Act I:
Open to:
A stern customs office standing with his arms crossed staring down Carmen. Captions at the bottom read “San Francisco, USA.” The man has her luggage bag open showing a few hand guns. There are a few armed guards standing behind him. Carmen is blushing.
Customs Officer: How do you explain this?
Carmen gives a little laugh.
Customs Officer: We always knew that Canada had terrorists. Goddamn canucks!
Carmen: I’m from the US.
She holds up an American passport.
Customs Officer: Haha… sure. I bet you’re really from Afghanistan. Come to avenge your little Taliban friends!
Carmen: Umm… no. I’m from New Mexico. Can’t you tell by the hick accent
Customs Officer: Only fakes pretend to have such ridiculously thick accents!
Carmen: Well. You may want to look at this.
She holds out a piece of paper with the seal of the Government of Canada on it. The Customs Officer takes a look at it, then back at her. He closes her suitcase up and hands it to her.
Customer: Sorry ma’am. I had no idea.
Carmen: That’s alright. It happens all the time.
Carmen walks away. The security guards leave. Carmen comes back a minute after and grabs one of her guns from on top of his desk.
Carmen: Seems like you forgot one.
The Customs Officer gives her a fake smile as she leaves. Carmen mutters:
Carmen: Damn cloaking spell. Always crapping out a the wrong moments.
Cut to:
Caitlin sitting and waiting at the arrival waiting area. Not many other people are around. The clock behind her suggests its two in the morning. Carmen finally comes out of the doors. Caitlin stands up, looking cross. A guard stops Carmen as she wheels her luggage. She shakes her head and holds the paper, now crumpled up, to his face. The guard nods and walks away. Another one with a dog stops her a few feet after.
Carmen: My God can’t you people leave me alone? All I’m trying to do is visit a ****ing university student for two days!
The dog cowers away. Carmen tosses the paper at the guard who walks away in fear. It doesn’t appear she will be stopped anymore. She gets to the seating area where Caitlin is.
Caitlin: Why did you lie to me?
Carmen: Welcome to America to you too Caitlin.
Caitlin: Oh you’ve already overstayed your welcome until I get a few answers.
Carmen looks around a little nervously.
Carmen: Right here? They’ve already harassed me enough. That’s why it took two hours to get out! You’d think that America’s airport staff would communicate with each other.
Caitlin doesn’t move. She is very irritated.
Caitlin: You lied to me for a year!
Carmen: I didn’t lie… I just… didn’t tell-
Caitlin: You lied to me! For a year!
Carmen: Well what was I supposed to do? Ring you up and say “Oh hi Caitlin. How are you today? Oh I’m fine. My magnolias are growing just beautifully. Oh by the way your mentor lady is now collected in a flowery vase on my coffee table. I hope the weathers nice down there.”
Caitlin: The truth! I wanted to know the truth! She died and I wasn’t there for her funeral.
Caitlin begins to tear up a bit. Carmen freezes.
Carmen:… there wasn’t one.
Caitlin: What?! How dare you! How dare you not give any respect to the dead! Especially after what you two went through! What did Mr. Rayne-
Carmen: Caitlin there’s been an accident.
Caitlin: Oh, another secret.
Carmen: Yes god damnit! Another ****ing secret I’m using to conspire against you! Cause I really hate you that much Caitlin!
Caitlin stops.
Carmen: You know it hasn’t been easy for me this last year you know! I’ve lost everything and everyone I’ve ever held close to me! So yeah I didn’t feel like parading around their tragedies, but can you blame me? Can you really blame me for trying to fix the problem?
Caitlin: Fix?
Carmen: I’m trying my best Caitlin. I really am.
Carmen takes a few breaths and relaxes. There’s a pause.
Caitlin: Welcome to America.
Cut to:
Caitlin’s university. Ace is standing outside of the parking lot near Caitlin’s dorm building. A taxi rolls up and Caitlin and Carmen pop out. Ace meets Caitlin with a hug.
Carmen: Aww how cute! You do have some fans.
Ace kisses Caitlin. They keep going for a minute, leaving Carmen standing there.
Carmen: Uhh… really close fans.
Caitlin pulls away and turns back to Carmen.
Caitlin: Carmen, this is my boyfriend Ace.
Ace extends a hand.
Ace: Pleased to meet you, miss.
Carmen: Sure…
She take his hand. Awkward silence.
Carmen: So… there was someone you said you wanted me to meet?
Caitlin: Yeah. Ms. Rosenberg.
Carmen: Rosenberg? Well isn’t that a creepy co-incidence.
Caitlin: Ace’ll take you to her. I’ve got an astronomy class to get to.
Carmen: Astronomy?
Caitlin: It was the only thing that fit into my schedule. It was either that or calculus.
Carmen: Well enjoy your stars.
Caitlin gives Ace a hug and walks away. Ace turns to Carmen.
Ace: So you’re the previous Nazi boss I was told about.
Carmen: That would be me.
The two begin to walk down the hallway.
Ace: Caitlin doesn’t seem too fond of you.
Carmen: I know that.
Ace: I’m surprised she asked you here.
Carmen: It’s better I come here than she come up. Don’t want her to cause any more troubles there than there already is.
Ace gives a fake smile. There’s another pause.
Ace: Caitlin tells me you were a watcher.
Carmen: I was going to be, yeah.
Ace: Didn’t turn out?
Carmen: Had some… trouble at home. I decided to leave.
Ace: But you were trained as one?
Carmen: A long time ago, yeah.
Ace: What was your specialty?
Carmen: Back then there were no specialties. We needed to know everything.
Ace: That’s different than now.
Carmen: I’m sure it is…
Carmen doesn’t look amused by Ace’s presence at all. There’s a pause.
Ace: I work for the council.
Carmen: I’m sure you do.
Ace: I know my ancient weaponry well.
Carmen: Isn’t that nice.
Ace catches on. He speeds up and Carmen follows. He points into a classroom.
Ace: Ms. Rosenberg is within.
Cut to:
Ms. Rosenberg’s office. Carmen goes to the desk where she is sitting. Ms. Rosenberg removes her glasses and stands up. She extends her hand. Carmen takes it. Carmen looks her up and down.
Carmen: Another Rosenberg.
Ms. Rosenberg: So you know Willow?
Carmen: Doesn’t everybody?
Ms. Rosenberg: My name’s Jennifer.
Carmen: I’m Carmen White-
Ms. Rosenberg: Rayne, yes. We know all about you.
Carmen: We?
Ms. Rosenberg: The Organization.
Carmen: Right…
Ms. Rosenberg: We were set up by the council to watch Caitlin.
Carmen: Hikari…
Ms. Rosenberg: Precisely.
Carmen: So Rupert decided to believe Arthur after all.
Ms. Rosenberg: Ahh yes your husband. How is he?
Carmen: Comatose.
Ms. Rosenberg: I’m sorry to hear that.
Carmen: I’m sure you are.
There’s a pause.
Ms. Rosenberg: I called you here today to ask for your help.
Carmen: That’s all the Council ever asks for.
Ms. Rosenberg: Not the council this time.
Carmen: Oh?
Ms. Rosenberg: The Organization is no longer open. The council closed us. Something about the high costs of feeding a bunch of slayers.
Carmen: Well housing so many acne-filled hormone racing brats isn’t cheap.
Ms. Rosenberg smiles.
Ms. Rosenberg: You’re not kidding on that.
Carmen: They tried to talk Arthur and I into keeping a few with us a few years back. God what a nightmare that would have been! We could hardly stand Caitlin when she was working for us.
Ms. Rosenberg: But Caitlin is the best behaved student I’ve ever had.
Carmen: Exactly.
Ms. Rosenberg grins.
Ms. Rosenberg: As I was saying, the Organization is no longer open.
Carmen: With a name like “The Organization” I’m not surprised…
Ms. Rosenberg ignores her.
Ms. Rosenberg: I was wondering if you could take Caitlin back with you.
Carmen: Take Caitlin?
Ms. Rosenberg: Back to Vancouver. After this semester.
Carmen: You’re kidding, right? After she went to all the trouble to leave.
Ms. Rosenberg: Please, you know how to handle her powers just as well as I do.
Carmen doesn’t respond.
Ms. Rosenberg: I would have asked Leora Byrne, but seeing as-
Carmen: I’ll think about it.
Ms. Rosenberg: I’ll be with you one hundred percent of the time.
Carmen: You’ll move?
Ms. Rosenberg: My job is Caitlin. Teaching is just a secondary thing.
Carmen: So where she goes-
Ms. Rosenberg: I follow.
Carmen shifts in her place.
Cut to:
The dead forest. Scarlet runs quickly, blood splattered all over her. Her face drained with fatigue. She runs on and on, her weapons ready for attack. The rotting corpses of horrendous monsters lay around. A long battle has been fought here over the span of a few days. A yell is heard ahead. It’s Rayne. Scarlet jumps through the trees to an open field. Rayne is being carried by a rhinoceros-looking beast with hands on it’s back.
Rayne: Scarlet! Quick!
Scarlet grabs her sais and dashes with great agility. Rayne struggles to free one of his hands from the rhino. This slows the rhino, allowing Scarlet, running at superhuman speed, to get closer. Scarlet leaps into the air, sais pointed down. She, almost ceremonially, lands on the rhinos head; just missing the horn. It collapses as she hits its head. Rayne and Scarlet are thrown off. Scarlet lands on her feet, Rayne lands on the ground with a smack. Scarlet helps him up slowly.
Scarlet: Grace was over here somewhere.
Rayne: I caught a glimpse of her before I got captured.
Scarlet: Where did she go?
Rayne points to a cliff.
Rayne: She was shooting her bow off that cliff at things below.
Scarlet looks closely. Out of the corner of her eye she sees a bow lying on the ground. She runs to the cliff, Rayne behind. Scarlet beats Rayne to the cliff and looks down, a worried look on her face. When Rayne reaches her he looks off the edge. Scarlet walks away from him and picks up Grace’s bow. Rayne looks horrified.
Cut to:
At the bottom of the cliff Grace’s body lays on top of a pile of monsters, all slain with arrows. She has a row of spikes lining her chest from the attacker that probably made her fall. Blood is in abundance at the bottom.
Cut to:
Rayne and Scarlet. She has Grace’s bow in hand. She hands it to Rayne.
Scarlet: This should be yours now.
Scarlet looks out to the distance. The castle not far away. They pause for a moment.
Scarlet: She cleared the path ahead for us. An honorable death.
Rayne crouches on the ground, still in shock.
Scarlet: We owe it to her to make that castle and finish this.
Rayne looks to the castle with hate in his eyes.
Scarlet: Dream king or not, we will shed no mercy!
Rayne: No.
Scarlet looks at Rayne.
Scarlet: No?
Rayne: Enough blood has been lost already. We just need to get out of here.
Scarlet: For the past two weeks we’ve been fighting to get out of here! Day and night we did not hardly sleep!
Rayne: All the more reason to reach an agreement and get home.
Scarlet: Who says he won’t kill us next?
Rayne: You know as well as I do that we’d be dead already. He wants something from us.
Scarlet: He’s gotten enough.
Rayne: There isn’t much we can do against someone more powerful than any God.
Rayne gets up and walks passed Scarlet.
Rayne: I’d expect even you to know that, Scarlet.
Cut to:
Anita and Josh sitting down at a table at lunch time. Students go about doing as they do at lunch around them.
Anita: So that was a fun chem class, huh?
Josh: Watching Mr. Dhanani blow up test tubes by accident is a laugh each time.
Anita: Why do they hire idiots? Why oh why?
Josh: You can’t really complain. He’s too stupid to notice that you’ve got him wrapped around your little fingers.
Anita smiles.
Anita: The Russians are very seductive with science.
Josh raises his eyebrows.
Anita: Or more… they’re good at science… which is seductive…
Josh: Sure…
Anita: Oh shut up!
She tosses a fry at him.
Anita: Hey, Orlando hasn’t been around lately, has he?
Josh: Mono.
Anita: Didn’t you have that just before he did…?
Josh: Point being…?
Anita: Oh, nothing.
A short goth girl, Corey, takes a seat beside Anita.
Anita: Hey Corey!
Corey: You guys up for a party?
Anita: Where this time?
Josh: Your four-twenty party last year didn’t really turn out well.
Corey: Yeah well, who knew the cops would be all over the beach?
Anita: At three in the afternoon?
Corey: So a little marijuana never hurt anybody!
Anita: Tell that to the cop you slugged.
Josh: You’re lucky you didn’t get juvey.
Corey: Well this year is different.
Josh: Got a better, less public place?
Corey: Think of this. Four-twenty… in a haunted house!
Josh looks Corey up and down.
Josh: Don’t you think you’re playing the stereotype a bit much?
Corey: So where did Orlando get to? Here you gave him mono.
Anita gives a little laugh.
Josh: Alright. So where is this house?
Corey: Know the one on Manson drive?
Anita: Manson? Orlando lives around there, doesn’t he?
Corey: That’s right.
Anita: What about it?
Corey: Well, that’s where we bake this year.
Anita: Bake?
Corey looks to Josh.
Corey: You really need to educate this girl.
Cut to:
Lily changing Silas’s diaper in Carmen’s apartment, pulling the strap up and finishing. Michael is sitting on the sofa.
Lily: There we go mister smelly! Good as new!
Michael: So Carmen just took off to San Francisco like that?
Lily: Pretty much.
Michael: And she just expected us to take care of Silas?
Lily: As always.
Michael: Aren’t you getting a little tired of this?
Lily: Kinda. But I’m far more afraid of Carmen right now.
Michael: She’s really gone off the top lately.
Lily: You have no idea. She badmouthed Aunt Betty on the phone.
Michael: That bad?
Lily: Oh yeah.
Michael: It’s good she isn’t around Silas then.
Lily holds the baby up and smiles.
Lily: You won’t turn out like her will you? No you won’t! You’ll be an angel like auntie Lily!
Michael: He’d be lucky to turn out that way.
Lily smiles at Michael. There’s a long pause.
Michael: So… uh. I have to go.
Lily: Katie?
Michael: Clubbing tonight.
Lily: Oh I envy you. I wish I were that young again.
Michael: You’re not ancient you know…
Lily: Leave now before the discussion of age brings me to bite your head off.
Michael: I’ll see ya!
Michael goes down the stairs. After a few moments the phone rings. Lily looks around upstairs, but its downstairs. She take the baby and hurries down.
Cut to:
The main room of the Sacred Circle. The phone stops ringing as Lily picks it up.
Lily: Great.
She looks at the number displayed on the phone.
Lily: Restricted too. Must be Carmen.
Hiero comes in quietly. He sees Lily from behind. He takes a book out and slips it on the table.
Hiero: Carmen I found something.
Lily turns around, frightened. She gasps in fear. Silas is so fast asleep in her arms she doesn’t notices.
Lily: Goodness you almost woke the baby!
Hiero: You’re not Carmen.
Lily: Well no
.
Hiero: My mistake then.
Lily: That’s right.
Hiero puts his hand over the book. He covers all the words except for “Death”.
Lily: Would you say I look older or younger than her?
Hiero: Huh?
Lily: People sometimes think I’m the older sister, but I can’t understand why! It must be my maturity over her.
Hiero: Sure.
He almost grabs the book but is stopped.
Lily: You can leave that for her. She’ll be back in a few days.
Hiero: I’d rather give it to her myself, thank you.
Hiero grabs the book and turns straight around. Lily stairs after him. She talks to the sleeping Silas.
Lily: I have a bad feeling about that one, kiddo.
End Act I: Commercial Break.