A/N: I'm sorry I take forever to upload this, but it also takes me forever to write. I've been working on this on and off again for three years now, but I'm writing the last episode as I'm uploading this. So it should be finished very soon
Episode 16
SCENE 1
(In the morning Sparrow leaves KC's room and makes her way through the hospital to get back to her tribe. As she walks past Amber's room, the door opens and a dishevelled Bray stumbles out. Sparrow stops and frowns at him.)
Sparrow: Bray?
(He turns to face her and the smiles fades from his face.)
Sparrow: Did you spend the night?
Bray: Look, Sparrow, we can talk about this.
Sparrow (furiously): We can, but I don't think there is a reasonable explanation for you cheating on Crow. Maybe you want to tell me it was an accident? You slipped and fell, huh?
Bray: No. Calm down, Sparrow, you're going to wake the others.
Sparrow: So? I don't care. How about you start to talk?
Bray: Since when is this your business? I only owe Crow an explanation.
Sparrow: Damn right you do! I can't believe this.
(She shakes her head in disbelief, her cheeks flushed in anger. Bray sighs and tries to walks past her, but she steps into his way.)
Sparrow: You know, Crow really doesn't need this now. Things are tough for her at the moment and you should know that.
Bray: I didn't mean for this to happen.
(Woken from Sparrow's shouts Amber, Trudy, Salene and Lex come out of their rooms while KC quickly walks towards them from the other end of the corridor.)
Salene: What's going on here?
(Trudy studies Bray surprised he's still there so does Salene, while Lex just leans against the wall with his arms crossed and a smug look on his face as he watches the fight.)
Amber: Sparrow, would you please keep your voice down.
Sparrow: No! You're not any better. You know very well Bray is with Crow. I wouldn't have expected this from you.
Trudy: Wait... (turns to Bray) You and Amber? Are you back together.
(Before someone can answer Sparrow slaps Bray hard across the face and would've done worse, if KC hadn't gripped her wrist.)
KC: Sparrow, don't.
Bray: This is none of your business.
Sparrow: No, it isn't, but someone has to stick up for Crow as she isn't here. You just wait 'till I tell her.
Bray: Please, let me come with you and explain it to her.
Sparrow (snorts): Definitely not. KC, let me go!
(She breaks free of him and storms out of the hospital. Everybody's eyes are now on Bray and Amber who blush and look rather uncomfortable.)
Bray: I uh... better go. Try to make things right with Crow.
Amber: Will you be back?
Bray: Of course.
(He follows Sparrow out. Lex grins at Amber and claps his hands sarcastically, when he has everybody's attention he walks over to her.)
Lex: Congratulations. You pissed the Harpies off better than I could have done it.
KC: Yea, great and all because of him.
Lex: They probably won't help us any more.
KC: And without Crow we can't get into the school.
Salene: Hey, lay off her!
Lex: Why? She and Loverboy messed up.
Trudy: I don't remember you being so eager on an alliance with the Harpies in the first place, Lex.
Lex: So? I changed my mind. You think we're going to accomplish anything on our own?
Amber: Trudy, Salene, it's okay. Lex is right. We need the Harpies and I made a mistake. I'm going to sort it out with Crow.
KC: Like she wants to see you.
Lex: I should go!
Salene (laughs): Yea, because she likes you so much better.
SCENE 2
(Ruby is just leaving her room as Ebony exits the bathroom on the other side of the corridor. When Ruby spots her, she quickly walks towards the café, but Ebony calls after her.)
Ebony: Running away, are we? I don't know why, though. You've got everything you wanted.
(Ruby turns around.)
Ruby: I'm not running, not from you. There's just nothing you can say that I want to hear.
Ebony: You're a bad winner. You've got Slade, haven't you? No need for us to be enemies.
Ruby (laughs): Yea right, you pushing me in front of a truck is completely forgotten.
Ebony: Ah, but that's in the past. Nobody cares about that around here.
Ruby: You may not, but I guess the others will. Maybe we should find out.
Ebony: You can't threaten me any more, honey. If you wanted to tell the others you would've done it by now. I think you like having me around so you can parade your relationship with Slade in front of me.
Ruby: And see you sulk? That's more your thing, isn't it?
(She flashes Ebony one of her sweetest smiles and walks into the café, leaving Ebony to shoot venomous glares at her back.)
SCENE 3
(Meanwhile in the school's cafeteria a stage has been set up and as many people as possible are present. A loud murmur is heard while everyone speaks amongst themselves, but as Kaelem takes the stage, they fall silent. He holds out his hands to welcome them.)
Kaelem: I'm glad all of you are here. Since we taught about the Technos our classes have grown and we're very happy about that. However we also got into some arguments with other tribes, who think we're lying and won't be convinced by our evidence. They are thick headed and I fear they'll stir up trouble for the whole city. We've talked to their leaders and tried to find common ground but failed. So I don't want you to be scared, when we up our security around here in the next few days. I don't think we have anything to fear from them, but better safe than sorry, right?
(A young woman with long blonde dreadlocks gets up from her seat.)
Woman: So who are they?
(A few shouts are heard then Kierce, the short guy with bright orange hair gets up with a fierce look on his face.)
Kierce: Why don't we just take care of them? Make sure they can't harm us instead of waiting for them to attack us.
(The crowd mumbles in agreement and it takes a while for Kaelem to get them to calm down.)
Kaelem: We can't and that's not what we stand for. The Consilium want peace in the city not a war. However no one can attack these tribes, because they've kidnapped one of our own. No harm will come to him as long as we behave peacefully.
SCENE 4
(Camera cuts to Liam who's doing push-ups in his cell, as we hear the bar sliding away from the door and Alice comes in with a bowl of cereal. He stands up and wipes his hands on his pants.)
Liam: I was wondering when you'd come by.
Alice: Missed me?
Liam: You could say that.
(She smiles as she sets down the bowl.)
Alice: You're quite a charmer.
Liam: Not really. I'm just honest.
(He walks over to take the bowl of cereal and sits down on his mattress.)
Liam: Tell me, Alice, why is it only you come in here?
Alice: Because I took the guard duty and you can't be too sure with some of the others. They might not treat you right.
Liam (grins): So you're concerned about me?
Alice: About you, about what that might mean for the tribe and the current situation.
Liam: What is the situation? How long are you going to keep me?
Alice: I'm not supposed to tell you that. You'll just have to wait and see.
Liam (mumbles): Yea, that's all I'm ever doing.
Alice: I'm sorry, I really am. If you want I could get you another book to read.
Liam: Sure, it's not like I've got anything better to do.
Alice: You're not losing your good spirits now, are you? I kind of like coming in here and be greeted with a smile.
Liam: Don't worry, the smile will be there, when you get here tonight.
(He looks up and winks at her, surprising her with his words.)
Alice: Since you like honesty so much, Liam, can I ask you something?
Liam: Sure, pick my brain.
Alice: It's not so much your brain I'm after.
(A look of interest appears on his face, as he sets down the bowl.)
Liam: Sounds interesting, go on.
Alice: What are you playing at? With me, I mean. Do you flirt because you're bored or...
Liam: Or because I genuinely care about you? Well, I am bored, there's no denying that, but I already told you that I care about what you think of me and that I think you're a very intriguing person. You just have to make your mind up, I'm not going any where.
(Liam gets up form the mattress and takes a few slow steps towards Alice, who stands her ground until their noses nearly touch. She hesitates, but then turns around and slams the door in his face. Camera zooms in on Liam's disappointed face before he starts grinning to himself. Camera cuts to Alice, who's leaning against the other side of the door letting out a sigh, but can't help smiling to herself.)
SCENE 5
(At the outskirts of the city Sparrow and Bray are running. She frequently looks back, but can't outrun him as he's slowly catching up to her. When they reach the forest, she's in her element and can throw him of her tail. She makes a detour to the camp just to make sure, Bray isn't following her and leans against a tree panting. At the camp the girls are still working on the cages and a few are making breakfast. Crow notices Sparrow and quickly makes her way over to her.)
Crow: Sparrow, what happened? Are we in danger?
Sparrow: No, no nothing like that.
(She takes a while to catch her breath, in which Vulture walks over to them with a mixture of a frown and a grin on her face, worried why her sister has seemingly run the whole way back.)
Vulture: Hey, what's wrong? Did your boy chase you off?
(Sparrow shoots her a dirty look and shakes her head.)
Sparrow: No and he has a name.
Crow: Who cares? Now, why are you so out of breath?
(The younger girl looks warily at her older sister then motions for Crow to follow her.)
Sparrow: I'd rather talk to you alone about this.
(When they are out of hearing distance, she continues.)
Sparrow: There's something you should know. I wasn't the only overnight guest at the hospital tonight. When I was about to leave this morning, I ran into Bray. Crow, he slept at Amber's.
(Crow's eyes widen, but she remains silent. The hurt is showing on her face, but when Sparrow tries to give her a hug, she backs away.)
Sparrow: I gave him a piece of my mind, but he followed me into the woods. I guess, he wants to talk to you.
Crow (quietly): Where's he now?
Sparrow: I lost him south of the stream.
Crow: Okay, I better go find him, before he stumbles onto our camp and into one of our traps.
Sparrow: You really want to talk to him? Be sure to hit him extra hard, I didn't get a chance to do so.
Crow (smiles): I see what I can do.
(She turns and starts to walk into the forest, while Sparrow walks back to her older sister, who's just waiting to hear what happened.)
SCENE 6
(Back at the hospital most of the older Mallrats are sitting in the café discussing their alliance with the Harpies.)
Ruby: So now we're on our own and have to face these bastards by ourselves?
Salene: No, that's not sure yet.
Ebony: Well, what do you expect to happen, when Amber screws their leader's boyfriend? I think that's pretty much a deal breaker.
Lex: Yea, I have a feeling Crow won't take that too well.
Slade: We don't know that for sure yet, but we should expect the worst outcome.
Ryan: I don't understand why you did it, Amber.
(All of them look at their leader, who blushes a deep red and averts her eyes. Especially Jay's gaze is hard for her to hold.)
Lex: Oh she just couldn't shake Loverboy's charm.
Amber: We didn't think...
Ebony (cuts in): Obviously!
Slade: I guess your heads didn't get much use.
Lex (grins): Well, you don't know that, hers might have.
Trudy: LEX! You're a pig!
(Angry Amber slams her hands into the table she's sitting at and gets the others to quiet down.)
Amber: That's enough! Focus on the matter at hand.
Ebony: We are, aren't we? You and Bray are the reason why we're meeting right now.
Salene: Shut up, Ebony!
Jay: We should come up with a back-up plan.
Lex: And what is that going to be?
Ruby: How are we getting Kaelem to talk without Crow? We know nothing about him.
Jay: And we might not be a big enough group to have the demonstration. If we are to few people, the city kids could crush us.
Slade: So this is turning into a suicide mission.
Amber: No, it's not. I'll go and talk to Crow, see if we can find a way to work this out.
(She gets up to leave.)
Jay: Seems reasonable, since you got us in this mess.
(She shoots him a dirty look, unable to hide that his words hurt her. He scowls and turns away and she walks out of the café.)
SCENE 7
(The hand of little Brady wrapped tightly around her own, Lottie makes her way to Sammy and Mouse's room.)
Brady: Can we play catch?
Lottie: I don't know, maybe. Sammy is probably busy hanging over Mouse though.
Brady: Are you mad?
Lottie: No!
Brady: mummy says Mouse is an old friend and I know her.
Lottie: Do you remember her then?
(Brady shakes her head and her blonde curls fall into her face.)
Brady: She's nice.
Lottie: You think so?
Brady: Super nice!
Lottie: I think Sammy turns into an idiot with her around.
(She wrinkles her nose before letting the little girl push the door open and entering after her. Sammy and Chester are lazily throwing a tennis ball back and forth while both are sitting on the opposite beds while Dylan and Mouse are pulling beads on a string. Brady lets go of Lottie's hand and runs towards Sammy, throwing herself in his lap, the others look towards her, a warm smile appears on Dylan's face.)
Dylan: Lottie. We were wondering, where you were.
Lottie: I'm here. Brady just needed some company. So what are you up to?
(Lottie hesitates before sitting down on the floor with Mouse and Dylan.)
Chester: Not much.
Mouse: Dylan and I are making bracelets like we did, when I was with the Gaians.
(She proudly holds up a red and white one, Lottie only nods, not very interested.)
Lottie: Nice.
Sammy: What's going on out there?
Lottie: Don't know, some sort of meeting.
Chester: What about?
Lottie: I told you, I don't know.
Dylan: We could eavesdrop.
Chester: And walk all that way, nah.
Mouse: You're so lazy. Don't you ever do something.
Chester: Not if I can help it.
(Brady rocks back and forth in Sammy's lap now.)
Brady: I wanna play catch. Sammy, can we play catch.
Sammy: Ugh, no. I don't want to run.
Mouse: A game could be fun though.
Sammy: And what? The skunk in the cup?
(He laughs at her, making her pout.)
Brady: A game! A game!
(The older kids start thinking about a game they all could play.)
SCENE 8
(Outside in the park, Alice is helping Kayla with her vegetable patch. The younger girl is weeding, while Alice comes around the corner with a watering can.)
Kayla: Thanks for helping me Alice. This gets done so much quicker with you than it does with KC around.
Alice (laughs): That doesn't surprise me. I just thought Dylan was helping you.
Kayla: He does occasionally, but you know how kids his age are. They get easily bored.
Alice: Especially with an older brother like Chester around, who's teasing him about it all the time.
Kayla: I don't think he minds.
Alice: Not much. Siblings are like that. I remember me and Ellie fighting a lot when we were younger.
Voice off-screen: Now we only tease each other.
(The girls turn around to see Ellie leaning against a tree behind them. With a grin she walks over to them and takes the watering can from Alice.)
Alice: What are you doing? Are you getting tired of your computers?
Ellie: I'm not allowed to write anyway. You forget, I used to do this all the time before we joined the Mallrats.
Alice: Yes, but you didn't like it.
Ellie: Well, I didn't exactly come out here for the joy of gardening.
Kayla: Then why? Tell us Ellie.
(Ellie grins and looks at her older sister out of the corner of her eye.)
Ellie: I just noticed Alice is getting very protective over our captive and spending more time in there with him than she needs for bringing him his food.
Kayla (grins): Oh is that so? I didn't know that. Alice...
(The two younger girls now look at her with huge grins and Alice tries to avoid their gazes.)
Alice: That's stupid. I'm just talking to him.
Kayla: But he is very attractive.
Alice: Maybe.
Ellie: Oh come on, he is hot!
Kayla: You're blushing, Alice.
Alice: I'm not.
(However she still avoids their gazes and starts weeding the garden in deep concentration.)
Ellie: Well, just a few days ago we were talking about getting you a man and here is a hot guy, who won't go anywhere.
Alice: Stop it, Ellie! It's not like that and besides, he is the enemy. Have you forgotten that?
Ellie: No, but...
Alice: Then shut up about it.
(Kayla and Ellie exchange a look and drop the subject.)
SCENE 9
(Bray has lost Sparrow in the woods and is now standing at the creek where he had spent a day with Crow when they first got together. He runs a hand through his hair and curses quietly. For a short while he's alone on the clearing, pacing between the trees and the creek mumbling and trying to organize his thoughts. Crow appears in between the trees, seemingly from nowhere and without making a sound. Her arms crossed, she looks at him expressionless, when Bray turns around and sees her standing there, he jumps.)
Bray: Crow! (pauses) I... I guess Sparrow...
Crow: Told me, yes. You're probably here to explain yourself, why else would you chase her all the way here?
Bray: I'm so sorry, Crow, I really am.
(He slowly takes a few steps towards her, but stops a few feet in front of her.)
Bray: Things between us haven't been right for a while and all my memories of Amber and the Mallrats came back. I was lonely and she was there. You haven't been.
(Crow's fists clench, but her face remains calm. She sighs.)
Crow: Don't make this my fault, Bray. I knew this was going to happen. (pauses) Not that you would cheat – I thought better of you – but I knew we weren't going to work.
Bray: Why didn't you? Did you think I was just going to forget about you?
Crow: But didn't you? Wouldn't that have been much easier for you?
Bray: I really didn't want it to end like this. I never meant to hurt you.
(Crow laughs dryly and shakes her head. For a moment tears glisten in her eyes, but when she looks back at Bray, they're gone.)
Crow: Trust me, I have felt worse.
(Bray bites his lips and avoids her glance.)
Bray: I wanted to be there for you with everything that happened.
Crow: That wouldn't have changed anything. I was a fool for believing in us. You know, Kestrel knew it all along. She told me to leave you be, but I didn't listen. I don't need you, Bray. All I need is my best friend. I don't think you can bring her back to me, can you?
Bray: I'm sorry. I wish I could.
Crow: For a short time I believed you could do anything, that I would be alright as long as I was with you. That was wrong of me.
(He makes an attempt to reach out for her, but she abruptly turns around and walks back to the camp. After a few steps she stops.)
Crow: It's okay, Bray. We were never real, I know that. Now please don't come here any more. The Harpies will stick to the plan. It's more important than whatever this was.
(She sets off into the forest before Bray has a chance to call out to her. He stares after her with a confused and hurt expression.)
SCENE 10
(In the hospital, Jay is sitting in the little control room and watching the cameras. He doesn't pay much attention, as he seems to be deep in thoughts and turning a knife in his hands. From off-screen a low cough is heard and Jay jumps. This results in him cutting his thumb.)
Jay: Fuck!
(He sucks on his thumb and glares at Ebony, who leans in the doorway. She snickers at his misfortune, but hands him a handkerchief.)
Jay: Was that really necessary?
Ebony: Shouldn't you be more alert anyway? We're on the verge of a war here and our guard is moping.
Jay: I'm not moping.
Ebony: Are you sure about that?
(She raises an eyebrow, clearly not believing him. With a swift motion, she pushes his legs from the second chair in the room and sits down.)
Ebony: You don't mean to tell me that you're happy Amber is back with lover boy, do you?
(Jay shrugs.)
Ebony: Come on, Jay, talk to me. We're friends.
(He snorts and looks up from his injured hand to find Ebony grinning at him.)
Jay: I'm relieved to see that you're joking. What do you want, Ebony?
Ebony: I don't want anything.
Jay: No ulterior motives? I find that very hard to believe.
Ebony: I'm bored. You might not have noticed, but I'm nobody's favourite person around here and we're not supposed to leave the building.
Jay: So you come to me for old times sake?
Ebony: More like you can't walk away from me, because you have to be here.
Jay: So basically we're friends right now. Looks like you got that one right.
(After a small pause in which they observe the rest of the tribe through the monitors, Ebony turns back to Jay.)
Ebony: So, friend, let's talk about the Amber thing.
Jay: Why? So you can use it against me at some point?
Ebony: Maybe.
Jay: There isn't anything to talk about though.
Ebony: So you do care. Are you going to do anything?
Jay: I already stepped aside, didn't I? I pick my fights wisely and this one I already lost before Bray was even in the picture.
Ebony: That's because he never was out of the picture in the first place. Trust me, I've tried to get between those two many times.
Jay: So you think I did the right thing?
Ebony: You're asking me about right and wrong? In my opinion there is nothing like that. There are the decisions you make and you either regret them or you stick with them. You can't know anything beforehand.
(Jay smiles.)
Jay: Sometimes it's easy to forget how smart you are.
Ebony: That's because brains and looks don't usually come in a package.
(She grins at him and then pulls his injured hand closer to her, so she can have a better look at the cut. Gently she wraps the handkerchief around his thumb again, when she's done. They both seem more relaxed in each other's presence than they were before.)
SCENE 11
(Meanwhile in the school, Kaelem is in what appears to be a chemistry lab. The room is bright with cold light from the ceiling lamps. In front of him are a big variety of bottles with warning labels on them. He picks one and walks back to where he has set up some vials and flasks and is heating a white substance over a Bunsen burner. He puts the bottle down and turns around to another table that is scattered with books. The sound of a door opening and closing is heard, but Kaelem doesn't look up from his work. The camera pans around to show Dima standing by the door, not stepping any closer.)
Dima: What are you doing in here?
Kaelem: Working.
Dima: On what? Shouldn't we do something after that speech of yours? The city is chaos.
Kaelem: Actually, I am, Dima.
(He adds a few drops of the liquid to the burning white substance, causing it to burn brighter and smoke excessively.)
Kaelem: You know, how I use to say that knowledge is power? It turns out that power is power. I can keep everyone under control with the information I share, but I can also do so with fear. That's what is happening in the city right now.
Dima: You want them to fear us?
Kaelem: I want the people spreading fear in the city to know, we have the power to make them stop. I want them to see us as powerful, but also merciful.
Dima: What are you working on?
Kaelem: Smoke bombs. Destroying the city is not in my interest, so with smoke bombs it will only give the appearance of destruction.
SCENE 12
(Salene, Trudy, Ruby and Ryan are sitting in the cafeteria, discussing the recent events.)
Ruby: I just can't believe those two. This risked everything.
Trudy: When it comes to Bray, Amber has never been very rational.
Ryan: Same goes for him.
Salene: Still. I hadn't thought it would happen this soon and with everything that is at stake.
Ruby: To me Amber always seemed like the kind of leader, who did everything for the tribe and put herself second. This is so unlike her.
(The older Mallrats shake their heads.)
Salene: Like Trudy said, not when it comes to Bray.
Ryan: Even the best of us have our kryptonite.
Trudy: Our what?
Ryan: Kryptonite? You know the stuff that makes Superman weak.
Trudy: I was never much into superheroes.
Ryan: I loved them. When the virus hit, I wished someone like Superman would come and rescue us all.
Ruby: You really believed that?
Ryan: Not for long.
Salene: Oh Ryan...
(She smiles at him, but he doesn't return it, so her smile falters.)
Ryan: I was 17 and scared, Salene.
Trudy: When you think about it, it's not any sillier than believing the adults would come back and help us.
Ruby: And there were a lot of people who believed that.
Salene: Well, it is more rational than some sort of superhero swooping down and rescuing the world.
Ruby: You haven't read comics either, have you? Many superheroes gain their powers from freak events. Something like the virus.
Ryan: You read comics?
(Ruby shrugs.)
Ruby: Now and then.
Ryan: Amazing. A pretty girl that reads comics.
(He blushes right afterwards as he realizes, what he said. Salene narrows her eyes, but quickly adverts her gaze, so none of the others notices.)
Ruby: Comic books are for everyone. Girls can read them, too.
Ryan: Of course, that's not how I meant it.
Trudy: Maybe we should read them to Brady. She'd love them.
Ryan: The kids probably have some or maybe KC.
Salene: Probably. Kayla didn't have much luck with getting him to read a proper book.
(They laugh as the camera pans out.)
SCENE 13
(Alice walks down the corridor. When she passes the room, they hold Liam captive in, she slows down, but walks past it. She nearly reaches the back door and then turns around, quickly opening the door and slipping into the room. Liam looks up in surprise.)
Liam: Alice, what are you doing here?
(Alice opens her mouth to speak, but no words come out.)
Liam: Missed me already?
Alice: Don't get cocky!
Liam: Well, I sure missed you.
(He gives her a wide smile and makes room on his mattress for her. She hesitates, but then sits down next to him.)
Alice: I made a decision about you.
Liam: What kind of decision?
Alice: I don't think you're a bad person anymore. You're loyal to your friends and you're a kind person.
Liam: It's easy to be kind to a person like you. (pauses) So are there any news from my friends?
Alice: Seems like they don't miss you as much. We haven't heard anything from them.
Liam: Well, that's not unlike Kaelem. I wouldn't put it past him that he forgot.
Alice: Forgot?
Liam (laughs): He tends to be all over the place. With the city like this, he's probably trying to fix it and not worrying about me.
Alice: Well, it's his fault the city is in this state.
Liam: No it isn't.
(He is about to defend his tribe leader, but then sighs and shakes his head.)
Liam: We keep having the same conversation over and over again.
Alice: Anything else you want to talk about?
Liam: Actually, yes.
(He repositions himself on the mattress so he's facing Alice and his knee is touching her thigh.)
Liam: Let's start with something easy. Why are you really here?
(Alice shifts as well, but doesn't put more space between him and her. She doesn't look at him, while trying to find the right words.)
Alice: Actually I don't know. I just wanted to talk to you.
Liam: About everything and nothing?
Alice: I guess.
Liam: We can do that. I like that.
SCENE 14
(Bray I making his way for the hospital. In the entrance hall, he is already greeted by Ebony and Lex. They stand in front of him with crossed arms and dark expressions.)
Lex: Look who comes crawling back here.
Ebony: After destroying our plan, he's back to play house.
(Bray glares at them and tries to walk past, but Lex pushes him back.)
Lex: You're not welcome here, Bray.
Bray: Come on. I have to talk to Amber.
Ebony: I bet you do.
Lex: You two are pathetic. Nothing is important, when it isn't about you, right?
Bray: Shut up, Lex!
Lex: Oh, is that a touchy subject? You don't want to be seen as the selfish prick you are, do you?
(Footsteps are heard from the corridor behind them and Ellie turns the corner. It only takes her a second to understand the situation. She quickly walks towards them and steps between Bray and Lex, who are about to burst into a fight.)
Ellie: What is going on?
Ebony: Why are you defending him? You know, what he did?
Bray: Since when is my love life such a big deal around here?
Lex: Since you made it our business.
Ellie: Stop it! This is not helping at all.
Lex: Well, I'm not letting him march in here. Who knows what he'll be messing up next.
Bray (shouts): Nothing is messed up, okay?!
(Several more footsteps are heard now that Bray has alerted everyone to his presence. Lex and Ebony don't look convinced, but they take a step back. Ellie gently tugs at Bray to get him to back off a little as well. Amber, Salene, Trudy, Ryan and KC come walking into the entrance hall as well. When Amber sees Bray, relief washes over her face and he gives her a small smile. Quickly she is by his side, but not touching him.)
Ebony: Well now Amber is here. You can tell everyone.
KC: Is Sparrow alright? You didn't do anything to her, did you?
(He takes a few steps towards Bray, but Lex reaches out to stop him. Bray shakes his head.)
Bray: No, she's safely back with her tribe.
(Bray turns to Amber, as if he's only talking to her now.)
Bray: I talked to Crow and she wants you to know, that this doesn't change anything about the plan. We'll still do it exactly as we planned.
Ebony (snorts): Are you kidding me?
Bray: Not everyone is like you, Ebony. Crow knows what needs to be done.
Lex: Sounds to me like she didn't care for you after all. At least someone is right in the head.
(He shoots him a dark look before turning around and wandering off. Ebony follows suit shortly after.)
Ellie: So it's like nothing happened?
Bray: I guess so.
Salene: Then we just need Ram and Jack to get the camera ready and we can put an end to this nonsense.
Ellie: I'll go see, how far they are.
(The group scatters to leave Amber and Bray alone in the entrance hall.)
SCENE 15
(Meanwhile in the school, Kaelem has finished his work in the chemistry lab. In front of him on a table are five old soda cans wrapped with tape and near the top a piece of plastic has been inserted, to part the space in the can into two. He positions them in a row, fiddling with them until they line up perfectly. The camera pans around to show Jim and Dima enter.)
Jim: What's this?
(He points at the cans.)
Kaelem: The reason I wanted you to come here. I want you to take these smoke bombs and set them off, when you encounter a riot in the city. We want to keep the city safe without hurting anyone, understand?
Jim: So they are just going to emit smoke?
Kaelem: You pull this out and then throw it as fast as you can, before the substances blend together and react. We're talking mere seconds.
Dima: What happens when they react?
Kaelem: Smoke, mostly. But it also builds up heat and the can may explode. I haven't really tested it in a confined space. So better be safe than sorry with these.
Jim: Do you want us to be seen or rather not?
Kaelem (snaps): Of course I want you to be seen! How else will people link it back to the Consilium? So make sure, you're doing it right!
Jim: Okay.
(He steps forward and takes three of the cans, places them gently in his backpack and leaves. Dima fiddles with her long braid and slowly shuffles closer, but doesn't take the remaining cans.)
Kaelem: What is it?
(He walks around the table and puts an arm around her middle, pulling her closer to him. His fingers softly trace the features of her face.)
Dima: I'm just not sure this is right. You haven't tested it enough. What if something goes wrong?
Kaelem: Then I'll say you and Jim acted without my consent. Everything for the tribe.
(Dima stiffens in his embrace. Kaelem grips her chin and forces her to look at him. The smile on his face is gone and there is fear in her eyes.)
Dima: You're going to throw us out of the tribe?
Kaelem: I'm going to make you take the fall, if you screw up. Doesn't that sound fair to you?
Dima: I-I guess.
Kaelem: See, that's why you're my favourite. You're smart. I know you won't disappoint me.
Dima: I won't. I won't leave you.
Kaelem: I know, you never could.
(He leans down and kisses her forcefully, before letting go and giving her a push towards the cans on the table.)
SCENE 16
(Camera pans in from black to show Alice and Liam still sitting in his cell, talking and laughing together.)
Liam (cont.): So to get her attention, Jim decided it would be a great idea to play hard to get and got himself another girlfriend. The thing is Joanne is not the type that gets jealous. She was genuinely happy for him.
Alice (laughs): Oh dear, did they ever get together then?
Liam: No, Jim had trouble breaking up with his fake girlfriend, so they were together for months and now he's back to pining over her and she has no clue.
Alice: Maybe he should just say something.
Liam: Trust me, I've suggested that before.
Alice: Well, I think, if you like someone, you go for it.
(Liam turns and looks at her for a while, before he answers.)
Liam: So do I.
Alice: That doesn't surprise me. You don't seem to hold much back anyway.
Liam: I see no reason to do so.
(She smiles, pushing a strand of her hair out of her face. Abruptly she gets up and walks to the door. Liam is surprised, but quickly follows her.)
Liam: Did I say something wrong?
Alice: No. I just have to go. The others will be suspicious.
Liam: You'll be back.
Alice: You sound awfully confident in that.
(He shrugs and moves closer to her.)
Liam: It's always you, Alice.
Alice: What are you doing?
(He reaches up and wraps a strand of her hair around his finger. Slowly he leans in until their noses are about to touch.)
Liam (whispers): Like you said, if you like someone, you go for it.
(He cups her cheek with his free hand and brings their lips together. It only takes a second before Alice wraps her arms around him and returns the kiss. Shortly afterwards she breaks it off, her faces flushed.)
Alice: I really have to go now.
Liam: I'll be waiting for you.
(She turns around and leaves the room, but bars it from the outside.)
SCENE 17
(In the woods, Sparrow, Vulture and Dove have gathered around Crow at the outskirts of their camp. In the background we can see a finished cage and the other Harpies working on another one.)
Sparrow: So what is the plan?
Crow: Same old.
Vulture: You got to be kidding me, Crow! They obviously have no respect for us. For you!
Crow: Maybe, but we don't need their respect now, we need them as allies.
Vulture: But how are we going to trust them? What if they work with the Consilium now?
Dove: Don't be stupid. The Mallrats are the first on their little list of enemies.
Sparrow: Dove is right. They wouldn't break the alliance.
Vulture: Looks to me, like they already did.
Crow: Bray did break a promise to me, but that has nothing to do with the rest of you or any of them. (pauses) Look, I don't trust them either, but there's no time for a different plan. You still want the Consilium to go down, don't you?
Vulture: Hell yes! They'll pay for what they did to us.
Sparrow: And what happened to Kestrel.
Crow: So, we're going to go through with it, just like we planned with the Mallrats, but...
(She holds up a hand to silence Vulture and Dove, before they can say anything.)
Crow: But I decided that this city is no place for us anymore. After we get the confession from Kaelem, I want to bring him and as many as the other Consilium as possible here. They'll stay and rot in the cages, while we're off for a better place.
Dove: Do you think everyone will go?
Crow: I don't know and it's up to all of you. I'm going, and whoever wants to come is welcome to do so.
Dove: I'll go with you, of course.
(She reaches out to place a hand on Crow's shoulder, but the other girl shies away. Instead she nods and gives her an appreciative smile, before walking off.)
SCENE 18
(In Ram's room he and Jack are still working on the camera, only now it's almost done and there are much less bits and pieces strewn on the floor. Ellie sits on a chair in the corner and watches them work, while she herself is writing something down on her notepad. Ruby appears in the doorway.)
Ruby: How is it going?
(The other three look up from what they're doing. Jack instantly goes back to his work, Ellie gives her a smile and is about to answer, when Ram does it for her.)
Ram: We're doing okay. Now that Jack finally understands, what he is doing.
Jack: Excuse me? How is it my fault, that I've never build a camera in my life.
Ram: Not your fault, you're just not very qualified for the job.
Ellie: They've been bickering the whole time.
(Ruby grins.)
Ruby: Well, I don't want to keep you from your work.
Ram: You don't. Ellie sits there and makes smart remarks all the time. You can't be much worse than that.
Ruby: Oh thanks, Ram.
(She rolls her eyes, but walks over to sit next to Ellie on the floor anyway.)
Ruby: It's amazing really, how you can make sense out of this. To me it just looks like a pile of junk.
Jack: And that's probably the reason, you're not working on it.
Ellie: Jack, she was giving you a compliment, don't be rude.
Ram: Yea, Jack, don't be rude to my guest.
Jack: Your guest? Maybe she's just here because she likes to talk to Ellie.
Ram: I know it's hard for you to understand that people may like me.
Ellie: No, that's hard to understand for everyone.
(Ruby gently nudges her and shakes her head.)
Ruby: Since you guys have been spending so much time together, shouldn't you be friends by now?
Ellie: Oh they are. That's how Jack is with his friends. He snaps at them.
Ram & Jack: We're not friends!
Ellie: Right.
(She turns to Ruby.)
Ellie (mouths): They are.
Jack: So you and Ram are actually friends?
Ruby: I guess. Only Ram doesn't like to call anyone a friend, do you?
Ram: I might call you one. You haven't disappointed me yet.
(He turns around and gives her a genuine smile.)
SCENE 19
(Lottie walks into her room and makes sure the door is closed behind her. She falls to her knees in front of her bed and pulls an old pillowcase out from under it. Inside are all the things she has stolen over the past couple of days. She pulls out necklace with a little wooden pendant and drops it into the pillow case. Lovingly she touches some of the pieces. When she hears footsteps outside, she quickly pushes the pillowcase back under her bed and jumps on top of it.)
SCENE 20
(In the entrance hall of the hospital, Bray and Amber are now left alone as all the others have scattered.)
Bray: I'm sorry, I caused all this trouble.
Amber: It's my fault, too.
Bray: I talked to Crow about this.
(She holds up a finger to make him stop, then takes his hand and drags him to her room, where she closes the door behind them.)
Amber: Sorry, but we have camera's installed around the entrances and Jay is on guard duty right now. It's better we talk here.
Bray (nods): Of course. Well, I talked to Crow and of course we broke up. I would have done it anyway, if Sparrow hadn't forced me to do it.
Amber: So this means...?
Bray: It means, I chose you and Bray. I'll always choose you.
(Smiling she crosses the room and takes his hands. He brings one of her hands to his mouth and presses his lips to it.)
Amber: We should take it slow, though. We have to get to know each other again.
Bray: We have all the time in the world now. I'm not going anywhere. We can be a family now.
(They hug as the camera pans out.)
SCENE 21
(Jim and Dima are walking through the city close to the abandoned apartment buildings, where the Consilium held the Harpies and Amber captive. As they walk, they are greeted and one little girl even hugs Dima, before running along. Jim grins at her.)
Jim: The kids really like you.
Dima (shrugs): I'm probably what comes closest to being their mother.
(The further they walk into the abandoned part, the less kids they encounter. After a while they hear screaming and running.)
Jim: This way!
(He pulls her along, but quickly lets go of her arm, when he's sure, she's following. As they run, the screaming gets louder and sounds of a fight are heard. They turn a corner and see a group of kids cornering two boys and a girl. The girl is getting dragged away from her companions by a taller girl and is the one who is responsible for all the screaming. Jim rushes forward, but is held back by Dima before he can intervene.)
Dima (shouts): Stop this immediately!
(A bulky guy turns around to laugh in her face.)
Guy: Who do you think you are?
Dima: The Consilium protect this city and their inhabitants. Stop!
Guy: Or else?
Jim: This!
(He pulls out one of the cans, pulls the plastic like Kaelem told them and flings it in the middle of the commotion. Immediately thick, white smoke arises. Shrieking the group scatters and Dima turns so leave, but Jim runs into the smoke. A few seconds later he appears again with the girl in his arms and followed by her two male companions.)
Jim: Are you okay?
(Gently he sets her back on the ground. Tears are streaming down her face, but she nods.)
Jim: Stay safe, okay?
Girl: Th-th-thank you.
(As Jim and Dima leave, she gives him a confused look and he shakes his head.)
Jim: God, I miss Liam. Or maybe just doing jobs with anyone who is not you.
Dima: Oh thank you, Jim.
Jim: Well, you have the compassion of a Black Widow. (pauses) I hope he's okay.
Dima: He's fine.
SCENE 22
(Camera pans in from black to show Liam standing in his cell. He leans against the wall opposite the door with his fingertips drumming against it impatiently. When he hears the bar slide away, his face lights up. Alice enters with a shy smile and sets the plate of food down next to his mattress. He ignores it as he walks over to her with confident strides and cups her face in his hands.)
Liam: You're late.
Alice: How do you know?
Liam: I've been waiting for you since you left. It's a long time being in here alone, so you're late.
Alice: I'm sorry.
(He kisses her.)
Alice: I missed you, too.
Liam: I always tell you, I miss you, when you come in here. It's the first time, you do.
Alice: There's no news from your tribe. You might get used to hearing that.
(He lets go of her and sinks down on his mattress. Alice sits next to him and takes his hand in hers.)
Alice: I'm sorry.
Liam: It's not your fault. I just... I thought, they cared about me more.
Alice: I care about you.
(He gives her a weak smile.)
Liam: You know, now that I have you, I see how insane this is.
Alice: What do you mean?
Liam: How is this going to work, Alice? Your tribe hates me. There's very likely going to be a war.
Alice: We'll find a way. You could stay with us, I could arrange that.
Liam: Really?
Alice: Yes, Ram, Ebony and Jay were on different sides once, too.
Liam: So I could stay? With you?
Alice: If you want to.
(She blushes slightly, when she registers the wide, happy smile on his face. He gives her hand a squeeze.)
Liam: Of course, I want to stay with you.
(She kisses him and the kiss soon turns more passionate. As the camera pans out, Liam's shirt is thrown on the ground.)
SCENE 23
(In Ram's room, he and Jack are alone finishing up their projects. There are only a handful of tiny parts lying in between them. Jack is fastening one of them to the nearly finished camera with a screwdriver, while Ram mumbles to himself and brushing his fingers over the pieces.)
Jack: Something wrong?
(He stops what he's doing, as Ram is not answering and not looking up either.)
Jack: Ram?
Ram: I can't find it. I was sure, it was here.
Jack: What?
Ram: This tiny silver disk. You put it right here to isolate those two parts. It was here yesterday.
Jack: Yea, I saw it, too. It was there when we went to get lunch.
Ram: But where is it now? You don't have it, do you?
Jack: No. Maybe it got under the bed?
(Ram rolls his eyes at him, but lies down on the ground anyway to peer under his bed. When he sits back up he shakes his head.)
Ram: Not there.
Jack: Was someone else in here?
Ram: Ruby and Ellie this morning...
Jack: But it was still here, when they left.
Ram: Ruby and Lottie where here when I got back from lu-...
(The two boys look at each other, realisation hitting them.)
Jack: You think?
Ram: The sneaky little thief!
(He jumps up and storms out of his room, closely followed by Jack.)
SCENE 24
(We're back in Liam's cell. He and Alice are lying on his mattress covered with a thin blanket. Her head rests on his chest as he absent-mindedly plays with her hair. Their clothes are strewn across the room. Camera zooms in on them, showing that Alice has her eyes closed and is apparently asleep, while Liam is wide awake, chewing on his bottom lip.)
Liam (whispers): Alice?
(There's no response. He stops playing with her hair and slowly frees himself of her without waking her up. He carefully places the blanket around her, before he gets up and quickly puts on his clothes. When he's done, he kneels in front of her, but she's still asleep.)
Liam (whispers): I'm sorry.
(He presses his lips lightly against her forehead, before sneaking out of the room. The corridor outside is empty. He turns his head from side to side and then decides to go right to the back entrance that is a lot closer. As soon as the door swings open, he starts to run.)
SCENE 25
(The camera moves down the corridor to the control room to show no one is inside. On one of the screens, we can see Liam running towards the inner city. Shouting is heard and the camera moves into the cafeteria, where the majority of the tribe has assembled. In the middle of them stand Ruby, Lottie, Ram and Jack. Ruby has a tight grip around Lottie's hand and shoves her behind her.)
Ruby (shouts): She did not steal your stupid camera part! What would she even want with it?
Ram: It's shiny! What do I know?!
Jack: Yea, but it's gone and who else here is a thief?
(Some of the older Mallrats look at KC for a second, who then steps up.)
KC: That's unfair! I'm sure Lottie knows how important that camera is.
Lottie: I didn't take it!
(Trudy slowly steps forward.)
Trudy: Well, a lot of things have gone missing lately.
Ruby: Like what?
Trudy: I've looked everywhere for Brady's crayons and I know some of Gel's stuff has gone missing, too.
Sammy: My cuffs are also gone.
Chester: You probably just can't find them.
Salene: One of my necklaces is gone as well. The one Pride gave me.
(Ruby looks down at Lottie, who is now nervously biting her lips and staring at Salene. Ruby sighs and bends down a little to be on the same height as Lottie.)
Ruby: Sweetie, did you take it?
Lottie: I didn't take Ram's stupid thingy!
(She shakes her head furiously.)
Ruby: And what about all the other stuff?
Lottie: No!
(She looks at the rest of the tribe warily and lets go of Ruby's hand.)
Ruby: So if we were to take a look in your room, we wouldn't find anything?
KC: You can't just go through her stuff!
Lex: Why not? That's what we used to do with you!
KC: Doesn't make it any better.
Ruby: Listen, I just want to help you. If you took the stuff, it's better you say it now.
(Tears start to form in Lottie's eyes as she looks at all the judgemental faces around her.)
Lottie: I didn't take Ram's thing.
(She pushes through the little crowd and runs for her room.)