Author's note! Yes, this is the final notebook. Or, at least, this is Liss's last notebook. I'm wondering if perhaps Lexy should take on Liss's mask and notebooks and go out and get that closure Liss never found. Or maybe I should just leave well enough alone.
Well, in August, while writing The Mildewed Notebook, I toyed with the idea of turning the Notebooks into a comic book. The following scene would have been both the opening and closing of the book (or series, however it would have turned out.) But then in the course of editing the series, the character of the murderer was written out, and the ending was changed yet again (this being quite a drastic change from the original ending...) So this little sequence can exist only as the dream that Liss cherished for so long.
Oh, and please do forgive any awkwardness. I'm not at all comfortable with sound effects, and my Italian is far less than passable.
PAGE 1
Panel 1:
Rome. A beautiful, posh hotel room. Liss, a woman in her mid-twenties, sits at a vanity table with her back to the camera, getting ready for a night out. Her hair is long, thick, a dark shade of auburn, very attention-getting, something she has probably spent a lot of time and effort on. She wears a black dress, low-cut and very sexy. Her body is lean and well-toned, her posture perfect. Tucked into the corner of the mirror is a picture of her, a few years younger and with a cool, punkish look to her, hugging a little dark-haired boy.
CAPTION: When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother, "What will I be?"
Panel 2:
Closer shot of Liss in front of the mirror. Scattered about the table are various makeup items, an open jewelry box, a clock (the time is 7:49) a somewhat battered spiral-bound notebook, and a pen. Focus on Liss's reflection: she is only visible from the lower half of her face down. She is currently in the act of putting on vivid, blood-red lipstick. Around her neck is a beautiful emerald necklace.
CAPTION: "Will I be pretty? Will I be rich?" Here's what she said to me.
Panel 3:
Liss stands, looking out the window at the dusky cityscape. Her face is partially visible in profile. She looks just a bit troubled. Nervous, perhaps.
CAPTION: "Que serà, serà. Whatever will be, will be."
Panel 4:
Tight on Liss's hand as she reaches down for eyeliner. Include the clock, showing the time. (7:51)
CAPTION: "The future's not ours to see. Que serà, serà."
Panel 5:
Extreme close-up of Liss's brown eyes as she applies the eyeliner. She is definitely troubled, but more apprehensive than upset.
CAPTION: "What will be, will be."
PAGE 2:
Panel 1:
Liss stands again, once more looking out the window. Her face is still not completely visible, but her body language is tense. She is waiting for something, and not very patiently.
CAPTION: When I was just a child in school, I asked my teacher, "What should I try?"
Panel 2:
Liss sits at the table, writing in her notebook, resting her head on her left hand. At last, she is smiling. The time is 7:54.
CAPTION: "Should I paint pictures? Should I write books?"
Panel 3:
On the street outside the hotel, Liss is visible from behind, getting into the backseat of a nondescript (but very expensive) black car. She now wears a rather bulky fur coat over her slinky black dress. Her shoes are black boots, more functional than stylish, rather at odds with what else she's wearing. She appears calm now that she is on her way.
CAPTION: This was her wise reply…
Panel 4:
In the empty hotel room, on Liss's notebook, which she has left open on the table. There are only two words visible on the final open page: "It's time."
Panel 5:
Inside a very high-class restaurant, Liss enters, still viewed from behind. In front of her is an ordinary-looking man, rather handsome but nothing special, in a tuxedo. He is quite surprised to see her, and perhaps a little saddened as well.
MAN: "Voi, donna bella?"
LISS: "Sì."
Panel 6:
Liss throws her coat out to the sides. The man now looks deeply saddened. Everyone behind him is suddenly intent on Liss, many of them reaching inside their tuxedo jackets.
MAN: "Perchè?"
PAGE 3:
Panel 1:
On Liss, full view from the front for the first time. She holds a submachine gun in each hand, and looks almost sorry.
LISS: "Poiché."
SFX: BLAM BLAM BLAM
CAPTION: "QUE SERÀ, SERÀ."
Panel 2:
On Liss's enraptured face. This feels gloriously right. She is surrounded by the halo of light thrown up by her guns like some kind of hellish angel.
SFX: BLAM BLAM BLAM
CAPTION: "WHATEVER WILL BE, WILL BE."
Panel 3:
On Liss's target and his men, all of whom have drawn their concealed weapons and are firing back at Liss from cover. The target is hit and hiding. It's impossible to tell just how badly he's wounded. He could be dying. It could be just a flesh wound.
LISS: "Sono la morte di voi."
SFX: BLAM BLAM BLAM
Panel 4:
On Liss, who has not bothered to seek cover, looking rather surprised (but not terribly upset) as a bullet goes through her chest.
LISS: "Oh."
CAPTION: "The future's not ours to see."
SFX: BLAM BLAM BLAM
Panel 5:
The firing continues as Liss falls.
SFX: BLAM BLAM BLAM
Panel 6:
Tight on Liss as she lies on the floor, alive but wounded and unable to get up and continue her glorious, fiery vengeance. She strains to see her target and confirm that he is dead, or at least dying.
LISS (weak voice): "You first…"
PAGE 4:
Panel 1:
The men, no longer shooting but still holding their weapons at the ready, cluster around Liss. She has done them considerable damage. They do not look pleased. The target is not visible.
LISS (weakly): "Did I…È morto?"
Panel 2:
Close-up of Liss's face. She is pale and bloody and clearly in some amount of pain. Yet she smiles.
LISS (weakly): "Did I, did I not? Que serà, serà."
Panel 3:
Wider shot of the men clustered around our fallen heroine. She closes her eyes, feeling some measure of peace as they cock their guns. She reaches out for something that isn't there.
SFX: CLICK
Panel 4:
Picture blurs. Close-up of Liss's hand, held as if she's writing something, although there is no pen and no paper.
LISS (weakly): "What will be…"
Panel 5:
Picture clears. Flashback time! Liss is now several years younger (about 18-19) with hair pulled back from her face, looking very no-fuss and quite unlike her older self with the expensive clothes and jewelry. She is too awkward to be the beauty her future self will be, although she is not unattractive. She is not nearly as cool as the Liss of the photograph. This young Liss is also clearly not athletic and would hardly know which end of a gun to hold. The only parallel is the notebook—young Liss is scribbling something in a notebook (the purple cover is visible) and completely ignoring her surroundings; both the pleasant fall weather and the purple van coming up behind her. Two words are clearly visible on the notebook page: "will be."
LISS: "...will be."
Author's note: The repeat of this section at the end of the book would have replaced Panel 5 with a somewhat ambiguous closing image that would have hinted at the outcome, but not told it outright. Would Liss survive? Was her target dead, forever maimed, or would he just walk it off?
Well, I will say that in my mind, she would have gotten her revenge. As for her own fate, I can't rightly say. But rest assured, whether she lived or not, this would have been the end of her story.
Thank you all so much for sticking with me throughout this series, and for all your kind reviews and support. I hope you know how many cool points you have, oh Gentle Readers. It's all for you, for all of you.
Lurve,
3.0