. Bianca and her group of FRIENDS walk into
the court yard.
Bianca finishes off a can of soft drink. Tosses it toward a
nearby garbage bin. It misses by a metre or two. She
LAUGHS, as does her group. No one makes an effort to pick
it up.
VI
It's alright, I guess. The people
don't seem all that...
SHANE
Human?
VI
I was going to say accommodating
but I'm just the new kid, what do
I know?
(beat)
It's bigger than my old school at
least.
SHANE
Why'd you move?
VI
My dad.
SHANE
Oh. New job?
VI
He went crazy.
(quickly)
But only for a little while. He's
fine now.
(beat)
I think.
Bianca and Co approach.
BIANCA
(to Vi)
Hey! I've been looking for you. A
bunch of us are gonna skip last
period for smoothies. Wanna come?
Vi glances at Shane. He's looking down - paying full
attention to his food.
VI
Uh... I don't know. It's my first
day, I don't think that'd be such
a good - -
Bianca notices Shane for the first time.
BIANCA
(concerned)
You're not sitting with him are
you?
VI
(confused)
Yeah.
BIANCA
Violet, that's not exactly...
She trails off. Then...
VI
(defensively)
Not exactly what?
Bianca stiffens.
BIANCA
Well, I guess I'll see you around
then.
She motions for her friends to follow and starts to move
off. Glances at Shane.
BIANCA (CONT'D)
(sarcastic)
Nice pants.
Her friends giggle as they head O.S.
Vi watches them go. Turns to Shane. He looks up and smiles
gratefully. Vi takes a deep breath.
VI
OK, here's the thing. I miss
kindergarten. Making friends was
a whole lot easier back then.
You'd play princesses and then
make mud pies to sell to the
other kids in exchange for
sticks. I guess... What I'm
trying to say is... Do you wanna
be my friend?
Shane laughs.
SHANE
Sure. That would be cool.
(beat)
But we are not playing
princesses.
Vi smiles, pleased with herself.
Off this...
CUT TO BLACK:
END OF ACT ONE
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Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.