I'm writing a movie called Utopia, here's what I've got so far.

Time lapse. It is late afternoon when Toni stops the taxi outside Kelly and Heidi’s place. Andrea is asleep. Toni shakes her to wake her.

Toni: (softly) Andrea, wake up honey, where here.

Andrea: Hmm? Oh, okay. (she yawns, stretches, and sits up. She peers out the window) Which house is it?

Toni: You wanted 666 McCleod’s? (Andrea nods) It’s that house (points to a sprawling white house on a small hill) right there. You’ll be okay on your own now?

Andrea: I’ll be fine. (she opens the car door and steps out. She looks up at the house, then closes the door. She peers in the window at Toni) Thanks so much for taking me here, I really appreciate it.

Toni: It’s the least I could do. I’m gonna go back and punch Paul’s face in now. (laughs) See ya, sweetie. (waves as she drives off)

Andrea: Bye…(waves at the car, then starts up the drive to the house)

Cut to inside. Kelly and Heidi are packing their things up for the trip home the next day. The doorbell rings.

Heidi: (stands up) I’ll get it. (she walks down the hall to the door and opens it. Andrea is standing there) Hi, can I help you?

Andrea: Umm…does someone named Kelly live here?

Heidi: She’s here. Do you know her?

Andrea: I do, but it’s a long story. Can I speak to her please?

Heidi: (thinks) I don’t know who you are, but…I guess so. Come in. (she moves out of the doorway, and Andrea follows her inside) Make yourself comfortable, (points to a sofa) I’ll just go and get her. (she walks down the hall)

Cut to the bedroom. Kelly looks up as Heidi enters.

Kelly: Who was it?

Heidi: There’s a young lady out in the living room. I’ve never seen her before, but she asked to talk to you.

Kelly: (puzzled) Okay then. (she gets up and walks out in to the living room. She sees Andrea sitting on the sofa) Hi.

Andrea: (looks up) Hi.

Kelly: Can I help you with anything?

Andrea: I’m not sure. (she stands up and walks over to Kelly, who, with Heidi, is watching her) This is gonna be really hard to believe, but I may as well come out and say it and you can ask questions later. (looks at Kelly) I’m your daughter.

Kelly: Oh, my God. (claps a hand to her forehead) This is my worst nightmare come true. (takes her hand away and glares at Andrea) What right do you have to come here and tell me something like that? (points to the door) I want you to leave. Now. (she walks over to the door, opens it, holds it open) Leave my house this instant before I throw you out.

Andrea: Please, give me a chance to explain.

Kelly: N.O. No. Leave. (Andrea looks imploringly at Heidi)

Heidi: (looking at Andrea) Maybe we should just listen to her-hear what she has to say.

Kelly: Some kid comes into my house proclaiming to be my daughter, and you believe her?

Heidi: You remember that dream you had, last night, don’t you? This might be your answer.

Andrea: (looks pleadingly at Kelly) I might be able to explain a few things to you.

Kelly: Like what?

Andrea: I could start with a man named Marcus Harrison. Name ring a bell? (she looks directly at Kelly, who closes the door and takes a step toward her)

Kelly: How do you know him?

Andrea: He’s my father. He raped you when you were around my age, you got pregnant by him, had me. That makes you my mother.

Kelly: (whispering) I need to sit down. ( she looks at Heidi, who is dumbfounded. She sighs) Okay, (gestures to a chair) Take a seat. I’ll listen to what you have to say.

Andrea: Thank you so much. It means a lot to me. (she sits. Kelly sits oppisette)

Heidi: What’s your name? (sits next to Kelly) I’m Heidi, by the way.

Andrea: My names Andrea.

Kelly: Andrea what?

Andrea: Lang, I guess. Like you.

Kelly: Don’t you have a middle name?

Andrea: You didn’t give me one.

Kelly: I didn’t?

Andrea: Nope.

Kelly: Hmph. Why are you here?

Andrea: I told you.

Kelly: Explain.

Andrea: Okay…umm…I guess I should start at the beginning, then.

Kelly: That’d be a start.

Andrea: Well, like I said before, this guy called Marcus raped you, you got pregnant. (she pauses)

Kelly: (pressing) Then what?

Andrea: You wanted to keep me. You’d wanted to keep me from the moment you found you were pregnant. Your mum thought you were crazy at first-refusing an abortion-but she came around.

Heidi: And she still don’t believe in abortion, do you Kel? (looks at her. Kelly shakes her head)

Andrea: Anyway, your dad wasn’t happy with your decision, so he locked you in your room for the whole pregnancy. He threatened your mum every time she went in your room, but for once, she didn’t listen.

Heidi: Wasn’t the marriage a happy one?

Andrea: Everything was fine until you (looks at Kelly) were born. Your dad wanted a son, not a daughter. He believed girls were useless, and worth nothing.

Heidi: Was there any particular reason for his wanting a boy?

Andrea: he wanted someone to pass the business on to. He was a successful fashion designer, see. He needed a boy, and heir. He doesn’t consider girls as heirs to anything. He was so sure you’d be a boy (looks at Kelly again), but when you weren’t, everything between them changed. He blamed her for not giving him what he wanted. Ever since you were born, he hated you. He hated your mother even more, though. It was her fault you’d been born.

Kelly: Wait a moment. I’ve never known my mother. But you seem to be saying I do. Is there something I don’t know?

Heidi: Kel, sweetie, if you just let her explain without your butting in, I think she’ll give you the answers to that. Do you? (looks at Andrea, who nods. She turns to Kelly) See? (turns to Andrea) Go on.

Andrea: that’s okay. Ummm, I don’t actually know the easiest way to say this, but…your mum, and my grandma, is dead.

Kelly: I know that. Because I never knew her, I just assumed she was dead.

Andrea: but you did know her, up until you were sixteen.

Kelly: Why sixteen?

Andrea: Because that’s how old you were when I was born. (sees Kelly’s confused look) I’ll explain later. (pauses) When I was born-you were still locked in your room-grandma helped you with the birth. Your father, my grandfather, wated-

Kelly: The woman in my dreams…(her eyes open wide)

Heidi: She was your mother?

Kelly: Must have been.

Andrea: (looks at them both) What dreams?

Kelly: I’ve been having dreams. They-they seem to be of the same sort of things you’ve been telling me. I had a dream last night. I was a kid again, and I had a baby. A woman helped me. She held the baby up to me. Was she my mother?

Andrea: Don’t forget your daughter.

Kelly: (softly) Oh my God.

Andrea: May I continue?

Heidi: You may. (smiles kindly at Andrea)

Andrea: Grandpa didn’t want anything to do with me, so he took me from you. Grandma wanted to keep me, like you did, she tried as hard as she could to change grandpa’s mind, but she couldn’t. Then he…(trails off)

Kelly: What did he do?

Andrea: I don’t know exactly, but grandma was killed. He pushed her over the stair rail, and she fell. She tried so hard to stop him…

Heidi: Where did he take you?

Andrea: I’ve spent my entire life in an orphanage, so I guess that’s where he took me.

Kelly: How’d you get out?

Andrea: I scaled the fence, which I should have done ages ago. I’ve come a long way to see you, as you know.

Kelly: I know you have. So, my mum is dead. What happened to my dad?

Andrea: (shrugs) I don’t know.

Heidi: Andrea, how come you know so much about Kelly here, but she knows nothing at all about you? Why can’t she remember her past?

Andrea: She does know. Or she did. It’s hard to explain. I don’t have an explanation for it, I’d just be guessing, but maybe…

Kelly: Maybe what?

Andrea: he took you to a guy called Frank. A man with silver framed glasses.

Kelly: I don’t know anyone called Frank.

Andrea: Grandpa did. I don’t know who Frank was, but I know you didn’t like him. His office…it reeked. You had to lie on the couch. Then he started doing something with his hands. Grandpa kept saying it would all be forgotten.

__________________

Heidi: What did you think he meant?

Andrea: I think, and I’m only guessing, that he wanted you to forget the birth. I’ve been thinking about it. I thought a lot about you in the orphanage. The only thing I can come up with is this: frank was some sort of guy who can take peoples memory’s away. I think that’s what he did to you. Then, grandpa took you home. I was already gone at this stage, I think. I just don’t have any idea of what he did to you afterwards. I mean, it would’ve been confusing to wake up and not remember anything. I can’t think-

Kelly: Wait. (Andrea and Heidi look at her) I was sick once, very sick. At least, I thought I was. Now I’m not so sure.

Heidi: You never told me this before.

Kelly: I didn’t think it mattered.

Andrea: What happened?

Kelly: (slowly) I don’t remember exactly. It happened when I was young. (looks at Andrea) About your age. All I know is that I was in my bed…I’d been sleeping. I felt funny. It’s a hard feeling to describe. It almost felt like I wasn’t there. Dad-I didn’t even recognize him as that-came into my room and said I’d fallen down the stairs, and hit my head. I believed him, because my head did hurt. My stomach hurt too, I didn’t know why. I know now. Anyway, when I said I didn’t know him, he said I must have lost my memory when I fell. It was pretty crazy for him to say that, but I felt so bad I believed every word.

Heidi: So what happened?

Kelly: I didn’t know anything. The names of places, my favourite food, even my own name. Oh my God. What if Kelly isn’t my name?

Andrea: Relax. That’s one thing he told you that was actually the truth.

Kelly: But how do you know that?

Heidi: She wouldn’t have found you otherwise, would she? (looks at Andrea) You can’t find someone who doesn’t exist.

Originally posted by Vim
wow... That is a really great story! You should copyright it or something! I can't wait to see what happens next!

Do you know where I could send it? Like, a scriptwriter or something?

Kelly: Oh. I don’t completely understand what your telling me, but I do believe you.

Andrea: Thank you. So, what happened after you ‘fell down the stairs’?

Kelly: I don’t know exactly. I had to learn everything all over again, though. Reading, writing, that sort of thing. I felt so stupid. I never went to school. I couldn’t. Dad got me lots of picture books to look at. He’d sit on my bed and read to me. He taught me to write again. (looks at Andrea) If dad hated me so much, why did he spend so much time with me, teaching me everything?

Andrea: My guess is that he did it because if he hadn’t, he would’ve been stuck with you for the rest of his life. You’d still be there with him, if he didn’t teach you anything. Of course, he could’ve just dumped you, that would seem more appropriate for him to have done that, but I’m really glad he didn’t. he must have had a reason for not leaving you. I guess that’s one thing to be thankful to him for, then.

Kelly: I guess.

Heidi: (looks across the room to the windows. The curtains are open, and it is dark outside. She stands up) Would anyone mind if we took a break? It’s getting late. (she walks to the window and closes the curtains)

Kelly: (deep in thought) Hmmm? (she looks up at Heidi’s question) Oh, yeah, a break would be good. What time is it?

Heidi: Look at your watch, Kel.

Kelly: Oh. I am so forgetful. This day has been overwhelming for me. (looks at her watch) My God, it’s 11.00pm. No wonder I’m exhausted.

Heidi: I had no idea it was so late. (looks at Andrea) Have you eaten today?

Andrea: (lying) I ate before I arrived.

Kelly: Okay then. I’ll show you your room. You can have the guestroom. Follow me. (she leads the way down the hall)

Andrea: (following, along with Heidi, tagging along behind) Your gonna let me stay?

Kelly: You’re my daughter, I’d better start being a mother to you. (stops at a room and switches on a light. Andrea peers in the room. It has a queen sized bed against the wall, the bed has a light yellow quilt. There is a small desk in the corner, a mahogany bedside table with lamp next to the bed, and a large closet in the corner of the room. There is a window oppissette the bed, with lacy white curtains) Do you like it?

Andrea: I love it. It’s gorgeous. Instead of clothes designing, it looks like your pretty talented in interior designing.

Heidi: You should see how she’s designed the house back home.

Andrea: It’d be just as good as this is, I bet.

Kelly: Do you have any pjamas?

Andrea: (looks down at herself) I only have these.

Kelly: I’ll get you something of mine. (she leaves the room)

Heidi: We’ll have to take you shopping for some clothes tomorrow, huh?

Andrea: Don’t you go home tomorrow?

Heidi: Plenty of time to shop beforehand.

Andrea: What sort of clothes should I get?

Heidi: All kinds of clothes. Don’t worry, we’ll help you choose a lot of nice things.

Andrea: (nods) Do you live with my mum?

Heidi: I do.

Andrea: You must be very good friends, then.

Heidi: We are.

Andrea: Are you her girlfriend?

Heidi: (blushes) Yes, I am.

Andrea: Cool. (they both look toward the door when Kelly enters. She is carrying a pale pink nightgown. She holds it out to Andrea, who takes it)

Kelly: I hope it fits.

Andrea: (holding it against herself) It’s beautiful!

Kelly: It’s one of my favourites. I bought it on my 21st birthday.

Andrea: (looks up at Kelly) Thank you so much. I’ll take real good care of it, I swear.

Kelly: I know you will. (looks around the room) You’ll be okay now? The bathrooms just down the hall, and Heidi and I will be in the next room, so if you need anything, just knock, alright? (Andrea nods) Great. We’ll see you in the morning then?

Andrea: Uh huh.

Kelly: Okay then. Goodnight, daughter. (grins at Andrea)

Andrea: Night, mummy. (she watches as Kelly closes the door behind her. Andrea lays the nightgown neatly on the bed in front of her, and pulls her shirt over her head. She slips the nightgown on. She leans over and unties her shoes, and places them neatly at the foot of the bed, then takes off her trousers. She notices streaks of blood on her thighs, and realizes she is still bleeding. She takes her underwear off, and bundles them up in the shirt and trousers, and puts them next to the shoes. She then walks over and turns on the lamp beside her bed, and then switches the bedroom light off. She climbs into bed and flicks off the lamp. She lays there for a minute or two before turning over and closing her eyes)

I don't know any people yet, but I am getting a book published, and I recognize good talent. This script is very good.

Congrats Vim, and good job Evanescence.

"Wake me up, Wake me up inside..." oops sorry. 😄

Gald you like it!

Here's the next bits:
Kelly: (heading towards a clothing store) Come on! We don’t have that much time to diddle daddle, you know. (Andrea and Heidi follow her in to the store)

Time lapse. Kelly is rifling through clothes on the racks, Andrea is looking at dresses, and Heidi is minding the trolley full of outfits. Kelly pulls another dress off the rack and tosses it into the trolley.

Heidi: I think we have enough outfits, Kel.

Kelly: (murmuring) Just one more…

Andrea: (pulls a dress of the rack. It is black velvet with gold thread sewn into the hem) I like this one.

Heidi: Great, throw it in. Kelly, we are going.(pushes the trolley around and moves toward the checkout)

Kelly: Hang on, I’m coming. (she puts the dress she is looking at on the rack and starts toward the checkout. She looks back at the dress, and races back and grabs it. She throws it onto the register with all the other outfits.

Heidi: I hope you have enough cash to pay for all of this.

Kelly: No problem. (digs around in her bag and yanks out her credit card)
Fantastic plastic.

Heidi: Aren’t you behind with the payments on that thing?

Kelly: So what? I’ll pay it off. (she sticks the card in the machine and punches in her pin number)

Heidi: I hope you do. (she starts grabbing bags and loading them into the trolley)

Kelly: You worry too much, Hi.

Heidi: Kelly.

Kelly: Mmm?

Heidi: How can we be sure that all of this will fit her?

Kelly: (flings the last bag in the trolley and takes the receipt) The store offers refunds.

Heidi: We are not driving for 10 hours to exchange a few clothes, Kel. That’s madness.

Kelly: They’ll fit.

Heidi: How do you know?

Kelly: I’ll make ‘em fit her.

Heidi: I can’t imagine what you must mean by that.

Kelly: Right. All set. (looks around) Where is she?

Heidi: Over there. (gestures with her head to the magazine rack. Andrea is looking at a Playboy magazine)

Kelly: Andy! (Andrea looks up) We’re going now. (Andrea walks back to them)

Heidi: Interesting reading?

Andrea: Why do have naked women in books like that? (she says it a little too loudly, and shoppers look strangely at her. Andrea sees them) What are they looking at me for?

Kelly: (ushers Andrea out of the store. Heidi follows with the trolley) You spoke just a little too loud.

Andrea: There’s naked people in that book.

Kelly: (whispering) I know, but don’t talk about it like that.

Andrea: Why not?

Kelly: Because it’s-never mind. We’d better get going. (she starts walking towards the door)

Scene: Back at the house. Kelly, Heidi and Andrea are sitting on the couch together.

Kelly: So, Andrea, can you tell me more about my mum?

Andrea: I can. What would you like to know?

Kelly: What happened after I was born? You said that dad wasn’t happy about my being a girl.

Andrea: He wasn’t. It was right after you were born that he started hitting her.

Kelly: I might seem a bit depraved, but can you tell me about-what he-did to her?

Andrea: (thinks) Hmm…the first time I-or you, actually-remember him hitting her was on your 5th birthday. She bought you a really fancy dress. It was pink and had ruffles on the collar and sleeves. It was very expensive, but your mum loved you, and every other girl your age had a dress just like it, so you wanted one too. Grandpa wasn’t happy. He didn’t think you deserved anything so pretty. He never thought you deserved anything…he sent you to your room. When grandma protested, he hit her. Punched her, rather. She fell down on the floor. Grandpa saw that you’d seen the whole thing, so he locked you in your room, but before he did, he took your dress. When grandma let you out of your room, she had a black eye, and a bruised cheek. Nithor she nor you saw that dress again.

Kelly: I had no idea he was that bad.

Heidi: I guess you should be glad you can’t remember any of this. By the little you’ve told us, Andy, (looks at her) he sounds like a complete bastard.

Andrea: He was.

Kelly: How badly did he end up hurting her?

Andrea: Well, it was the same for years. He’d just hit her whenever she stuck up for you, or he’d hit her because he’d had a bad day. He’d yell and scream at her, and say that if you’d been a boy he wouldn’t have to hit her.

Heidi: How come they didn’t just keep trying for a boy?

Andrea: She had cancer. She didn’t tell you that, mum. She just said the pregnancy with you was a hard one. I don’t know why she didn’t tell you. Only she knows that.

Kelly: What sort of cancer?

Andrea: She had it in her uterus. She was diagnosed five months after you were born. She was two and a half months pregnant with your brother or sister. The cancer was bad. If she had’ve gone ahead with the pregnancy, she would have died. So she had it removed. Before it happened, though, she had to have an abortion, and your mum was dead set against that. She thought about it, and she decided it had to be done. This was before she found that grandpa didn’t want to adopt any kids. She thought they could. Grandpa tried to force her to keep the baby, and she wanted to, so bad, but she didn’t want to die. Who would look after you? He certainly wouldn’t. I just believe she got her own way…she stood up to him. It must have been the hardest decision of her life.

Kelly: I can only imagine. Why didn’t he want to adopt?

Andrea: Grandpa is… racist. He hates all the people from other countries.

Kelly: I see. How come you know a lot about me when I was a kid, but nothing about me now?

Andrea: I think it’s got something to do with the man called Frank. I think he took your memory away.

Heidi: And your having dreams because it’s coming back. Every dream you’ve had is real. It happened to you.

Kelly: I’ve been thinking. Do you think that this guy Frank somehow wiped away my memory, which then passed to you?

Andrea: Exactly.

Kelly: Hell.

Heidi: Sounds like something out of a science fiction movie.

Andrea: I know it sounds crazy, but it’s the only thing I could think of.

Kelly: Well, it’s the only thing I could come up with as well.

Heidi: (checks her watch) Shit!

Andrea/Kelly: What?

Heidi: It’s 2.00pm already. We’ve got to go. We’ll be late home otherwise.

Kelly: We’ll be late home anyway, it doesn’t really matter.

Andrea: Are you going to be late because you had to buy me clothes and stuff?

Kelly: Of course not. Are you looking forward to seeing the house?

Andrea: You mean I’m coming home with you?

Kelly: What you think?

Andrea: Well, you don’t really know me that well, you know-

Kelly: I’m starting to learn more about my daughter every minute. You’re coming home with us.

Heidi: I told you it was the maternal thing kicking in, Kel.

Kelly: Sure.

Heidi: It is. (she sits up) Now, can we please get going? In case you’ve forgotten, I’m the one who has to drive home, and I really don’t want to get home any later than I have to. (stands up)

Kelly: Okay then, we’ll go. (stands up) We’ll grab something to eat on the way home. Come on, Andy.

Andrea: (stands up) Is there room for me?

Kelly: In the car? Of course there is.

Andrea: Don’t you have lots of stuff to take home, though?

Heidi: It all goes in the boot. (she walks over to the door and opens it) Out we go, people. (she watches as Kelly and Andrea walk past her. She takes a key from her pocket. She closes the door and locks it, then heads out to the car)

Scene: Police are in the clearing where Kate was murdered. They have found her body. Police photographers gather round, snapping photos. John is there, the policeman who helped Kelly after her rape. He is talking to another police officer. Both are looking at Kate’s body.

Police officer: So, do you think it was this Harrison guy?

John: Actually, I don’t. It’s not his style to cut his victims throat. This young girl, although she’s the sort of girl he’d be attracted to. This kid wasn’t raped, though, so it’s that that rules him out completely.

Police officer: We have a murder weapon?

John: Not a thing. The killer either knew what exactly what he was doing, or he cleaned up after himself.

Police officer: Any idea what sort of knife he used?

John: I’m guessing an average pocket knife.

Police officer: Would explain why the weapon ain’t here-bastard took it with him.

John: I can’t see any sign of a struggle…

Police officer: Maybe she knew him?

John: I don’t think so.

Scene: Later that night. Kelly, Heidi and Andrea have arrived home. Andrea is asleep in the back seat. Kelly gets out of her seat and opens up Andrea’s door. She leans over and shakes her. Andrea opens her eyes.

Andrea: Are we there yet?

Kelly: We’re home. Come on, you can go straight to bed.

Andrea: (murmuring) Can’t I sleep here tonight.

Kelly: Nope. Come on, it’s bloody cold out here.

Andrea: I’m tired.

Kelly: So am I. Hurry up, Heidi’s got the house opened up.

Andrea: Okay okay. (she climbs out of the car. Kelly closes and locks her door. She helps Andrea into the house. All three of them walk bleary eyed to the bedrooms down the hall)

Kelly: This-(reaches in a room and flicks on the switch) is your room, Andy. The beds all made, so you can just hop right in, okay?

Andrea: My nightgown’s in the car.

Heidi: (pokes her head around the door) Sleep in your clothes.

Andrea: Great. (she walks over to the bed, sits down and pulls her shoes off. She tosses them on the floor, then stands up and pulls back the covers of the bed. She climbs in and burrows under the blankets. Kelly and Heidi stand watching her for a minute, then close the door)
Scene: The next morning. They have all eaten breakfast, and are sitting down on the sofa, talking.

Heidi: Can you tell us more about this orphanage you were in?

Andrea: I hated it so much. The lady there always made trouble for me. Sometimes I made trouble for her, but mostly it was her fault. She didn’t like me. She’d follow me around everywhere…I could almost feel her breathe down my neck she stayed so close to me.

Kelly: Did you have friends?

Andrea: One. Kate. She’s the same age as me. She came there when she was six. Her mum died, and she went to stay with her uncle because her father didn’t want her, but her uncle abused her so she came to the orphanage.

Heidi: If her uncle was abusing her, why didn’t children’s service’s intervene?

Andrea: No one knew.

Kelly: How do you that she was telling the truth?

Andrea: Are you saying Kate lied? She didn’t. I saw what he did to her.

Heidi: What did he do?

Kelly: And how did you see it?

Andrea: She showed me. He’d touch her down there, and he did something to her…he cut something off…I saw it.

Have slightly rewritten last post. Here it is.

Scene: The next morning. They have all eaten breakfast, and are sitting down on the sofa, talking.

Heidi: Can you tell us more about this orphanage you were in?

Andrea: I hated it so much. The lady there always made trouble for me. Sometimes I made trouble for her, but mostly it was her fault. She didn’t like me. She’d follow me around everywhere…I could almost feel her breathe down my neck she stayed so close to me.

Kelly: Why’d you annoy her?

Andrea: The place was really religious. Well, Mrs. Turner was, anyway. Every Sunday she’d drag us out of bed at 6.00am and force us down to the chapel…she was so old fashioned…there was no heating down there, so we all froze. None of us had decent clothes on, so we were never warm. We’d be given three ‘new’ second hand outfits each year, and last years outfits would be taken from us and given to the younger kids. We’d all be really careful not to ruin the clothes we had, because we didn’t want the younger kids to freeze. The clothes we were given were all dirty and full of holes…I have no idea where they came from.

Heidi: Didn’t they have much money?

Andrea: What? Oh, no, they had plenty.

Kelly: Then why no heating?

Andrea: They were all a bunch of cheapskates. Well, ‘all’ is the wrong word. I think there was only Mrs. Turner, because I never saw anyone else. How she took care of everyone is beyond me. I suppose there must have been someone else. The only other person I saw there was the guy who read stuff from the bible to us on Sundays.

Kelly: How many of you were there?

Andrea: In the orphanage? (Kelly nods and sips her tea) About 20 of us. All girls. There were 7 of them my age, the rest were younger. The only time we were all together was on Sundays, and at meal times.

Kelly: Did you have friends?

Andrea: Uh huh. Her name’s Kate. She’s the same age as me. I’ve known her for about five years. Her mum died in a house fire, and her dad couldn’t care for her, so he sent her to stay with her aunt and uncle. She was there for about four months, until her aunt found that her uncle was abusing her.

Heidi: If her uncle was abusing her, why didn’t children’s service’s intervene?

Andrea: No one knew. I suppose if they did know, she would’ve been taken away from them, but they never knew. Why should they? Her aunt and uncle were made her legal guardians. The children’s service place had no reason to suspect what was going on.

Heidi: Did she tell you what happened to her?
Andrea: She did. She used to have nightmares. Her room was down the hall from mine, and I’d hear her wake up and scream. Mrs. Turner didn’t care. She’d just tell her to shut up and to stop waking her from her sleep. If she’d just asked her what she was dreaming about…she told me about it one day. She was really upset, and she wasn’t talking to anyone. Mrs. Turner said she was just play acting, and locked her in her room, but I snuck out of class and got the key to her room from Mrs. Turners office. Then I went to see Kate.

Kelly: What’d she tell you?

Andrea: She didn’t just tell me. She showed me.

Heidi: She showed you? (Andrea nods) Explain.

Andrea: Okay then. Well, she told me about when she was a kid…she was only about ten when she went to stay with her aunt and uncle. Her uncle kept looking at her funny. He kept brushing his hand against her butt and saying she was good looking. I think she just ignored it. Maybe she didn’t know what it meant, or that it meant nothing? I don’t know. But soon he started doing things to her…she said that once, when her aunt was out, he sat next her on the couch and put his hand down her pants and touched her. She said she told him not to, and tried to get away, but he held her back and said that that’s what uncles do to their nieces, especially pretty ones like her. She was going to tell her aunt, but he threatened her not to. She said that he said there’d be worse to come if she told, and if she did, no one would believe her. So she didn’t tell. Every time her aunt went out, he’d go to her. Soon he started making her do horrible things…

Kelly: Like what?

Andrea: It’s so gross…he made her touch it, and she said sometimes he made her put her mouth on it. He’d hold her there until he was finished with her.

Heidi: (softly) Poor kid…

Andrea: You can say that again. Anyway, one day he really attacked her. He beat her up when she tried to get away..she says she had bruises all over her, but they could all be covered by her clothes, so her aunt didn’t find out. He…cut her…down there. She says he used scissors, and that she bled a lot when it was done. Then he left her alone in her room. He told her aunt that she had a headache and was sleeping.

Heidi: When did her aunt find out?

Andrea: Well, she went out one day, I don’t know where she went, but she went out a lot, Kate said, and her uncle grabbed her as usual and started fondling her like he always did. Kate’s aunt came back though. She must have forgotten something, because she came back, and walked in on them. She started yelling at him. He said he did it because she was so pretty, then her aunt turned on her and said that it was her fault it happened because she was so pretty. She didn’t want anyone taking her precious husband from her, so she dumped her on the orphanage steps the next day. Mrs. Turner took her in…probably because she hadn’t had another kid to push around in a while. Anyway, we ended up friends.

Kelly: Makes you wonder how someone like that could do something so vile to a kid.

Heidi: And she showed you?

Andrea: I wanted to see what it looked like, so she showed me. It was horrible.

Kelly: She must have trusted you a great deal.

Andrea: She did. We were best friends. I couldn’t believe I got her to talk to me about her uncle, let alone let me look. I think I was a bit perverted. But she didn’t cry anymore. I think she just need to talk about it.

Heidi: You must have been a good friend to her.

Andrea: I was her only friend, and she was my only friend. We did everything together.

Kelly: You two sound so sweet.

Andrea: I guess…(she looks at Kelly and Heidi) Do you two sleep together?

Heidi: (chokes on her coffee) Why do you want to know that?

Andrea: Kate and I did sometimes.

Kelly: You mean you just slept in the same bed sometimes, as friends, right?

Andrea: Not like that…we did things…(looks worried) That’s okay isn’t it? I mean, I loved her. I told her I loved her all the time, and she told me she loved me.

Kelly: What sort of things did you do together?

Andrea: Well, we kissed a lot. We had to hide to do it though…we’d hide in Kate’s closet…and we’d stay there for ages and ages…are we going to hell for doing that?

Heidi: Why would you say that?

Andrea: It’s what the reverend guy on Sundays said. He said that gay people were evil and they’d go to hell. If I don’t believe in God, does that mean I can’t go to hell, or will I go to hell because I loved Kate?

Kelly: You won’t go to hell, Andy. I don’t believe in God, either, and because I don’t believe, I don’t think I’ll go to hell.

Andrea: So I won’t go there?

Heidi: Of course not.

Andrea: But how can you be sure?
Kelly: If I say you’re not going to hell, then you’re not going to hell.

Andrea: Okay then.

Heidi: Great. Glad we got that settled. Now, I’m hungry. (stands up and looks at Kelly) What’s to eat?

Kelly: Nothing. We cleaned everything out of the fridge when we left, remember?

Heidi: then we’ll just have to go shopping and get some more, right Andy?

Andrea: Were do you go to get food?

Heidi: The supermarket. Come on Kel. We’ve got plenty of time, and maybe we could see a movie afterwards? How about it?

Kelly: Are you paying?

Heidi: If I must, I must.

Kelly: Great, count me in. (stands up) Which movie do we see?

Andrea: Why don’t you just watch the TV?

Heidi: Because the movie hasn’t been released yet.

Andrea: What does that mean?

Kelly: When you go to the movies, you see a new movie on a really big screen. You have to wait a couple of years for it to come on TV.

Andrea: How come?

Heidi: That’s just the way it is.

Andrea: Oh. Okay then. Can we go now? (stands up and looks at both Kelly and Heidi)

Kelly: Yes, we can. (ushers Andrea out the door. Heidi closes it behind her)

Scene: Strip club. Marcus is there, watching three girls wind themselves around the pole in the center of the stage. Music plays. One of the girls comes down from the stage and gyrates against him. She whispers in his ear. Marcus nods, and the girl climbs back on the stage and joins the other two.

Scene: Back at the house. Kelly, Heidi and Andrea have just returned home.

Heidi: Did you enjoy that, Andy?

Andrea: Can we go see it again?

Kelly: (walking into the kitchen) We’ll go see another one on the weekend.

Andrea: Cool. (looks around) What do we do now?

Heidi: Whatever you like.

Kelly: (calling from the kitchen) This is your home too, Andy. You get a say in what happens here.

Andrea: (calls back to Kelly) Can I say when we go shopping?

Kelly: (calls back) Don’t push your luck, missy. (she emerges from the kitchen with a tray carrying three mugs of hot chocolate. She places the tray on the coffee table, and sits down on the sofa. She reaches over and takes a mug, then sits back. She looks at both Heidi and Andrea) Are you going to sit down, or stand around like stunned mullets all day long?

Andrea: We will sit. (she takes a mug and sits next to Kelly) Join us, Hi hi? (looks at Heidi)

Heidi: Mmm, tough choice. (takes the third mug and sits next to Andrea) So, tells us more about yourself.

Kelly: Yeah, I’m sure we haven’t heard everything there is to know about you just yet.

Andrea: Well, what would you like to know about me that you don’t already know?

Kelly: How did you get here?

Andrea: Ummm…a nice lady drove me here.

Heidi: In her car?

Andrea: A taxi.

Kelly: Oh, I see. It must have taken you a good while then.

Andrea: It was the longest trip of my life, seeing I’ve never been on a trip before…that was my first time in a car, you know.

Heidi: A big milestone. (puts her empty cup on the tray)

Andrea: Yeah, a mile thingy whatever you said. (she puts her still full cup on the tray and leans back)

Kelly: (looks at Andrea’s cup) Don’t you like it?

Andrea: Sorry.

Kelly: It’s okay. You’ll have to tell me what you like, I know you haven’t had decent food in ages.

Andrea: Try forever. Everything tastes so weird…to think I could actually be craving a bowl of runny and half burnt slop stuff we used to have each day. (shudders) Ergh.

Heidi: Exactly what I’m thinking.

Kelly: (reaches over and grabs the remote from the coffee table) What’s on the telly at this time, I wonder…

Heidi: Probably those horrendous infomercial things.

Kelly: Probably. (she presses the button on the remote and the TV turns on) What’s this… (Heidi and Andrea look at the screen. A photo of Kate is being shown)

Andrea: That’s Kate! Why is she on TV?

Kelly: (softly) She’s dead.

Andrea: (shrieking) What? What do you mean, she’s dead? She’s not sick or anything!

Kelly: She was murdered…

Andrea: (shouting) She was not! (jumps up) You’re lying! You’re meant to be my mum and you’re lying to me! (she runs out of the room, upstairs to her room. In the living room, Kelly and Heidi hear her bedroom door slam)

Heidi: (looks at Kelly) Should we?

Kelly: No, I think she needs to be alone for a while.

Heidi: Do you think she actually understands what happened?

Kelly: I don’t even understand what happened-how is she meant to?

Heidi: We should just watch the story, I guess, then fill her in.

Kelly: (points to the TV) Too late, it’s finished.

Heidi: There’ll be updates, you know that. (looks at her watch) Put it on ABC-the news has just started on that channel.

Kelly: (changes the channel. They see Kate’s image up on the screen. Kelly turns up the volume and they both listen to the report)

Scene: Outside the strip club. The blonde stripper is following Marcus as he walks to his car.

Stripper: You just gonna lead me on like that?

Marcus: (pulls out his car keys) You bet I am.

Stripper: (angry) What gives you the right to do that? I could’ve had anyone in there, and you know it.

Marcus: You think, huh? Why’d you pick me, then? (he unlocks his car door)

Stripper: I dunno. I like men like you…I know what you did, and it sorta turns me on, you know?

Marcus: Whatever. (he holds his car door open and looks at the blonde) Are you gonna leave me be now?

Stripper: Oh, baby, don’t be like that…(takes a step toward him) we could have some fun.

Marcus: I don’t want fun. Not from you, anyway.

Stripper: Oh, I see. I blow you and you dump me, that it?

Marcus: Yep. Now get lost.

Stripper: (marches up to him) You think you gonna get ridda me that easy, huh?

Marcus: Look, are you gonna go now, or do I have to force you to leave?

Stripper: Let’s see what you can do, mister.

Marcus: Okay then. (he takes a step toward the blonde and gives her a shove. She falls backward on the ground, and screams)

Stripper: My arm! (she clutches her arm to her) You broke my arm, you bastard!

Marcus: Too bad for you then, hey? (he gets in his car and starts the engine)

Stripper: I know who you are! I’ll make your life hell, just you wait and see, you son of a *****! (Marcus roars off, leaving the stripper lying in the dirt in the carpark)

Scene: The next morning. Andrea comes downstairs in her nightgown. She sees Kelly and gives her a dirty look. Kelly stands up from her place at the kitchen table. The newspaper is in front of her.

Kelly: Andy, we really need to talk.

Andrea: I don’t want to talk to you. You lied to me.

Kelly: I didn’t lie. (holds up the paper. Kate’s photo is on the front page) You can read about it here. I didn’t lie to you, I would never do that to you, and you know that.

Andrea: She’s really dead? (Kelly nods) But I just saw her a few days ago. How can she be dead? Was she sick?

Kelly: Come over here. (Andrea walks over to the table and sits down next to Kelly) Here. (she passes the paper to her) You should read this.

Andrea: (looks at the paper) Umm, I’m not a good reader.

Heidi: that’s okay. Just take as long as you want.

Andrea: I mean, I can’t read that well. I can’t read at all.

Kelly: You can’t read?

Andrea: Nope. I was never really taught to.

Heidi: Didn’t they have school there? I thought you said you did.

Andrea: We did, but no one really knew how to read. Some kids can read well enough that they can understand what something like this (points to the newspaper) means, but I only know a few words.

Kelly: How did you know where we lived, then? I mean, how did you get our address?

Andrea: I just knew it. I knew the address, and I came here, but there was a note on the wall saying you were here. I just took the paper and showed it to this guy-I mean this girl, lady, I mean, and she drove me here.

Heidi: I see. Well, me and Kel will just have to tell you about this, then, won’t we? (gestures to the newspaper)

Andrea: If she was really hurt, then I don’t want to know.

Kelly: Okay, then, it’s probably best if we don’t tell you in so many words.

Andrea: Just tell me this-did someone kill her?

Heidi: yeah, someone killed her.

Andrea: Do you know who?

Kelly: Not yet, but they’ve got DNA from under her fingernails, so hopefully that will tell them something.

Andrea: What’s DNA?

Kelly: It’s…umm…something that might be able to tell who killed your friend.

Andrea: Oh. I like DNA. (looks at Kate’s picture) Can I go to my room? (Kelly nods, and Andrea gets out of her seat and hurries upstairs)

Heidi: I guess we should just let her be for awhile, huh? (Kelly nods)

Cut to Andrea’s room. She is sitting on her bed, with a photo of Kate in her hands. The picture shows the two of them together, their arms around each other. Both are smiling. She lies down on the bed holding the picture, and closes her eyes.

Scene: Marcus is at a petrol station filling his car up. He turns to go in the store to pay when police car pulls up beside him. John steps out.

John: You’re under arrest, Marcus.

Marcus: (spins around at the sound of John’s voice) What the hell for?

John: Assult. (he marches up to Marcus and handcuffs his hands behind his back, then marches him back to his car.

Marcus: This is bullshit! Who was I supposed to have assaulted?

John: Diana Calser. She was that cute blonde stripper you cavorted with last night, remember?

Marcus: That little tart wouldn’t leave me alone. I just gave her a shove, is all.

John: You shoved too hard. You broke her arm, and her collarbone.
You’re lookin’ at another few months in the lockup, buddy.

Marcus: **** you, arsehole! I gotta be places, you know what I mean?

John: I know only too well. (he opens the door and shoves Marcus inside, then gets in the drivers seat. He drives away)

Scene: The next day. Kelly, Heidi and Andrea are watching TV when Marcus’s photo flashes on the screen. Kelly shrieks.

Kelly: What’s he doing there?

Heidi: Shh…(leans closer to the TV) They say he hit some stripper girl and hurt her real bad. He’s goin’ back to prison, Kel!

Andrea: He’s the bad man…he’s my daddy. I never realized that till now.

Kelly: Oh shit! (looks stunned) Would you believe that I never realized that either?

Andrea: (looks at Kelly) I think I look more like you, though. You’re a lot prettier than him.

Kelly: Thank you so much, sweetie. (wraps her arms around Andrea) I love you so, so much. I’m so happy I met you.

Andrea: I’m happy I met you too. (is silent for a minute) Mum?

Kelly: Yes, daughter?

Andrea: Can I go to Kate’s funeral?

Heidi: We don’t exactly know if there will be a funeral around here. The orphanage is miles from here. Chances are, they’ll have it back there.

Andrea: But we can still go, can’t we? She was my friend, and I want to say goodbye to her. What if she gets lonely? She might be sad if I’m not there to say goodbye to her. I’m the only friend she has.

Kelly: I’ll try to find out when and where it will be, okay? We might not be able to go, and if we can’t, then we’ll make sure we do something really special for her, okay?

Andrea: Okay then. Thanks. (turns to Kelly and Heidi) Do you think she’s happy, wherever she is?

Kelly: I think she’ll be very happy. She’s probably watching us right now, you know.

Andrea: I know she’ll be happy that I found you.

Heidi: I’m sure she is.

Andrea: I think she’s an angel…with a pretty dress on, and angel wings.

Kelly: She can be whatever you want her to be.

Andrea: (gets up) I want to write Kate a letter.

Heidi: You want to take it to the funeral?

Andrea: Nope. I’m gonna write her a letter, and say how much I loved her, and that she was a really good friend, and then I want to burn it, like, outside, then it will float all the way up into the sky, and she can catch it, and read it.

Kelly: That’s a very sweet thing to do. I’m sure she’ll love it.

Andrea: I think so too. (she runs upstairs)

interesting. good job.

Just keeps getting longer and longer! Keep going! 🙂