THE WOLVES
Sam, the leader
Jacob, his friend
Paul
Leah
Seth
Jared
Quil
Embry
Collin
Brady
THEIR GIRLS
Emily
Kim
Rachel
Claire
THE VAMPIRES
Edward, the leader
Renesmee, his daughter
Bella, his wife
Nahuel, his friend
Emmett
Jasper
Rosalie
Alice
Carlisle
Esme
Kate
Garrett
THE HUMANS
Harry
Billy
Charlie
Sue
ACT I
SCENE ONE
5:00 P.M. The Street.
A suggestion of city streets and alleyways: a brick wall.
The opening is musical: half-danced, half-mimed, with
occasional phrases of dialogue. It is primarily a condensation of
the growing rivalry between two teen-age games, the Wolves and the
Vampires, each of which has its own prideful uniform. The boys -
sideburned, long-haired- are vital, restless, sardonic;
The action begins with the Wolves in possession of the beach:
owning, enjoying, loving their "home." Their leader is Sam:
glowing, driving, intelligent, slightly wacky. His lieutenant is
Jared: big, slow, steady, nice. The youngest member of the gang
Is Seth: awed at everything including that he is a Wolf,
trying to act the big man. His sister is Leah: an explosive
little girl who enjoys everything and understands the
seriousness of nothing. The most aggressive is Paul: a catlike
ball of fury. We will get to know these kids better later, as
well as Quil: a bespectacled self-styled expert.
The first interruption of the Wolves' sunny mood is the
sharply punctuated entrance of the leader of the Vampires,
Edward: handsome proud, fluid, a chip on his sardonic shoulder.
The Wolves, by far in the majority, flick him off. He returns with
Other Vampires: they, too, are flicked off. But the numerical
supremacy, the strength of the Wolves, is gradually being
threatened. The beginnings of warfare are mild at first: a boy
being tripped up, or being sandbagged with a flour sack or even
being spit on -all with overly elaborate apologies.
Finally, Seth comes across the suddenly deserted beach,
pretending to be an airplane. There is no sound as he zooms along
in fancied flight. Then out of the woods comes Edward. Another
Vampire, another and another appear, blocking Seth's panicky
efforts at escape. They close in, grab him, pummel him, as a
Vampire in the trees is stationed as lookout. Finally,
the lookout whistles; Wolves tear on, Vampires tear on, and a free-
for-all breaks out. Leah goes at once to Seth, like the protective
sister she is. The fight is stopped by a police whistle, louder and
louder, and the arrival of a big goonlike cop, Charlie, and a
plainclothesman, Billy. Billy is strong, always in command;
he has a charming, pleasant manner, which he often employs to
cover his venom and his fear.
CHARLIE
Knock it off! Settle down.
BILLY
All right: Kill each other! ...But not on my beat.
SAM[such innocence]
Why if it isn't Lieutenant Billy.
SEVERAL WOLVES [dancing class manners]
Top of the day, Lieutenant Billy.
EDWARD[one with Sam]
And Officer Charlie!
SEVERAL VAMPIRES
Top of the day, Officer Charlie
BILLY
Boy, what you Vampires have done to this neighborhood. Which
one of 'em clobbered ya, Seth?
[Seth looks to Sam, who takes over with great helpful
seriousness.]
SAM
As a matter of factuality, sir, we suspicion the job was done by
a cop.
QUIL
Two cops.
SETH
Oh, at least!
CHARLIE
Impossible!
BILLY
Didn't nobody tell ya there's a difference between bein' a stool
pigeon and cooperatin' with the law?
SAM
You told us the difference, sir. And we all chipped in for a
prize for the first guy who can figure it out.
PAUL [indicating Billy]
Maybe buddy boy should get the prize.
BILLY
Don't buddy me, Paul! I got a hot surprise for you: you
hoodlums don't own the streets. There's been too much raiding
between you and the Leeches. All right, Edward, get your trash outa
here. [Mock Charm.] Please.
EDWARD
Let's go, guys.
[They exit.]
BILLY [to Wolves]
If I don't put down the roughhouse, I get put down -on a traffic
corner. Your friends don't like traffic corners. So you buddy
boys are gonna play ball with me. I gotta put up with them and so
do you. You're gonna make nice with them Leeches from now on. Because
otherwise I'm gonna beat the crap outa every one of ya and then
run ya in. Say good-bye to the nice boys, Charlie.
CHARLIE
Good-bye, boys.
[He follows Billy out.]
QUIL [imitating Charlie]
Good-bye, boys.
LEAH
They make a very nice couple.
PAUL [bitterly]
You hoodlums don't own the streets.
QUIL
Go play in the park!
PAUL
Keep off the grass!
SETH
Get outa the house!
PAUL
Keep off the block!
LEAH
Get outa here!
PAUL
Keep off the world! A gang that down own a street is nuthin'!
SAM
WE DO OWN IT! Wolves-square off! Acemen: [Jared, Paul and
Quil line up at attention] Rocketmen: [Embry, Collin, and Brady line up]
Rank-and-file:
[Sheepishly, Leah trudges into position, Seth behind
her.]
PAUL
You shoulda done worse. Them Leeches're the reason my old man's gone
bust.
SAM
Who says?
PAUL
My old man says.
SETH [to Leah]
Our old man says his old man woulda gone bust anyway.
PAUL
Your old man says that?
SETH
My old man says them Vampires is ruinin' free ennaprise.
PAUL
And what're we doin' about it?
[Pushing through the game comes a scrawny teen-age girl, dressed
in an outfit that is a pathetic attempt to imitate that of the
Wolves. Perhaps we have glimpsed her in the fracas before the
police came in. Her name is Rebecca.]
REBECCA
Gassin', crabbin'-
PAUL
You still around?
REBECCA
Listen I was a smash in that fight. Oh, Sam, Sam, I was murder!
SAM
Come on, Rebecca-
REBECCA
Sam, how about me getting' in the pack now?
LEAH
How about the pack boys gettin' in -ahhh, who'd wanta!
REBECCA
You cheap bitch! [She lunges for Leah, but Sam pulls her off
and pushes her out.]
SAM
The road, little lady, the road. [In a moment of bravado, just
before she goes, Rebecca spits-but cautiously.] Round out! [This
is Sam's summoning of the pack, and they surround him.] We
fought hard for this territory and it's ours. But with those cops
servin' as cover, the Leeches can move in right under our noses and
take it away. Unless we speed fast and clean 'em up in one all-
out fight!
PAUL [eagerly]
A rumble! [A jabbing gesture.] Chung! Chung!
SAM
Cool, Paul. The Leeches want a place, too, and they are
tough. They might ask for bottles of knives or lighters.
SETH
Fire guys... Gee!
SAM
I'm not finalizin' and sayin' they will: I'm only sayin' they
might and we gotta be prepared. Now what's your mood?
PAUL
I say go, go!
QUIL
But if they say knives or lighters-
SETH
I say let's forget the whole thing.
JARED
What do you say, Sam?
SAM
I say this turf is small, but it's all we got. I wanna hold it
like we always held it: with skin! But if they say switchblades,
I'll get a switchblade. I say I want the pack to be Number One,
to sail, to hold the sky!
JARED
Then rev us off. [A punching gesture.] Voom-va voom!
PAUL
Chung chung!
LEAH
Cracko, jacko!
QUIL
Riga diga dum!
SETH
Pam pam!
SAM
OK, buddy boys, we rumble! [General glee.] Now protocality calls
for a war council to decide on weapons. I'll make the challenge
to Edward.
QUIL
You gotta take a lieutenant.
PAUL
That's me!
SAM
That's Jake.
PAUL
Who needs Jake?
Music starts.
SAM
Against the Leeches we need every man we got.
PAUL
Jake don't belong any more.
SAM
Cut it, Paul. I and Jake started the pack.
PAUL
Well, he acts like he don't wanna belong.
SETH
Who wouldn't wanna belong to the pack!
PAUL
Jake ain't been with us for over a month.
QUIL
What about the day we clobbered James, Victoria, and Laurent?
LEAH (admits almost angerly)
Which we couldn't have done without Jake.
SETH
He saved my ever lovin' neck.
SAM
Right. He's always come through for us and he will now.
[He sings:]
When you're a wolf,
You're a wolf all the way
From your first change
To your last dyin' day.
When you're a wolf,
If the spit hits the fan,
You got brothers around,
You're a family man!
You're never alone,
You're never disconnected!
You're home with your own:
When company's expected,
You're well protected!
Then you are set
With a capital W,
Which you'll never forget
Till they cart you away.
When you're a wolf,
You stay
A wolf!
[He speaks:]
I know Jake like I know me. I guarantee you can count him in.
PAUL
In, out, let's get crackin'.
LEAH
Where you gonna find Edward?
SAM
At the dance tonight at the gym.
EMBRY
But the gym's neutral territory.
SAM[sweet innocence]
I'm gonna make nice there! I'm only gonna challenge him.
EMBRY
Great, Daddy-O!
SAM
So everybody dress up sweet and sharp. Meet Jake and me at them.
And walk tall!
[He runs off.]
LEAH
We always talk tall!
SETH
We're wolves!
PAUL
The greatest!
[He sings with Seth:]
When you're a wolf,
You're the top cat in town,
You're the gold-metal kid
With the heavyweight crown!
[Seth, Paul, Embry sings:]
When you're a wolf,
You're the swingin'est thing.
Little boy, you're a man;
Little man, you're a king!
(Leah glares at them and they cringe)
[All:]
The pack is in gear,
Our cylinders are clickin'!
The Leeches'll steer clear
'Cause ev'ry Vampire
'S a lousy chicken!
Here comes the pack
Like a bat out of hell-
Someone gets in our way,
Someone don't feel so well.
Here comes the pack:
Little world, step aside!
Better go underground,
Better run, better hide.
We're drawin' the line,
So keep your noses hidden!
We're hangin' a sign,
Says "Visitors forbidden"-
And we ain't kiddin'!
Here comes the pack,
Yeah! An' we're gonna beat
Ev'ry last buggin' gang
On the whole buggin' street!
[Jared and Paul.]
On the whole
[All:]
Ever-!
Mother-!
Lovin'-!
Street!
The Lights Black Out