This is merely a play I thought of based off of the Marvel Comic characters, Emma Frost and The Stepford Cuckoos. Obviously it is an alternate reality, where it asks the question, what would life be like if Emma raised the Cuckoos? The timeline differs from the canon 616 comics where Emma has not gone into a coma, or joined the X-men. Instead, she has lost her Hellions and has taken more time to focus on her career in Frost Enterprises. Instead of the Cuckoos being created by Sublime, they were created at the request of Emma Frost who believed she needed progeny. They are her biological daughters, carried by a surrogate mother. Their quintuplet status is merely an unexpected surprise, as Emma only intended to have one child, instead one egg split into five individuals. The five girls would be raised with the best of everything and be very privileged. The difference in these Cuckoos is that they are indeed telepathic and are about to share a hive mind, but as decided by their mother, are kept separated by psychic blocks. They only use their hive mind when in active training and this gives them more independence. Emma Frost eventually reopens her school, she is still a member of the Hellfire Club, but never joins the X-men. Remember, this is an alternate reality, so don't compare histories to the canon.
Stepford Girls: Part 2
(Frost Manor. The lobby of the manor's entrance. Morning.)
(Phoebe stands in the center waiting. The butler enters through the door.)
Butler: Miss Phoebe, your chauffer is here for you and Miss Mindee.
Phoebe: (Calls out.) Mindee! Don't want to be late for the movie!
Mindee: (From her room.) Coming!
(Mindee soon arrives at the stairs and walks down to meet with Phoebe.)
Phoebe: What took you so long?
Mindee: I had to get my purse.
Phoebe: Right. Well, let's get going. Shall we?
Mindee: Yes, we shall.
(Both girls exit through the front door and are escorted into their limousine to the movies.)
(Meanwhile, outside in the backyard garden area.)
(Francis is tending to the rose bushes, Esme arrives from inside the house and approaches him.)
Esme: Hello, Francis.
Francis: Good afternoon, Miss Esme.
Esme: Please dear, just call me Esme.
Francis: Yes. Esme.
Esme: How has work been, are you doing well?
Francis: Work has been good, I've been good. Thank you for asking.
Esme: This is boring.
Francis: I'm s-
(Esme's eyes suddenly glow bright white and surprise Francis, but it doesn't last for long, Esme telepathically possesses Francis and makes him into her puppet.)
Esme: Much better.
(A few minutes later. Sophie's bedroom.)
(Sophie sits at her desk, working on writing a letter. Abruptly, she is interrupted by a knocking at the door. She opens the door to find Francis on the other side.)
Sophie: Francis?
Francis: Miss Sophie.
Sophie: May I ask what you're doing here?
Francis: Could I please come in?
Sophie: (Pauses for a moment.) Yes, come in.
(Sophie gestures Francis to the now empty chair at her desk.)
Francis: I wanted to tell you something.
Sophie: Yes?
Francis: Could you please sit down, with me?
(A bit wary, Sophie does so and sits at the edge of her bed.)
Sophie: Francis, tell me what's going on.
Francis: I love you.
Sophie: Pardon?
Francis: My feelings are genuine, believe me. I want to be with you, please tell me you feel the same way.
Sophie: What in the world has possessed you to state your love at this moment?
Francis: The love which makes me blind. (He kneels in front of Sophie and places his head on her lap.) Tell me how you feel, sweet angel.
Sophie: (Disgusted.) Francis! (She pushes him off and stands up.) I don't know what has gotten into you, but understand I have no feelings for you. You are only merely a servant in this household and I expect you to know your place. Now leave.
Francis: I cannot live without you! I swear it's true! (He goes to the window, opens it, and gets in a stance of jumping out.) I'll fall to my death if you don't give me a chance.
(There is a pause, then a silence. Francis begins to launch himself forward.)
Sophie: Wait! (She approaches him, takes his hand into hers, and leads him away from the window.)
Francis: (Smiling.) So you'll give me a chance?
Sophie: No. If you want to kill yourself over me, go to do somewhere else. (Angrily she pushes Francis out the door and slams it in his face. After locking the door, she goes back to her desk and begins to write again.)
(Same time. In Esme's room.)
(Esme sits in a lounge chair, looking off into the distance with her eyes glowing white.)
Esme: This is going to be more exciting than I thought.
(Same time in the city. Hellfire Headquarters.)
(Celeste sits alone in the waiting room outside the office of Sebastian Shaw.)
Assistant: Mr. Shaw will see you now.
(Celeste takes a deep breath and goes through the entrance double doors.)
Sebastian: Celeste, please, sit.
Celeste: Thank you. (She takes a seat at the front of his desk.)
Sebastian: What can I do for you?
Celeste: I wanted to make a proposal, to be extended an invitation to the Hellfire Club.
Sebastian: You must be joking.
Celeste: No sir, I'm not. I want to be the youngest member.
Sebastian: You have high aspirations, little girl.
Celeste: I sure do. I'm ambitious and completely loyal-
Sebastian: My dear, you can ramble on all day with appealing words until you're blue in the face. It still won't get you an invitation.
Celeste: Then what will?
Sebastian: Why do you want to be in the Club?
Celeste: Because I'm interested in pursuing a higher level of achievement. Joining The Hellfire Club will make me into a perfect adult woman with many connections and a glamorous life.
Sebastian: You're lying.
Celeste: No, I'm not. I want to have power, be in complete control of my fortune and destiny, to be a part of a prestigious group of individuals.
Sebastian: Great little speech there. Here is the deal, you have a great spirit, but no credentials. As a young blonde telepath, you've done nothing to prove worthy of an invitation. The only thing you slightly have going for you is the connection with your mother. Though, it won't get you in, be assured. You must prove yourself to The Hellfire Club by orchestrating a variety of things. First, gather yourself a good amount of money to offer up to the club for an invite to the Hellfire Ball, without your mother's help. Second, gather the influence of other members by attending the ball. Third, prove your loyalty by completing a task given by the members.
Celeste: Money, socializing, and task.
Sebastian: Correct, though I'd gather the money quickly.
Celeste: Why?
Sebastian: Invitations are available until the end of this week.
Celeste: That means I only have three days. Oh gosh.
(Frost Manor. Late afternoon. Emma's Study.)
(Emma sits alone in her study, with a cup of wine in hand, and classical music playing in the background. Rosa, the maid, enters.)
Rosa: Miss Frost?
Emma: Yes?
Rosa: I would like to talk about the girls.
Emma: What about them?
Rosa: The competition is too much. It not end well.
Emma: Please, Rosa. I'm not a dimwit, don't you think I know my own daughters? I can clearly see the outcome already.
Rosa: Oh?
Emma: They might look alike and merge their minds together, but they each have a distinct personality. Take Esme, ambitious, manipulative, and cut-throat. She's willing to sacrifice the needs of others for her own selfish benefit. The girl is a tactical little femme fatal, yet she doesn't know when to shut her mouth. Sophie, on the other hand, is such a brilliant girl. She stands out from the rest, which isn't always a good thing, it makes her an instant target for enemies.
Rosa: And the others?
Emma: They're merely pawns in the chess game. Phoebe is always the sidekick, never the heroine. For her it's all about being taken care of by others. Mindee, well, she has potential but no ambition, so it makes her settle for less in her life. Celeste is compassionate, but beyond that, she's merely the runt of the group.
Rosa: So who will win?
Emma: Now if I told you that, dear Rosa, it wouldn't be a surprise. You're dismissed.
Rosa: Yes, Miss Frost.
(Evening. Outside garden area.)
(Mindee once again slips around the garden and manages to sneak into the greenhouse, meeting up with Francis.)
Francis: Took you a while. (Approaches her and plants a tender kiss upon her lips.)
Mindee: Did you miss me?
Francis: Always.
Mindee: (She pulls him in for a tight embrace.) I missed you too.
Francis: How was the movie?
Mindee: Fine, I had a good time with Phoebe. How was work?
Francis: Torturous, as always.
Mindee: Poor baby. (Kisses him again.) Want me to give you a back rub?
Francis: Mm, that would be nice, but I have to talk with you about something.
Mindee: Oh, what about?
Francis: Our relationship.
Mindee: Yes?
Francis: I th-
Mindee: Don't tell me you want to leave me-
Francis: No I-
Mindee: You can just tell me right now and we can end this-
Francis: Mindee!
Mindee: I'm sorry.
Francis: I wanted to tell you, I want to take our relationship further.
Mindee: How?
Francis: I want you to run away with me.
Mindee: (Moves away from him.) Francis I ca-
Francis: Look, I know I can't give you the life of luxury you have here, but if you're going to be cut off then that means you can leave, right?
Mindee: I can't just run away with you.
Francis: Why not?
Mindee: I don't know.
Francis: You don't love me.
Mindee: It's not that.
Francis: Then it's the money.
Mindee: No, I just don't want to live with you right now.
Francis: (Comes up and holds her from behind.) I'll make you breakfast in bed, remind you that I love you everyday, cuddle up with you at night-
Mindee: No more sneaking around.
Francis: No more overbearing mother.
Mindee: Nosy sisters.
Francis: Unnecessary drama.
Mindee: Just us. Together. (Pause.) Okay, I'll do it. Mother is going out in the afternoon for a meeting tomorrow. I'll send the butler once I'm ready to tell you to come and see me. Then we'll leave together.
Francis: What about your sisters?
Mindee: They don't care. Seeing me will raise their chances of being picked, so they might even see me off without hesitation.
Francis: Then this is it.
Mindee: We're going to do this.
Francis: Yup. (Francis smiles and pulls Mindee in for a passionate kiss.)
(Esme's room. Same time.)
(Esme is reading while laying on her bed. Phoebe enters the room.)
Phoebe: So? How did it go?
Esme: Sophie didn't take the bait. As expected.
Phoebe: What? I thought you wanted Sophie fall for Francis.
Esme: Be practical, Phoebe. No one as perfect as Sophie will fall for the help, especially not at their first attempt.
Phoebe: So, what now?
Esme: Now it's time to stick the wedge between our sisters. Tomorrow you will distract Mindee, keep her busy in her room. In the mean time, I'll be influencing our puppet, Francis, into doing the impossible to Miss Perfect.
Phoebe: What are you planning for him to do?
Esme: (Laughs.) I'm going to make it a surprise. Just know that Mindee will find her beloved in an uncompromising position with our sister.
Phoebe: This should be exciting.
