In spite of the increasing dominance of streaming and the declining relevance of movie theaters, Marcy would always have a soft spot for her local cinemaplex. There was nothing like watching a brand new release on a thirty-foot screen with her best buddy by her side - all while the two of them stuffed their faces with candy that they snuck in from the local convenience store - and then geeking out about her favorite parts all the way home.
Tonight was one such night. As Marcy stood in line at the ticket booth alongside her friend Sasha, she shivered with anticipation (or maybe it was the cool autumn breeze caressing her skin).
"So what movie are we going to see?" she asked.
Instead of answering the question, Sasha just looked at her and waggled her eyebrows, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
Moments later, they got to the front of the line, and Sasha - with a straight face - ordered two tickets to Rainbow Monkeys 2: The Huggening. Marcy blinked in confusion, wondering if she misheard what Sasha said. But the title printed on her ticket confirmed that that no, she hadn't.
"Rainbow Monkeys?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't know you were a fan."
"Oh, sure! I'm a huge Rainbow Monkeys fan. Always have been."
Marcy was still a bit perplexed, but shrugged and decided to go along with it. Maybe the movie would end up surprising her with its quality, as so-called "kid's movies" often did. As always, she let Sasha lead the way, following her through the cinemaplex. As soon as they got inside, the warm, tantalizing aroma of fresh popcorn hit Marcy's nostrils, and she let out a sigh of pleasure. That was one thing home streaming could never replicate; between the smell of concessions, the vintage movie posters adorning the walls and the excited murmurs of fellow moviegoers, the cinema was a sensory delight.
Alas, Marcy was so distracted by the sights, smells and sounds that she failed to pay attention to where Sasha was taking her. A quick survey of her surroundings revealed that they were on the second floor - and their movie was playing in Theater 1-E, which was on the first floor.
"Um, Sasha? I think we're going the wrong way."
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You didn't really think that we were going to go see that baby movie, did you?" she asked. "Now, come on. Let's get in before someone sees us."
Curious, Marcy looked up at the heading above the theater Sasha was dragging her towards. What she saw was the title Maniac Mime, accompanied by the bloodied face of a mime with a blood-curdling slasher smile. This was one of her favorite strategies: keeping her true intentions concealed until it was too late for her friends to back out.
"S-Sasha?" she said in a tense whisper as she followed her into the theater. "Isn't this movie rated R?"
"Come on, don't be such a wimp!" Sasha whispered back. "We already broke the rules by sneaking in all that candy. What's one more?"
Marcy sighed. Her friend had a point, and even if she didn't, there was no use arguing with her when she made up her mind. So she put up her hood and crept into the theater, hoping that nobody would call them out.
"Are you sure nobody will catch us?" she asked as they took their seats.
"Please. This isn't my first rodeo. I've been sneaking into R-rated movies since I was nine."
Sasha looked at her, smiled and gave her a pat on the back. "So just relax, have some candy and enjoy the show."
Mollified, Marcy reached into her backpack and helped herself to a green tea-flavored Kit Kat, making sure to chew it as quietly as she could.
The movie began inside a talent agency, with a dejected-looking mime sitting across from a snooty talent agent in a cashmere sweater with a white scarf dangling from his neck.
"I'm sorry, but mimes are at the bottom of the performers' hierarchy for a reason," said the talent agent. "Clowns can do everything you can do, and they can tell jokes. If they can't make it in today's market, what makes you think that you have a chance?"
The mime dragged his fingertip down his cheek, simulating a lone tear, before walking out of the building. The next half-hour proceeded in much the same way, with the mime trying out his act in the park, at the mall, and in comedy clubs on open mic night, only to be booed and mocked for his efforts. By the time he was sent back to his apartment in despair, Marcy looked ready to cry... while Sasha looked ready to fall asleep.
Despondent, the mime tried to cut himself with an imaginary knife, only to be shocked when the skin on his hand split open and a drop of blood seeped through. He stared at his wound in disbelief for a spell, before he was interrupted by some angry banging on his front door. Still gripping the "knife", he answered the door to find his landlord standing in front of him with an eviction notice.
And then - in a motion so swift and abrupt it made Marcy jump in her seat - the mime jumped on his landlord and thrust his invisible knife into his chest, over and over again. The two girls watched in disgust and amazement as gaping, bloody stab wounds materialized all over the landlord's body.
The carnage only got worse from that point on, as the mime ruthlessly went after anyone who had rejected or mocked him before. One was blown away by an imaginary gun; one was hanged by an imaginary noose; one was even drawn and quartered by imaginary horses; and in his wake, he left gruesome crime scenes that left investigators baffled. All the while, the two girls continued to wolf down their candy, hoping that keeping their mouths full would stave of their urge to scream.
But the mime would save his most grisly murder for the talent agent from the beginning of the film. The agent found himself at the mime's mercy in an abandoned warehouse, trapped inside an invisible box. At first, Sasha and Marcy suspected that he was going to leave him in there to suffocate; instead, he pulled an imaginary lever, causing the box to contract. The two girls could barely hold down their dinner as they watched the agent slowly and graphically get crushed to death. By the time the investigators broke down the door with their guns drawn, the agent was already dead.
Fortunately, the heroes realized that if the mime could interact with imaginary weapons, then logically he could be hurt by them too. After the mime blocked their bullets with an imaginary wall, one sharp-witted detective loaded up an imaginary rocket launcher, ordered the others to evacuate, and let loose. The mime was blown to smithereens (along with most of the warehouse), and the tale of carnage came to a close.
The girls were left utterly speechless (as was most of the audience). They stared at the closing credits for a couple of minutes before zipping up their bags and shuffling out of the theater. It wasn't until they emerged back out into the hall that either of them said a word.
"That... was..." Marcy uttered.
After a brief pause, a massive grin broke out across her face.
"...AWESOME!" she cried. "Gosh, the practical effects were just unreal! As soon as I saw Tom Panini's name in the credits, I was like, yes. The man is the most talented effects artist working today. Change my mind. Oh, and the casting! Vincent Bryce was born to play the Mime, I swear. Which is weird, because one of his greatest strengths as an actor is his distinctive, spine-tingling voice, so you think it'd be a dumb move to cast him in a role where he can't talk. But he ended up stealing the show anyway! Ugh, he's such a legend. I love him.
"And did you catch that bit of foreshadowing in the apartment scene? The first demonstration of his powers is when he cuts himself with the invisible knife. He was vulnerable to his own weapons from the very beginning, and the moment when the investigators figure it out is just so satisfying. Pure cinema. I would have liked to see them figure it out sooner instead of waiting until the very end, but eh, that's just a nitpick. What did you think, Sasha?...Sasha?"
Marcy looked over and saw her friend staring at the floor with her eyes agape, hugging herself and trembling. She stared at her for a moment before letting out a light chuckle.
"Boy, must be chilly in this theater, huh?" she asked. "I told you that you should've worn a sweater. Here."
She wrapped her arm snugly around Sasha's middle and pulled her in close. "There we go. Nice and toasty."
Sasha's trembling slowed down and her breathing grew calmer in response to Marcy's touch. Sighing with contentment, she clung to Marcy's arm and rested her head against her shoulder. Marcy was a bit surprised, as she was unused to seeing this kind of behavior from her school's top alpha, but she was never one to turn down a good cuddle.
And that was a good thing, because Sasha didn't let go for the entire walk home. Her display elicited a few stares from passersby, but in the moment, the couldn't have cared less. She wasn't even worried about the prospect of a classmate seeing her, since no one at her school would dare try to tease her. All that mattered was that she was safe, warm and comfortable - all thanks to her geek-a-zoid little friend.
It wasn't until they arrived at Sasha's house that they reluctantly had to part ways. Sasha let go of Marcy, looked her in the eyes and gave her a brave smile.
"Thanks for coming out tonight," she said.
"My pleasure!" Marcy replied. "But you still haven't told me what you thought of the movie."
Sasha blushed a bit. "Oh, it was... fine, I guess. I've seen better, but you know, it was good for what it was. See you at school."
With that, she gave Marcy a queen-sized hug that almost knocked the wind out of her, before turning about and walking up to her front door.
You know, sometimes I wonder why she picked me of all people as a friend, Marcy thought. But I'm glad she did.