OPEN SCENE - outside of a Large dark house
House is two floors with dark wood siding. A man’s loud and a woman’s sobbing inside the house can be heard.
FATHER
(shouting)
You’re not going anywhere tonight young lady. Did you hear me Tessa? Are you listening to me?
CUT TO -
The interior of the house, a dirty dining-room table with a tried older looking woman sitting at it crying. A tall burly man is standing in front of her.
MOTHER
Oh really, please just let her go out. It’s Friday night, she just wants to go out with friends and it’s really not a big deal and-
FATHER
(cuts in)
You shut your mouth. She’s not going anywhere tonight.
TESSA
For god sakes, do I even get a say in any of this? I just want to go out for the evening, I’ll even be back by eleven and I can do all my chores and homework tomorrow.
FATHER
Nope. You’re not going out tonight anywhere. No more arguing with me.
TESSA
You know what, forget it.
She gets up and crosses the room to the door, and exits. The father gets up and follows her to the door.
FATHER
(shouting)
Where the hell do you think you are going?
TESSA
(shouting back)
For a bike ride. I’ll be back in a bit.
Ext. Road - Day
Wide angle shot of a dirt road surrounded by trees. Tessa pulls into the shot on her bike riding toward the camera as it pans in on her.
CUT TO -
Shot alongside her riding the bike, then pans around in front of her. She has a very determined look, her hair is caught in the wind.
CUT TO -
Shot from the side of the road that follows her as she quickly passes. Only birds, bugs, and the sound of bike wheels can be heard.
TESSA
(shouting)
I AM SO DONE WITH ALL THIS!
CAMERA - Pans out quickly
Bike hits a rock and swerves off the road, Tessa is thrown from the bike off the side of the road. Cut shot as if from her point of view tumbling off the side of the road into the embankment. Camera above her, her head hits a rock. Screen goes black.
SCENE - road - dusk
Wide view of the road, bike and Tessa (her head bleeding) can be seen. Lots of white noise; bugs buzzing, birds, bushes rustling. Camera moves toward her body, noise volume increasing as the camera pans in closer.
CUT TO -
Shot of just her face; her eyes closed and hair matted with blood. The noise volume is unbearably loud. Her eyes open and sound cuts out.
SHOT -
Now from her point of view. The sky is bright and everything has a soft glow to it. View moves to the bike and then up to the road. A boy dressed all in white is standing in front of her.
TESSA
(gasps)
BOY
(smiles)
Hello.
SHOT -
Wide angle including Tessa and the boy. He offers his hand to pull her up and out of the ditch back to the road.
BOY
How do you feel?
Tessa touches her head, the blood is gone.
TESSA
Uh, fine actually.
BOY
Well come with me then.
The scenery changes and they are still standing by the side of the road, but they are now surrounded by a dense jungle. The boy takes her hand and begins to lead her forward down the road (away from the bike). The scenery continues to change; from the jungle to a beach, to a busy city, to a field with a white house on a hill surrounded by gardens.
TESSA
(pointing to the house)
That’s the first house we lived in. I planted those tulips with my mom.
The boy nods, but remains silent and continues to lead her down the road. Camera follows them from behind, they are both completely in shot. The scenery changes again; to a house-lined suburbia, to a large red barn, to a cow-filled pasture.
TESSA
What is this place? All these places seem so familiar? Where are we exactly? And who are you?
BOY
We are wherever you want to be, and I am whomever you want to call me.
She stops walking and looks around at the cows. The camera is behind her, focused on the cows, her head obscuring part of the camera’s view.
TESSA
Are they real?
BOY
As real as you.
She walks off the road to the right towards the fence of the cow pasture. The camera follows her. The wind picks up a little and blows her hair around her face.
TESSA
(calling back to the road)
It even smells real!
CUT TO -
Camera on the other side of the fence showing her looking at the cows. Her nose crinkles. She turns and walks back towards the road and her and the boy continue walking until they are out of shot.
CUT TO -
Camera in front of them. The scenery changes; a parking lot, then a schoolhouse, then a football field, a shopping center, a yellow house with bunnies in the yard, a lake surrounded by mountains. Camera moves around behind them and follows them as the walk. Her bike can be seen in the road ahead.
TESSA
That’s my bike!
BOY
(nods)
Camera follows them, a body can be seen off the side of the road in the embankment. Tessa’s pace picks up.
TESSA
(panicky)
Is that me?
The boy nods but grabs her arm to keep her from moving forward.
BOY
You have a choice. You can stay here (the arm not holding her extends to the scene around him) or you can go home. It’s your choice. You can go home to your mother and father and to your life, or you can stay in this world that you can create and change. You have a choice Tessa, but once you make that decision, that is where you will stay.
TESSA
But what is this place really?
BOY
I think you know.
She turns to look at the body. The scenery changes rapidly at a blurred pace.
BOY
This place is your for the making. You will never have another worry again.
CUT TO -
Shot of Tess’s face (the boy seen behind her); she looks deep in thought.
TESSA
So I could stay here and do whatever I wanted, or I could just go home?
The boy nods and walks out of shot. The Camera begins to spin around Tessa. The scenery changes to a playground filled with children, a sandbox is closest to Tessa. She walks to it (the camera follows her) squats down and runs her fingers through the sand and picks up a handful. The scenery changes to a beach with ocean waves rolling toward her, she drops the sand. The scenery changes to the old house shown at the beginning, voices can be heard inside.
TESSA
(whispering)
Home.
The scenery changes to a dark forest.
CUT TO - wide angle
Tessa, the boy, the body, and the bike are all in the shot.
TESSA
(crying)
I want to go home.
The boy gestures to the bike. Tessa walks forward to pick it up the camera spins slowly around her as she approaches and goes to black when she touches the bike.
SCENE -
Loud voices are heard as black fades into a white ceiling.
CUT TO -
Birds eye view of Tessa on a stretcher being pushed quickly by several nurses down a hall. Her head is bleeding and she is covered in cuts and bruises.
CUT TO -
View of ceiling, then fade into black.
SCENE -
Screen is black, voices fade into audibility.
MOTHER
(weeping)
Oh god Tessa, oh god, oh god.
FATHER
Leave the room and pull yourself together, Tess isn’t going to want to wake up to that.
Movement can be heard, footsteps and then a door closing. There is crying in the room now.
FATHER
(whispering and crying)
Goddammit Tess.
Tessa? Tess girl? Can you hear me? I’m so sorry for everything Tessa. I messed up, and I know it.
CUT TO -
View above Tessa in hospital bed, her father sitting next to her holding her hand. Her head is bandaged, her eyes are closed. She smiles and then opens her mouth a bit.
FATHER
Tess? Tessa what is it?
Camera pans slowly in on her face.
TESSA
(whispering)
Home.
Screen cuts to black.
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