Credits

(Shannen is sitting at a table in her house. She has a bowl of cereal in front of her and she is holding the spoon and watching a small bird outside absentmindedly. The bird is flying close to the open window, and it turns and flies inside. Shannen gets up as the bird flies close to her, then to a closed window. The bird crashes against the glass and falls to the ground. Shannen runs to the bird.)

Shannen – (worried) Oh! Little bird, wake up! Please!

(Shannen bends down and picks up the bird carefully. She opens the door and steps outside. Suddenly, a faint murmur is heard. Shannen puts her free hand over her ear and looks around confused. The murmur grows louder. The bird wakes up and struggles in Shannen's hand. Shannen lets go and the bird flies off. The murmur abruptly stops. Shannen looks at the bird and lowers her hand. She shrugs and goes back into the house. Scene changes)

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(Shannen and Cleo are sitting in a classroom. Cleo is in the desk in front of Shannen. The teacher is explaining something on the board. Shannen is taking notes with her pencil when the tip breaks off. Shannen sighs. She pokes Cleo in the back. Suddenly Cleo's voice is heard.)

Cleo's voice – Just ten more minutes, just ten… Oh! Shannen has poked me. I wonder what she wants?

Cleo – (turning around) Yes?

(Shannen is looking around, very confused.)

Cleo – (louder) Yes?

Shannen – (looking back at Cleo, startled. Remembering) Oh! Right! Could you lend me a pencil?

Cleo – Sure.

(Cleo hands over a pencil. The teacher looks over at the two girls.)

Teacher – (annoyed) Excuse me, I am trying to give a class here!

Shannen – (shyly) I'm sorry.

Teacher – Well, don't let it happen again!

(The teacher turns back to the board and draws something. Shannen looks at her hand, then looks back at Cleo. Scene changes)

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(Emma, Cleo, Ricki and Shannen are sitting on the grass near the school. Shannen is entertaining herself making small white flowers grow between the grass stems. Cleo and Ricki are talking about their day while Emma watches the flowers grow.)

Ricki – I still don't understand why teachers feel that the only way to learn is by giving us tests! Couldn't they just skip those?

Cleo – I think it's against the law or something.

Ricki – Oh, too bad. Well, I can dream, can't I?

Emma – (still watching the flowers) Teacher have to give tests in order to know how much we have advanced in each class.

Ricki – I still think they're just a waste of time.

(Cleo and Ricki move on to other subjects. Shannen is now adding small thorns to the flowers.)

Emma – (confused) Why are you giving them thorns?

Shannen – Because they're so small, so easy to miss. They need a way to protect themselves, don't they?

Emma – (looking thoughtfully at Shannen) Yes, I guess so.

(Shannen is quiet for a minute.)

Shannen – (still looking at the grass) Lewis is coming.

Cleo – How do you know?

Shannen – (looking at Cleo) The grass can feel him. He's stepping on it.

Cleo – (uncomfortably) Oh, I should have thought of that.

(Lewis walks up behind Cleo.)

Lewis – Hey.

Cleo – Hi, Lewis!

(Lewis walks around Cleo and starts to sit by Shannen, in the small patch of white flowers.)

Emma – Um, Lewis? I don't think you should sit there.

Lewis – (confused) Why?

(Lewis sits and yelps as the small thorns in the flowers poke him. He stands up quickly, looking at Shannen. Everyone except Lewis laughs.)

Lewis – (slightly accusing) You did that on purpose!

Shannen – No, I really didn't.

(Everyone laughs as Lewis moves and sits in another spot, embarrassed. The laughter dies after a while.)

Cleo – (getting up) We should get going.

Lewis – But I just sat down!

Shannen – Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to Lewis for a second.

(Cleo looks curiously at Shannen, then shrugs. Emma and Ricki look at each other and get up. The three girls walk away.)

Lewis – (curiously) What do you want to talk about?

Shannen – (uncomfortably) Lewis, do you think it's possible for someone to read minds?

Lewis – (laughs, then looks at Shannen) What? You're serious?

(Shannen nods solemnly.)

Lewis – Well, some people say they can read minds, but it's all lies. It's physically impossible for someone to know what another person is thinking. Of course, they can come pretty close, by body language and stuff like that.

Shannen – It's also physically impossible for a person to become a mermaid, or for someone to be able to control plants with their minds!

Lewis – Um, Shannen? Do you want to tell me something?

Shannen – (looking down) I think I can read minds, Lewis.

(Lewis looks very surprised for a second, then his face becomes thoughtful.)

Lewis – Are you sure?

(Shannen nods.)

Lewis – Can you prove it?

Shannen – Just think about something and give me your hand.

Lewis – (confused) My hand?

Shannen – Yes.

(Lewis concentrates on something and holds out his hand. Shannen slowly touches his hand with one finger. Lewis's voice is heard.)

Lewis's Voice – This is insane, no one can read minds. Wait! You're supposed to be thinking about something. Think! I have a blue backpack, I have a blue backpack… I feel so stupid doing this. Stop thinking about how you feel and think about the backpack! I have a blue backpack…

(Shannen slowly stops touching Lewis's hand. Lewis looks at Shannen and lowers his hand.)

Lewis – Well? What was I thinking?

Shannen – (teasingly) Well, you definitely have some serious concentration issues; maybe you might want to get some help on that.

Lewis – No, seriously. What was I thinking?

Shannen – You thought about your having a blue backpack, but your thought on how the exercise was so stupid kept intruding.

(Lewis looks completely amazed.)

Lewis – But… but, how could you have known?

Shannen – You know how you're always talking about power advancement? I think this is another of mine.

Lewis – But plants and people are too different! You can't have just gotten a new power out of the blue! They have to be related somehow!

Shannen – Yeah, I know. I thought about that and came to one conclusion.

Lewis – Which is?

Shannen – Well, technically, you could say I was reading the plants' minds before, so now I can also read animals' and humans' minds.

Lewis – Wait! Animals too?

Shannen – Well, I think so. I touched a bird this morning, and I think I read it's mind. I was too confused to think too much about it, though, so I didn't.

Lewis – But how did you find out you can read people's minds?

Shannen – I read Cleo's, accidentally of course.

Lewis – Oh.

(Scene changes)

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(Lewis, Cleo, Emma, Ricki and Shannen are in Cleo's room. Lewis and Cleo are sitting together on the bed, Ricki is sprawled next to them. Emma is standing close by, and they're all looking at Shannen, who is talking.)

Shannen – So, that's it.

Ricki – Wow! So you can read minds now?

Shannen – I guess.

Ricki – That is so cool! You can find out everyone's secrets and everything.

(Shannen looks uncomfortable.)

Emma – Ricki! That would be a total invasion of privacy!

Ricki – Aww, just to have a little fun!

(Emma looks at Ricki seriously. Ricki stops talking and turns back to Shannen.)

Cleo – So you have to touch people to read their minds?

Shannen – Yeah.

Cleo – So when you poked me today, and when I turned around, that's why you were all confused?

Shannen – Yeah.

Emma – So you can read people's minds.

Lewis – And animals.

Cleo – (interested) Really?

Shannen – Maybe not. I thought I might have this morning, but I'm not so sure. It was all so fast and-

Cleo – (interrupting) I think I know how we can find out.

Lewis – How?

Cleo – Well, there's this dolphin over at the amusement park. He hasn't been eating much and he doesn't feel so well. I think maybe Shannen can help us, since now she could be some sort of animal-whisperer.

Shannen – I'm not an animal-whisperer! I mean, I don't think so.

Ricki – No, you're just a plant-whisperer. If you ever decide to pursue a career in biology you're all set.

Emma – Or psychiatry. Could you imagine what you could find out with you powers?

Ricki – I thought that was invasion of privacy, Emma.

(Emma turns to answer Ricki, but Lewis interrupts.)

Lewis – Let's just go and see this dolphin.

(Ricki sits up as Lewis and Cleo stand. Scene changes)

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(Emma, Cleo, Ricki, Lewis and Shannen are at the Water-Park. Cleo is opening a gate leading to the dolphin pool. She opens it and beckons everyone through.)

Cleo – Come on!

(They enter. Scene changes)

(Emma, Ricki, Lewis and Shannen are standing on the edge of the dolphin pool. Cleo is kneeling by the water with a large bucket of fish.)

Cleo – I've got some fish for you!

(A dolphin swims through the water to Cleo. He creaks. Cleo smiles and tosses him a fish. The dolphin ignores the fish and swims a bit away. Cleo's smile disappears, and she looks upset.)

Cleo – Don't you want some fish?

(Cleo turns, disappointed, and looks at Shannen meaningfully. Shannen nods and kneels next to Cleo.)

Shannen – How do I get him to come close enough to touch?

Cleo – If he's curious enough, he'll come by himself.

(Everyone is quiet as they wait for the dolphin to come back. The dolphin, a few feet away from the edge, curiously begins to swim closer. Shannen slowly reaches out as the dolphin approaches. The dolphin stops close to the edge. Shannen lowers her hand until it is just a few centimeters above the dolphin. The dolphin swims a little higher and gently bumps Shannen's hand with his head. Shannen gasps as a murmuring is heard, along with pops, whistles and creaks. Images appear: a boy is standing on a bridge holding something in his hand, the thing falls into the water, the camera (which is the dolphin's point of view) approaches it, a dolphin's jaw is seen grabbing the thing. Shannen lifts her hand and the images stop. She sighs and falls onto the edge.)

Cleo – Shannen! Shannen! Are you all right?

Shannen – Yeah, it's just tiring, I don't know why.

(A pop and whistling is heard as the dolphin swims a bit away and does a somersault. Cleo, surprised, tosses another fish to the dolphin. Everyone smiles as the dolphin eats the fish this time, then opens his mouth as if to ask for more.)

Cleo – (wonderingly) He's all right now.

(Cleo feeds him the rest of the fish as Lewis slowly helps Shannen up, looking thoughtful. Scene changes)

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(Lewis, Emma, Cleo, Ricki and Shannen are all in Cleo's living room, sitting on the couches. They're talking about what just happened.)

Cleo – You helped him! I'm so proud of you, Shannen!

(Cleo hugs Shannen gratefully, Shannen looks slightly uncomfortable.)

Emma – What I don't understand is why Shannen felt so tired after.

Lewis – Well, I've been thinking about that all the way here.

Ricki – And?

Lewis – Well, I think that when Shannen touches or senses things, she actually zones in to their energy.

Cleo – Um, what?

Lewis – It's fairly simple. When Shannen touches beings, their energies combine, which is why she can feel plants' feelings and read minds. But that also means that when Shannen grows plants and things, she can use the plant's energy, or her own.

Shannen – Huh?

Lewis – Usually you use the plant's stored energy, which is why you don't feel so tired after growing them. A plant barely moves, it has massive stores of energy, enough for you to tap in and make them grow. But when you touched that dolphin today, he was too tired for you to use his energy to heal him, so you used your own.

Ricki – In other words, stay away from sick people, Shannen.

Emma – Wow, you would be a fantastic doctor!

Shannen – Would you stop saying stuff like that?

Emma – Ok.

Shannen – So, what should I do?

Lewis – Nothing, just try not to touch people so much, and you'll be fine.

Ricki – But think of all the things she could learn!

Emma – I think that would enter the category of invasion of privacy.

Ricki – Is that all you think about, Emma? Do you have a secret of your own?

Emma – No! I don't!

Ricki – Well, go on, tell us!

Emma – I do not have a secret!

Ricki – Then why are you so serious about privacy?

Emma – I'm not!

(Emma and Ricki continue bickering as the camera turns to Shannen, who is sitting next to Cleo. Cleo's arm brushes against Shannen, and another murmuring is heard. Shannen's face turns to concentration, and the murmuring dies. Shannen smiles and the scene fades)

End Credits