ACT 3, SCENE 1 INT: SISTER’S HOME – AFTERNOON
LEIGH comes in through the front door rubbing her eyes.
From her POV, the FOYER fades in and out in opaque color.
SISTER NETTA pokes her head out of the living room with a broom in her hand. She is sweeping up the masks into a pile.
SISTER:
You made it. Omar said you didn’t want a ride. I figured it’d take you a lot longer to get back…if you were even coming back.
LEIGH:
Just because I’m here doesn’t mean you and I are family again.
SISTER:
I’m sorry for how I behaved last night. Everything’s alright now. I’m good again. If you need anything…
LEIGH:
I don’t need anything from anyone. Why are the lights blinking?
LEIGH winces in pain and grabs her face again.
SISTER:
Are you okay? I could make you tea.
LEIGH:
I’m fine.
SISTER:
I’m sorry about your friend.
LEIGH stops at the stairs.
LEIGH:
Not as sorry as they’re gonna be when I find them.
SISTER watches LEIGH walk away.
ACT 3, SCENE 2 INT: BEDROOM
LEIGH walks into her bedroom and closes the door. She stares at her eyes in the mirror. She rubs them until they are watery. When she turns around, she is confronted with SHAUNICE’S GHOST.
LEIGH can barely scream.
LEIGH:
Shaunice? Is that you?
SHAUNICE’S ghost begins to cry silently. Her voice can’t be heard.
LEIGH:
I can see you, but I can’t hear you. Are you real?
LEIGH goes to touch her, but her hand passes right down her wounds.
LEIGH:
Who hurt you?
SHAUNICE points at the diary that mysteriously falls to the floor and flips open. LEIGH follows and guesses that SHAUNICE wants her to read something. As she reads, SHAUNICE begins to speak as if on stage presenting SLAM POETRY
ANNOUNCER (V.O.):
Ladies and gentleman, Shaunice the Nurse.
SHAUNICE:
They teach that hands are for touching, holding, fondling, loving embraces. We have palms to hold and five fingers that count this little piggy went to the market. This little piggy stayed home. This little piggy went to church to please her Mama. And that same little piggy cried we-we-we all the way home.
“Hands are for touching, holding, fondling, loving embraces,” they teach me, but his hands don’t feel like that. His hands are as coarse as sandpaper cutting up and down my skin. And he, no better than a drug dealer peddling false hope, he cons me with rough hands. As his hands touch my body, I scream internally. My dignity diminishes. I am his again. I scream. I scream. And I cry We-we-we all the way home.
His hands, Mama. His hands aren’t for touching, holding, fondling, loving embraces. Listen to me, Mama. His hands.
I don’t want this man touching me. His hands don’t feel like God’s love. His hands make my stomach churn.
Get your hands off me! I don’t want your touch! Don’t hold me! Don’t fondle me in any of your loving embraces! No more! This little piggy is angry. This little piggy will bite. This little piggy will fight before she dies-dies-dies any more from your hands.
Pull out from SHAUNICE as tears run down her face.
LEIGH:
Shaunice, who did this to you? Who hurt you?
LEIGH eye’s glow and the world take on opaque colors. Words jump out at her. HANDS. CHURCH. MAN. GOD’S LOVE.
LEIGH:
Someone from church? A priest? Rev Joe Mac?
SHAUNICE screams silently in terror.
LEIGH:
Did he do this? What do you want me to do?
SHAUNICE continues to scream silently as the pipes behind the walls begin to moan.
CUT TO ACT 3, SCENE 3 INT: OFFICE – CONT’D
MELISSA DAY is at her desk surrounded by Styrofoam cups and snacks. Her phone rings. She hesitates to pick it up because she doesn’t know the number. She answers.
MELISSA DAY:
Omar if you’re calling me from another number, you’re sick and need help.
INTERCUT:
LEIGH:
No. It’s Leigh Suarez. Is this Melissa Day?
MELISSA:
This is her. Is this Leigh as in Marleigha?
LEIGH:
Yes.
MELISSA:
You’re the worst kind of famous right now. Your name’s been mentioned around all the crazy stuff that’s happening around here. Fair warning. Whatever happened with you at that dance will be in the shadow of the Mayor’s home invasion. Welcome to the club. Why are you calling me?
LEIGH:
I need your help. You’re a reporter right?
MELISSA:
Supposedly.
LEIGH:
You told me to get up and get in their face. Well I’m ready and I think I have a story.
MELISSA:
You think? Nobody reads exposes anymore, because nobody cares.
LEIGH:
No. I have a story. Her name was Shaunice. She was killed, because she was alone. People don’t know that she was a good person. They didn’t know that she would pick me up for school every morning just to make sure that I was safe. She enjoyed life and hanging with people because she was so scared to be alone. I won’t leave her alone now. She needs justice. There are still people out there who care about that, and they’ll do whatever it takes.
MELISSA is inspired.
MELISSA:
What do you have?
LEIGH:
It’s about Rev Joe Mac. I want to take him down for what he did.
MELISSA:
What did he do?
LEIGH:
He hurt Shaunice.
MELISSA gets serious.
MELISSA:
I bet she wasn’t the only one. What do you have on him?
LEIGH:
She wrote about it in her journal.
MELISSA:
That’s not strong enough. Lawyers will tear that apart. We need more.
LEIGH looks at herself in the mirror.
LEIGH:
I know.
LEIGH looks to SHAUNICE’S GHOST. She smiles before she fades away.
HARD CUT to ACT 3, SCENE 4 INT: HE IS RISEN CHURCH FRONT OFFICE – AFTERNOON
LEIGH is scantily clad in a revealing top and pants.
LEIGH:
I need to see the Reverend.
SECRETARY looks up from her book and her jaw drops.
CUT TO ACT 3, SCENE 5 INT: REV’S OFFICE – CONT’D
SECRETARY is at the office door about to leave.
SECRETARY:
You sure I can’t get you a sweater?
REV sitting at the edge of his desk. LEIGH is texting and barely looks up from her phone.
LEIGH:
I’m fine.
SECRETARY:
Reverend?
REV:
You heard the miss. The last thing I want to do in this church is impose on the youth.
SECRETARY:
Ok.
Office door closes.
REV:
Sorry about that Leigh.
LEIGH lowers her phone.
LEIGH:
It’s alright. I’m used to the stares. They all think I’m evil.
REV:
Noooo.
LEIGH:
I know they do. I live in a haunted house.
REV:
Those are just rumors.
LEIGH:
I deserve it though.
REV:
What do you mean?
LEIGH:
Everything bad happens to be, because I’m no good. I got my mom arrested. My friend dies, and I have another one in a coma.
REV:
I heard about that. I’m so sorry.
LEIGH:
But it’s because I’m bad.
REV:
No you’re not. God doesn’t think so. You are innocent in front of God. No more than a lamb.
LEIGH:
I’m not innocent though. I’m not a virgin.
REV:
Oh.
LEIGH:
I know it’s good to wait. They respect you. You understand each other, but I got impatient. He was beautiful. Some friend of a friend. I loved it when he touched me. It felt good. You know?
LEIGH leans forward and you can see down her top.
REV:
I understand.
LEIGH:
Everyone thinks I’m perfect, but I’m not. I love the touch and I love when the parts come together. You know? I think I’m addicted. Is it possible to be addicted? Can I be punished for it?
REV:
God doesn’t punish.
LEIGH:
It feels like I’m being *spanked* by God, but I deserve it.
REV:
Really?
LEIGH:
Can you help me? Maybe like you did Shaunice? She felt better every time she saw you.
REV:
Do you pray?
LEIGH:
I don’t know how.
REV:
Close your eyes and bow your head.
LEIGH follows orders. REV reaches out his hand and reaches for her head.
REV:
Just follow my lead.
LEIGH:
Don’t fucking touch me.
REV is scared.
LEIGH:
What were you gonna do? Put me under? I didn’t drink anything. You didn’t offer me something to drink. You didn’t spray me with holy water.
REV:
What are you talking about?
LEIGH:
Is it hypnosis? Magic? It’s in your hands somehow. How did you put her under?
REV:
Maybe you should leave. I’ll call Sister for you.
LEIGH:
I know you touched Shaunice. She didn’t want you to, but you forced her. She thought she was crazy, but you did, didn’t you? You had to keep her quiet. Why? Was she gonna speak up?
REV:
This is blasphemy, little girl.
REV tries to touch her again.
LEIGH:
Don’t touch me.
SECRETARY knocks at the door.
REV:
Go away. You heard nothing. Sit back down.
SECRETARY:
Ok.
LEIGH:
You’re a sick pervert.
REV:
You all like to say that, but I didn’t hurt any of them.
LEIGH:
So there was more than one.
REV freezes.
LEIGH:
You must make them all think they’re crazy.
REV:
Get over here, little bitch.
LEIGH raises her phone to her face.
LEIGH:
Smile. You’re on camera.
POV of the camera phone:
LEIGH:
Got it?
QUICK CUT TO ACT 3, SCENE 6 INT: OFFICE – CONT’D
MELISSA is on her phone.
MELISSA:
Got it.
MELISSA hits send on her email video attachment.
CUT BACK TO ACT 3, SCENE 5 CONT’D
MELISSA (V.O.) (speaker phone):
You prick.
REV:
What did you do?
LEIGH:
For Shaunice!
LEIGH runs out of the office. REV chases her and stops when his SECRETARY looks at him frightened. The Office is filled with other people waiting to see him.
REV:
Get away from me. All of you! Get away!
The office empties quickly.
ACT 3, SCENE 7 INT: AMED HOUSE – LATE AFTERNOON
AMED gets into the house. He calls for LINDA. She doesn’t answer. He sees the light turn on in the kitchen. He goes to it. LINDA is sitting at the kitchen table.
AMED steps in water.
AMED:
Hey, I think you missed a spot?
LINDA:
Sorry.
LINDA gets back on the ground to clean it up.
LINDA:
I totally forgot about it.
AMED:
It’s alright. Get up. I want to talk.
LINDA:
What about the food?
STOVE boiling pot. AMED shuts it off and is about to pick up the lid.
AMED:
What is it?
LINDA pulls him back to the table.
LINDA:
You wanted to talk to me?
AMED:
Yea. I did something today I’m not proud of.
LINDA:
What did you do?
AMED:
I want you to believe everything I’m about to say no matter how crazy it sounds.
LINDA:
I’m here for you. What is it? You’re shaking.
AMED:
I’m part of a group. With my brother, Sister Netta, and Rev Mac. We’ve been making a way for justice; making Astro City better by getting rid of certain people.
LINDA:
What do you mean by getting rid of certain people?
AMED:
We’ve killed people. Some teenager. Then Leigh’s mother.
LINDA:
That’s crazy. You sound crazy.
AMED:
It’s the truth Linda. I can’t live like this anymore. I can’t keep lying to you. That’s not how I wanted us to be. I didn’t want to turn out like my mother. So much so I didn’t want a kid.
LINDA:
Stop talking Mohamed. I don’t want you to get in trouble.
AMED:
I gotta tell you the truth.
LINDA:
Please stop.
AMED:
So stop me, please. Tell the police. Lock me up. Just don’t be mad at me.
LINDA:
Amed…
AMED:
There’s something else. I have a son. I didn’t want anything to do with him. I wanted him away from me, because of this. I’m bad.
LINDA:
Amed…
AMED:
That’s why I didn’t want kids. That’s why I got so mad with you. I’m evil. I’ve killed people.
LINDA:
Why did you have to believe all those lies you made up in your head?
AMED:
I’m sorry.
LINDA:
You’re not a kid anymore Amed. Let it go. (BEAT) I wish you never went out there.
AMED:
I had to.
LINDA:
We could’ve been happier for just a while longer.
AMED:
I’m sorry.
LINDA:
But now you’re awake.
SCENE changes dramatically. LINDA disappears from where she is standing, but she is now on the floor in a pool of water spilt from the turned over pot. LINDA is dead. Her neck is bruised and broken.
AMED is shocked.
CLOSE UP OF LINDA’S BLUE FACE
LINDA (V.O.):
I love you.
AMED opens his mouth to scream, but cut to black.
End of ACT 3