(The girls' bathroom. ELIZABETH is looking in the mirror, adjusting her make-up, and VERITY is waiting for her to finish. DINA enters. The set-up resembles a scene from early in the show.)
DINA (sarcastically bright): Hey there, Elizabeth. (in an aside) Hi Verity.
(ELIZABETH looks down slightly and frowns. She composes herself, then turns round to face DINA, an awkward smile on her face.)
ELIZABETH (polite, but slightly exasperated): Hello again.
DINA: Err… hello.
ELIZABETH: Something I can do for you?
DINA (determined): Yes, Elizabeth, listen to me. You can drop this ridiculous act. I don't know how you've done it, but it seems like you've got everyone fooled, even Toby. Or should I say especially Toby.
(ELIZABETH's eyes narrow and she folds her arms, all the time not taking her eyes off DINA)
DINA: Although some sort of congratulations are in order, because you've obviously reached new heights in order to engineer all this.
(ELIZABETH smirks)
ELIZABETH (drily): You're wrong about me, Dina. But thanks for the compliment. I'm sort of touched that you hold my abilities in such high esteem.
DINA: Esteem is not the word I would use.
ELIZABETH (more determined): I suppose it wouldn't be beyond my powers to do what you say I'm doing, although off-hand I don't know exactly how I would. But what you don't seem to get is that I have no motive. If I hurt Toby, I hurt myself. Without Toby, I lose everything. You don't believe that I have Toby's best interests at heart, but surely you believe that I care about my own self-interest.
DINA (in a low voice, closer to ELIZABETH): As for Toby's best interests, you've always claimed to know what he wants, but really it's all about what you want him to be. You're a total control freak, admit it.
ELIZABETH (more earnest): In the past that was true. And he was right to be angry with me and fight against me. But now he knows I'm genuine. (coolly) Go and ask him.
DINA: I don't think that conversation would be very productive right now.
ELIZABETH (scowling): Because you can't bear to hear him tell you how good we are to each other. (pauses, then continues in a low voice) Dina, believe me, I know all about jealousy. And anger… And hatred… And refusing to face facts. It's very bad for the soul.
DINA: Oh, you have one of those do you?
(ELIZABETH looks at the ground, breathes deeply, then looks back at DINA, a cold look on her face)
ELIZABETH (quiet, but menacing): You know, there's nothing stopping me from going back to how I was before. I even came up with a device that would force me to behave. I asked Toby to use it on me, but he wouldn't, because he trusts me. And I intend to keep it that way. So I keep myself in line. Reign in my instincts, which are still there, just below the surface, trying to get out. But I won't let them. I want to be a good person. (pauses) But if I'm attacked, I will have to fight back. Do you understand me, Dina?
DINA (intimidated, but somehow satisfied): I knew you hadn't really changed. Now all I have to do is to find out what it is exactly that you're doing and expose you. When I'm done with you, Toby won't even want to wipe his shoes on you.
(DINA turns to leave. ELIZABETH leans back against the wash basins behind her, seemingly drained by the encounter)
ELIZABETH (calling after her): You're not listening to me, Dina! You can't expose me because I haven't done anything! Now who thinks they know what's best for Toby? Be careful, Dina.
(The bathroom door slams shut)
VERITY (shocked): What did you just do?
ELIZABETH: What? I told her the truth.
VERITY: Why did you threaten her?
ELIZABETH: I didn't. It was a statement of fact. She's going to try and break up me and Toby. I can't let her do that. Nobody in my position would.
VERITY: Yeah ok, but don't you think she's going to go straight to Toby and tell him that you threatened her, that you told her how any minute you could go back to being mean?
ELIZABETH: Toby knows that already. (daydreaming) He knows everything about me.
VERITY: Was that true that you invented some device to control you?
ELIZABETH: Yes. Over the holiday. And I did offer it to Toby. (smiles) But he found a better way to make sure I behave myself.
VERITY: Ok, but shouldn't you speak to Toby about this or something?
ELIZABETH (snapping out of reverie): Yes. You're right. I'd better go.
(ELIZABETH rushes out of the bathroom).
(DINA hurriedly crossing the school grounds, RAUL is coming towards her from the car park.)
RAUL: Hey Dina!
DINA (flustered): What are you doing here?
RAUL: Just surprising you, if that's ok.
DINA: Of course it's ok!
RAUL (concerned): You all right? You seem a bit upset.
DINA: I am to be honest.
RAUL: First day back not quite what you expected?
DINA: I should say! It's like I've woken up in a nightmare!
RAUL: What happened?
DINA: Well, what would you do if all of a sudden the most despicable girl in school has not only convinced all your friends that she's really a nice person after all, but also she's dating your best friend?
RAUL (slightly amused, but hiding it): Sounds quite disturbing.
DINA: It is disturbing!
RAUL: And you think she's got everyone fooled.
DINA: I know she has. I just tried to have it out with her.
RAUL: And?
DINA: She was really tricky. Saying nothing to incriminate herself, but at the same time making all these veiled threats that I shouldn't provoke her.
RAUL: And what are you going to do?
DINA: Find a way of exposing her. Or of making her expose herself.
RAUL: I'm guessing that this person is kind of dangerous.
DINA: Very dangerous. Nearly homicidally dangerous.
RAUL (smiling to himself): That bad?
DINA (noticing his smile): Seriously. If I told you some of the things she tried to do to me, to all of us. She's a complete sociopath.
RAUL (serious): In that case, she's going to take some working on.
DINA: Tell me about it. And the worst part is that I have no allies. It's like she's got everyone believing her.
RAUL: I could be your ally.
DINA: Could you?
RAUL: Sure. (serious) I take it when you said she's dating your best friend, you meant Toby.
DINA (worried that she might have hurt his feelings): Uh… Yeah.
RAUL: Don't look like that. I don't mind. I'm just trying to understand the bigger picture. So why would this girl – what did you say her name was?
DINA: Elizabeth.
RAUL: Right. So this Elizabeth, why is she so interested in Toby? Surely they're a complete mismatch?
DINA: Oh she's always been completely obsessed with him. They have this connection.
RAUL (interested): Connection? What do you mean?
DINA (hesitant): Err… It's hard to explain. It's like in some ways they're on the same… wavelength, only Toby is good and she's bad.
RAUL (doubtful): I see.
DINA: Anyway, the point is that she's really twisted and devious. And powerful.
RAUL: Powerful?
DINA: Yeah.
RAUL: Sounds like this is going to take some thought and planning.
DINA: Well, I was just on my way to speak to Toby actually.
RAUL: I wouldn't do that right now.
DINA: Why not?
RAUL: You'd be showing your hand too soon. You've already shown it to Elizabeth. She'll be strengthening her defences already.
DINA (starting to leave): Well, then shouldn't I…?
(He catches her arm)
RAUL: We'll need to work on this from another angle. Stealth is what we need.
DINA: Ok. (She glances at her watch) I'm late for class. I'd better go.
RAUL: We'll talk about this tonight. You're still coming over, right?
DINA (smiling): Sure.
RAUL: One more thing: would you mind if I spoke to Eva about this? I know that she had some experience of sick, devious girls when she was at school.
DINA: Ok, that'd be great. (She kisses him and runs away into the school).
(ELIZABETH crossing another part of the school grounds. A red-headed young woman coming in the other direction brushes past her.)
ELIZABETH (obviously stressed): Hey watch where you're going!
WOMAN (conciliatory): Sorry. That was my fault.
ELIZABETH (somewhat placated): Err.. ok. Forget about it.
(The WOMAN leaves and ELIZABETH continues across the grounds, nearing the car park. She sees TOBY and waves to him)
ELIZABETH: Toby!
(TOBY stops, waves back and waits for ELIZABETH to catch him up. She comes up to him and wraps her arms around his neck, a worried expression on her face.)
TOBY (concerned): Hey! You ok?
ELIZABETH: Sorry. Yes, I'm fine. (lays her head on his shoulder) Mind if I just stay here for a moment?
TOBY (ruffling her hair): Sure. So what's wrong?
ELIZABETH (lifting her head and composing herself): I just spoke to Dina.
TOBY: Ah.
ELIZABETH (upset): She doesn't believe me. She thinks this is all an act.
TOBY: Well, we always knew that Dina would be the hardest person to convince.
ELIZABETH: I know she has no reason to trust me. And I know I'm the only one to blame for that. It's just a bit dispiriting, you know? Just when I was starting to feel that your friends were starting to like me, now I have to start all over again.
TOBY: No, it's not that bad. I know for a fact that Sasha and Russ have warmed up to you. Sasha's a pretty perceptive person and Russ… Well I know he's a big fan of your cookies.
ELIZABETH (smiles): Yeah, I noticed. (serious again). But now Dina's going to try and convince them that I'm lying. (pauses) She's going to try and convince you that I'm lying.
TOBY (strokes her cheek): Maybe, but I know that you're not.
(ELIZABETH smiles and plants a little kiss on him)
ELIZABETH: Thing is, she wasn't very nice, and I was feeling a bit provoked, so I told her everything.
TOBY: What do you mean 'everything'?
ELIZABETH: I told her how hard it is for me not to give in to my instincts and how it would be better if she didn't try to provoke me too much.
TOBY (worried): That kind of sounds like you threatened her.
ELIZABETH: Well, put it this way: say you met a recovering alcoholic. You wouldn't just go and buy them a drink, would you?
TOBY: I see your point, but I'm not sure it was a good idea. What you're saying is that you're going to fight her.
ELIZABETH: I would be fighting for you, Toby. But it would be a last resort. It needn't come to actual fighting. Anyway, Dina shouldn't have taken what I said as a threat. If anything it was an admission of weakness.
TOBY (thinking out loud): Yeah. You showed her exactly what she needs to do to get at you. You really have changed. The old Elizabeth would never have done that.
ELIZABETH (pensive): Yes, I suppose that's true.
TOBY: I should speak to her, stop this before it gets out of hand.
ELIZABETH (holding onto him more tightly): Toby, I don't want you to argue with Dina. I don't want to come between you and your friends. You couldn't be happy with the kind of girl who does that.
(TOBY smiles at her.)
ELIZABETH: I have to think of a way of making Dina see that I'm genuine.
(She suddenly hyperfunctions)
ELIZABETH (looking up and smiling): Got it!
TOBY: You thought of a way to convince her?
ELIZABETH: Yes. (with sudden enthusiasm) Isn't it great that I'm starting to have ideas that are about being nice to people?!
TOBY (smiling): Yeah. It is.
ELIZABETH: I have to get working. Get Dina and ask her to come to my lab.
TOBY: Uh… I don't think she's going to accept an invitation to come to your lab.
ELIZABETH: No, of course not. You have to come with her.
TOBY: Ok, but are you sure your plan's going to work?
ELIZABETH (more serious): Honestly I don't know. But I have to try.
(She kisses him, then leaves)
(The school car park. We see the WOMAN who bumped into Elizabeth reappear and get into the passenger seat of RAUL's car. RAUL is at the wheel. He is watching TOBY in the wing mirror.)
EVA: Worked, did it?
(Turning to look at her)
RAUL: Yeah. Very interesting. (points to electronic device in the open glove compartment) Got the whole thing recorded. They're a lovely couple, I have to admit.
EVA: Is that right? Pity to break them up then?
RAUL: Oh no. Things could get really messy. And I've got every hope that they will.
EVA (smiles): So you think he's the other genius?
RAUL: Oh yeah. Dina told me that Toby and Elizabeth have a 'connection'. Only he's good and she's bad.
EVA: Hang on, is Elizabeth bad or good at the moment?
RAUL: I think she's genuinely trying to be good. Either that or she's acting out of her skin. Meaning she's so twisted that she'll be hard to control. But Toby here's right: she just made a huge mistake telling Dina that the slightest provocation could turn her bad again.
EVA: Unless that's part of her plan: to discredit Dina by making her go on the offensive.
RAUL: I don't know. If she's that smart she should be running rings around this lot.
EVA (looking at TOBY as he walks away back towards the school): Which would make the other genius even smarter.
RAUL: Doesn't look like much of a threat, does he?
EVA: Not really. I suppose in an ideal world, if he's the bigger genius, we should be trying to get him.
RAUL: Yeah, but we don't live in an ideal world. Not yet. (pauses) No, Elizabeth is genius enough for us and she's going to be much easier to corrupt. She's said it herself: her new-found conscience is hanging by a thread. Get Toby away from her and we'll have someone who fits in with us very nicely.
(EVA smiles and runs her hand along RAUL's leg suggestively. He reaches out his hand and stops her.)
RAUL: Not now. Maybe later. (smiles) When all the children have gone to bed. (Remembers something) Oh, more good news: Elizabeth is planning to invite Dina into her lab. She's there right now working on some invention that's going make Dina 'see that she's genuine'.
EVA: Excellent. Did you prepare Dina already?
RAUL: Yeah. That was forward planning, eh? Fitted the camera this morning.
EVA: Elizabeth must have security in place. She might find it when Dina goes into her lab.
RAUL: Maybe. But we win either way. First of all, I reckon that's Elizabeth's complacent, so she may well have allowed her security to lapse. In which case, we'll be able to have a good look around her place. If, on the other hand, her security detects the hidden camera, guess who she's most likely to suspect?
EVA (smiling): Toby.
RAUL: Exactly. (starts up the car). So staying out of sight is our strongest weapon for the time being.
(They drive off)