Scene 3
[Neil and Eva are in a bedroom, but it does not appear to be Ib's. Neil falls on Eva's feet. Looking up at her, he glimmers a happy smirk. Eva kicks Neil off of her.]
[The vinyl wallpaper around the room is canvas white, rough and seemingly brittle to the touch. Oddly, the material of the floor is very similar to the wallpaper as well, but a large shaggy yet florid rug covers a good portion of the room, particularly underneath the bed and dressers. Inside the room are hardwood dressers partially covered in crayon markings, a desk with a lightly smudged vanity mirror with assorted makeup and cosmetics, and loads of toys, such as doll houses and plush animals. The plushes are various different characters and animals, but none of them have any close resemblances to rabbits. On the bed is the pillow that allowed for the memory hop, as well as a sketchbook, opened to a page covered in scribbles.]
[Eva is standing next to her bed. Ib and Mary were standing at the doorway of the room.]
Neil: [getting up] I never finished my response.
Eva: Just forget about it.
Neil: [sighs] Fine. So, this is... Mary's room?
Eva: I think so.
Neil: It's a bit of a far cry from Ib's room. It's way less tidy.
Eva: [looking around] Seems like it. I did take Ib as the more responsible child. Even if she's more outgoing in her mind, she's still quite straight-laced, at least in comparison to Mary.
Neil: You're telling me! [points at his leg] Did you SEE what she did to my pants?
Eva: Which is why maybe Mary isn't so bad.
Neil: Eva, you're sorely misjudging how terrible Mary-
[A loud thud emanates from the doorway, interrupting Neil's sentence. Both Neil and Eva look. It appears that Ib dropped a jar of lemon candy. The jar, being made of plastic, did not break.]
Ib: Mary. Can you tell me where you found this?
[Mary stays silent, but she took a step backwards, and into her room. Ib pushes the door open wide. Both Neil's and Eva's jaw drops. Staring at Mary, a loud gong sounds in the distance.]
Neil: You know, I'm getting used to the bells. Slowly, but surely.
[Eva bites her lip.]
Ib: You mean you don't know?
[Mary still refuses to speak. Neil tiptoes towards Eva rather cautiously.]
Eva: [confused] Neil? What are you doing?
Ib: I'll go ask Mom.
Neil: Don't ask.
[He rolls his eyes towards Eva. Ib walks out and from the room.]
Mary: Wait Ib!
[She leaves the room, chasing after Ib. Eva lightly scratches her arm.]
Eva: What does your watch say? It seems that Mary doesn't have a clock in her room, or a calendar for that matter...
Neil: [looking at the watch on his wrist] Um... This happened two weeks and six days ago, exactly. That was actually a sizable jump, considering this is a nine-year-old girl and this wasn't a leaping memento.
Eva: I guess you're right. We'll take it. [points] Let's follow them. This can't be the entire memory. And make sure to keep an eye on that watch.
Neil: Got it, Roger.
[Neil and Eva walk out of the room, walking over the jar of candy. A blue orb enters Eva's body passing the jar. As they enter into a narrow hallway, dimly lit by the light coming from Mary's room and the light from the room on the right, they see Mary and Ib making a right turn into the living room. The two doctors trail behind.]
Neil: [scratching the back of his head] It's always weird that we see the entire layout of people's houses.
Eva: That's why there's the background checks, to make sure no one in the agency is a thief.
Neil: Well, it's a good thing I'm such a good Samaritan, right?
Eva: [scoffs] Pretty strong and inaccurate definition of good.
[Sherry is in the living room, watching television and folding laundry at the same time. Ib tugs on her sleeve, with Mary right behind her.]
Ib: [calmly] Mother, I have a question.
Sherry: [putting down a torn longcoat] Yes, what is it, honey?
Mary: [struggling to speak] Don't answer her!
Ib: Where did Mary come from?
Sherry: [pauses] Well...
[The room becomes silent. Ib, Sherry, and Mary freeze in time..]
Neil: What's going on?
[He looks at Sherry.]
Eva: ... I don't know. Maybe this is the memory gaps that Ib's been having?
[Neil walks towards where Ib and Sherry are and waves his hand over their faces.]
Neil: You don't think that Ib's helmet is being taken off, do you?
[The room suddenly fades to a dark, static void.]
Eva: [eyes widen] Neil, leave the system and check.
Neil: No! I'll stay here, and you go!
Eva: You? No! I'm the one who set up the machine! If something gets unstable, you would be in even more trouble if I can't fix it!
Neil: So what? You're facing her! It'd be quicker for you to take off your helmet for two seconds to-
[The room becomes a blur of color. The two of them look around. Eva sighs, and wipes her forehead.]
Eva: Check the time on your watch. This was supposed to happen.
Neil: The time is two weeks, four days. We skipped two days, what just happened?
Eva: I don't have any ideas as to what that was. This might be where she forgot. But, this problem was for three weeks according to Sherry, so maybe we aren't done here yet.
Neil: Sigh, if only it was that easy.
[The room becomes much sharper.]
[The room turns out to be a sterile hospital room. The room is complete with heart monitors, IV stands, chairs for visitors to sit in, a drawer filled to the brim with various medical and a curtain to conceal Ib's portion of the room, although the curtain is open and only a shadowy figure exists as Ib's roommate. Cabinets and drawers also line the room, holding medication and plastic containers. The room's walls is a shade of depressing sky blue, which compliments the mood on everyone's face: very gloomy. Ib, Alaric, Sherry, and Mary are all present. Alaric, Sherry, and Mary all seem to flicker from different positions around the hospital bed. Mary is holding the pillow that allowed Neil and Eva to enter this memory. Ib is sleeping on the patient bed and the others are standing, looking at her.]
Neil: The hospital? She must have fainted.
Eva: This fainting spell was never mentioned before. This case is just getting more and more crazy...
Neil: [adjusting his glasses] Well, this case is getting weirder by the minute.
Eva: I just said that.
Neil: No, you said that this case was getting crazy. I said that this case was getting weirder. Big difference.
[Eva rolls her eyes.]
Neil: Anyways, the time overlap is usually one contained area with multiples of the same person. But now, we're getting one person with multiples areas. And it's across different days? What gives?
Eva: Maybe it's because she's a kid?
Neil: Possibly. And look at them. They aren't saying anything. They aren't even moving. Did the system break?
Eva: Let me check. [clears throat] M.W.R.S., check.
[A loud, low-pitched beep was heard.]
Eva: The system seems to be functioning normally.
Neil: Maybe the "Memory Weaving Receiver System" only works well on old geezers.
Eva: Come on, Neil. You know what it actually stands for, right?
[Neil shakes his head no. Eva shuts her eyes and shakes her head.]
Eva: [irritated] It means-
[The colors start changing slightly in tone, getting slightly darker and lighter. Ib's eyes are opening, and Sherry and Mary fade out and fade back in, while Alaric seems to clear up immediately. Every so often the room blurs out. A rhythmic beeping sounds off.]
Neil: Huh. I think she senses the people around her...
Eva: I'd say she imagined them being there when she wakes up. But to imagine a hospital room to this great of detail, only to get the positions of where people are standing wrong is... peculiar. She IS a little girl, right?
[Eva becomes momentarily silent in thought. Neil reaches over to tap her shoulder, but Eva raises her arm in defense.]
Eva: I got it. She's probably been here before. I don't think there's any other way she could remember this place so well. [sighs] Now I understand why Sherry thought it was so important for us to see her now.
Neil: Well, she faints before Sherry answered her. And Ib still isn't completely-
Mary: [screaming] Wake up, Ib!
[At once, the room becomes crystal clear. Ib's eyes fully open. Neil clenches his hands into fists.]
Neil: Even in memories, you continue to interrupt and annoy me.
Eva: Cool it, Neil. Before you accidentally get arrested for punching a little virtual girl, mean or otherwise.
[Neil sighs.]
Ib: [hoarse] ...Mom... Dad... Mary... Where am I?
Alaric: Ib! Thank goodness, you're okay. Your mother was very worried.
Sherry: ... Of course. Come here, you!
[Sherry leans in to kiss Ib on the forehead. Ib puts all of her energy into giving a weak smile.]
Mary: I was so worried, Ib. You fell over, and I thought... You... you were...
[Mary's voice drones off. As she places the pillow A single teardrop rolls down her face.]
Ib: ... Mary? What is on-
[Mary swiftly wipes her face and looks at her hand. At once, she dashes off.]
Mary: [panicked] Bathroom!
[Mary runs right through Neil. Neil is shaking in rage. A yellow orb enters Neil's body.]
Neil: And now, she's running over me, like a little rabbit in front of-
Eva: Your car, which you narrowly avoided. And I think you mean through you, not over you. Although...
Neil: Ha ha. Let me guess. More stuff involving me actually getting run over?
Eva: While that is certainly a nice thought to entertain, I was talking about Mary's face. Her face was distorted when she walked through you. I think Ib may have forgotten what her face looked like, or something... Neil, can you take a step in any direction?
Neil: Why?
Eva: [pointing downwards] You're standing on something.
Neil: Pause!
[Ib and her parents stop moving. Even the heart monitor remains motionless. Neil takes a step away from Eva, and picks up what he was standing on. It is a handkerchief. Suddenly, the handkerchief falls to the floor, and emits a red aura.]
Neil: Bingo, that's his name-o. This is what we're looking for.
Eva: But. where are the last three spheres?
[Neil and Eva begin looking around. They walk towards where Ib and her parents were standing. Neil picks up a piece of lemon candy on the bed. An orange ball enters his body.]
Eva: More candy. What did I say? You are always attracted to-
Neil: Yes, yes, yes. Things that may or may not kill me, like painkillers, extreme sky diving, kangaroo boxing, girls that give me an attitude and riding homicidal horses. Yes, anything that even pretends to threaten my life, I'm hopelessly attracted to it. [sighs] Whatever.
[Neil pouts before going onto the floor to search underneath Ib's bed. Eva looks away from him, examining the other parts of the room, blushing.]
[After searching for quite some time, Eva sits down in one of the chairs in the room. Neil is standing on a stool, looking on top of one of the cabinets, searching fruitlessly. Eva slouches and yawns.]
Eva: Neil, play the scene further. Maybe we're missing something that happens later.
[Neil hops off of the stool, and cracks his back. He wipes sweat off of his forehead, and adjusts his glasses.]
Neil: Phew... R-right. Play!
[Ib, Alaric, Sherry, and the heart monitor all become animated. The monitor continues to ring out rhythmic beats.]
Alaric: Oh yeah, I got you a little something, Ib!
[Alaric digs into his right pants pocket, and pulls out a red rose key chain. He places it on the bed.]
Sherry: Are you sure? I don't think Ib has anything that-
Ib: [taking the key chain, and holding it up to her face] I love it! Thanks, dad!
Alaric: It's nothing for my little girl.
[A loud screech is made. A muffled voice is heard from a speaker above Ib's bed.]
Voice: To the parents of Mary, your daughter is in office 102. Please come here to pick her up. Again, to the family of Mary, your child is in office 102. Please come here to pick her up. Thank you.
[An audible click is heard from the speaker above Ib's bed.]
Alaric: [worried] Oh no, Mary... Sherry, I'll be right back.
[Alaric leaves the room.]
Sherry: That girl... she can sometimes be such a nuisance. Why does she always run away from us?
Neil: Maybe because you don't know where she came from. Ever think of that?
Eva: [flabbergasted] Neil!
Ib: It's fine, Mom. She's just like that.
Sherry: I know, but sometimes it's nice to have you, doing only what you need to do. She's a fun daughter, but you're reliable. Ib, I was afraid of something bad happening. After you fainted, I got so worried. I was crying. I...
[Sherry starts choking up, unable to say what she wants to say. Ib puts down the key chain, and looks at Sherry.]
Ib: Mom, don't cry.
Sherry: Ib...
[Ib and Sherry hug. The memory appears to stop, and a purple ball enters Eva's body when she picks up the key chain.]
Neil: Looks like me and Sherry agree. Mary is the black sheep after all...
Eva: You think she really plays favorites?
Neil: Of course! It's impossible to not play favorites, unless you plan to treat both your children with a blindfold on. Anyways, it seems that we seen what we need to see. [pauses] Bleugh, that was a weird sentence.
Eva: Not to mention, that's messed up to tell a nine-year-old kid that. Who tells their kid "Hey, you're the better kid!" and think that wouldn't cause untold mental trauma to either kid?
Neil: Beats me. I was a troublemaker when I was younger, so I got used to hearing the opposite.
Eva: Terrible. [sighs] Well, we're at a standstill. We're still missing yellow.
Neil: May I recommend a little bit of MIPS?
[Neil gives her a cheeky grin. Eva blankly stares at Neil.]
Eva: I feel like this is a poorly hidden attempt to talk to Alaric again. But I don't have any other ideas. Go ahead Neil, I'll stay hidden.
Neil: Excellent! Activate M.I.P.S.!
[The room flurries in a flash of lights, before Neil appears into the room, covered with just as static as how Sherry appears. Sherry lets go of Ib and jumps back.]
Sherry: Ah! Doctor, don't scare us like that!
[Eva stifles her laughter.]
Neil: [bowing] My apologies, Mrs. Sherry.
[Fury flares in her eyes.]
Sherry: [slightly growling] Do NOT call me Mrs. Sherry. At least refer to with my husband's last name. "Mrs. Sherry," my butt.
[Eva bursts out in laughter.]
Eva: Please... [wheezes] Neil, keep going! This is perfect.
Sherry: So, what is it, doctor? What do you need?
[Neil freezes in places, Eva's laughs beginning to echo in the room. He snaps back to reality.]
Neil: [nervously] Don't worry about me! I-I just wanted to check on Ib is all.
Ib: I'm fine, doctor.
Neil: Oh. [pauses] That's good.
Sherry: If that's all, then please leave, doctor.
Eva: What a smooth operator you are.
[Eva doubles over in laughter. Burning red, he walks towards the door, but Alaric and Mary return, hand in hand. Neil's face brightens up.]
Alaric: Oh, hello doctor! [smiles]
Neil: Alaric, buddy! How've you been?
Alaric: You know my middle name?
Neil: [laughs] Of course! You're a cool guy with a cool name!
[Eva sighs.]
Eva: So much for you making a fool of yourself. It was fun.
[Neil grips the air with one hand.]
Alaric: I'm sorry, doctor. I wish to keep formalities with people I don't know.
[Neil looks as if he's ready to cry. Alaric extends the hand that isn't holding Mary.]
Alaric: Weiss Guertena at your service.
[Alaric give a warm smile to Neil. Neil defeatedly shakes his hand, and a yellow orb enters his body.]
Eva: That's it! There's the yellow orb!
[Eva whispers under her breath, and the room freezes once more. Neil crumples onto the floor.]
Eva: You okay Neil?
Neil: [silently] I never want to use MIPS ever again.
[Neil jumps up and walks to the handkerchief. Eva motions to reach towards him, but Neil puts up his hand.]
Neil: Eva, I need this.
[Eva looks at him quizzically. He hits the aura around the handkerchief with the blue, green, and yellow orbs. He prepares for the next hit.]
Neil: Falcon...
[He hits the aura with the orange orb. Eva shakes her head.]
Neil: PUNCH!
[Neil inserts the purple ball into the aura, and the aura is shattered.]
Eva: [sweetly] Feel better?
Neil: [bitterly] No.
[Neil places his hand over the handkerchief, and the room shines a brilliant light show just before fading into white.]