by Ben Musgrave
VINCENT enters.
Alright, Vince!
VINCENT
I’m good, yeah.
PETER
You look perky!
VINCENT
Oh my goodness I had a night.
PETER
Did you?
VINCENT
It’s on, Derek.
DEREK
Yeah?
VINCENT
It’s on.
Pause.
We came back here.
PETER
Yeah?
VINCENT
It keeps coming back to me.
PETER
You see it through, boy?
VINCENT
Next time.
PETER
How far did you go?
VINCENT
She wants to take things slow.
PETER
Does she? That’s interesting.
VINCENT
She’s not any old slut, but I’ll get in there, make no mistake.
PETER
You’re going to sink yourself in?
VINCENT
(Savouring a memory.) Oh my god.
PETER
You’ve arranged another date?
VINCENT
She’s coming here.
PETER
When?
VINCENT
I think I might love her, you know?
PETER
What do think, Derek?
Shall we tell him?
VINCENT
What?
PETER
Shall we tell him, Del?
VINCENT
Tell me what?
DEREK
There’s nothing to tell.
PETER
Go on.
DEREK
It’s nothing.
VINCENT
Derek, what is it?
Pause.
PETER
(To DEREK.) You’re a good kid, trying to protect her, but you can’t keep your secret any more.
Cos now she’s putting Vince at risk.
VINCENT
What is it?
PETER
Tell him, Derek.
VINCENT
Tell me what?
PETER
This is life or death.
Tell him what’s in your heart.
VINCENT
I know what’s in his heart.
I know he fancies her.
But he can’t have her.
Cos she thinks you’re really weird, Derek.
She thinks you’re a creep.
We were laughing about you.
The things she was doing I know she wants it!
Do you know what we’re going to do?
DEREK
You can’t.
VINCENT
No?
DEREK
You can’t.
PETER
Why not?
VINCENT
Why can’t I?
DEREK
You can’t.
PETER
Good lad.
VINCENT
Why?
PETER
Tell him.
DEREK
I saw her take a shot.
VINCENT
What do you mean?
Pause.
PETER
Good boy.
DEREK
She’s one of them.
Pause. He is suddenly full of disgust.
She’s got it.
There’s a mark on her.
This horrible mark.
PETER
(To DEREK.) You’ll be rewarded for this.
VINCENT
(Still coming to terms.) She’s…
PETER
She’s done you for a mug, Vincent, this is classic, this is, this is a classic trick.
So tell us what you did and maybe it’s not too late.
Pause. LYDIA arrives. The males don’t say anything.
LYDIA
Hi.
Pause. They stare at her.
What’s wrong?
Pause.
DEREK
Oh god.
LYDIA
What?
VINCENT
Don’t come close.
DEREK
Oh no.
LYDIA
What’s going on?
She puts a hand on VINCENT’s arm. VINCENT whips it off.
VINCENT
Don’t touch me
LYDIA
What?
VINCENT
Don’t touch me!
DEREK
Vince, please, / drop it.
LYDIA
What is it?
DEREK
I didn’t mean / to
VINCENT
On first glance you look pretty good but if you look hard you / can see
LYDIA
What are you talking about?
VINCENT
I can’t believe I was taken in.
LYDIA
By what?
VINCENT
Your foul blood, Derek’s told us all about you.
LYDIA
What did you say?
VINCENT
Oh my lord the thought that you were wet / for me.
LYDIA
It’s not true!
VINCENT
The slime dripping down your leg was meant for me.
He works himself up.
I thought you
I thought you
She appeals to him, coming close to him.
Don’t come close to me!
LYDIA
Derek!
DEREK looks down.
Derek, tell him you made it up.
DEREK
I made it up.
LYDIA
Tell him!
VINCENT
(To LYDIA.) Is that why you came here?
‘On your holidays.’
You thought you could hide here?
Poisoning the water supply, dripping blood.
LYDIA
I / don’t
VINCENT
Don’t tell me what you do or don’t.
Just you is enough.
DEREK
Vince.
VINCENT
We don’t want you here.
DEREK
Stop it.
VINCENT hurtles towards LYDIA but PETER gets in the way.
PETER
(To DEREK.) It’s alright, boy.
VINCENT
(To LYDIA.) You’ll probably die tomorrow.
PETER
Hold on, mate.
VINCENT
(To LYDIA.) I’m not finished with you!
LYDIA turns to DEREK.
LYDIA
How could you?
DEREK closes his eyes.
(To DEREK.) I thought you were with me.
DEREK doesn’t know what to say.
I thought I could trust you.
PETER
Oi!
DEREK struggles.
LYDIA
(To DEREK.) Fuck off, you little shit, just fuck off.
PETER
Don’t you speak to him like that.
LYDIA
(To DEREK.) Get away from me.
You nasty thing.
Get away!
DEREK runs away.
Pause.
LYDIA turns to face the other two. Suddenly realising the situation she is in.
It’s alright, I’m going.
PETER begins to put on some surgical gloves.
You won’t see me again.
PETER throws VINCENT some of the gloves.
PETER
Oh no, we’re not finished with you yet.
Vince, put these on.
PETER gets out his phone, and makes a call.
(Into the phone.) Yeah, we’ve sniffed her out.
PETER approaches LYDIA, who retreats, terrified. She backs against the caravan.
(Into phon
e.) Yeah, we’re going to give her the warning.
Scene Ten
A Meditation
In the darkness, a recording: the voice of the OLD LADY. A meditation.
OLD LADY
I’ve got my heart.
I’ve got my heart.
I’ve got my blood.
I’ve got my blood.
I’ve got my wings.
I’ve seen the way.
I’m going to be born.
I’m going to be born any day.
Any day this search will be over.
Any day I’ll find you.
And take you home.
Scene Eleven
The Blood
By the caravan, half an hour later. The sky is now half-overcast and reddish, as if bloodshot.
LYDIA lies against the caravan, covered in blood, only halfconscious. DEREK is by her.
DEREK
What happened?
LYDIA cries out.
Why?
What did they do this for?
LYDIA cries out.
I need to get a doctor.
LYDIA
No!
DEREK
I’m going to get you home.
He goes to hold her, ready to pick her up.
LYDIA
Don’t touch me!
DEREK releases her.
My blood!
Pause. He has blood all over him. He looks at his bloody hands, unsure of them.
DEREK
It’s alright.
LYDIA
You can’t touch it!
DEREK looks up the track.
DEREK
There’s someone coming, we’ve got to get you away
LYDIA
No, I can’t I can’t.
He watches the person enter, from the track, on an old bicycle.
It is SARAH, LYDIA’s guardian. She has dismounted onto one pedal before the bicycle has even stopped.
SARAH
Oh my darling.
She assesses LYDIA quickly – her pulse, etc.
DEREK
She was attacked.
SARAH
Yes.
DEREK
I think it’s the League.
SARAH
There’s been chatter online.
(To DEREK.) You can help me.
SARAH lifts up her bike. It has a pannier rack. SARAH gets on again.
(To DEREK.) Lift her onto it.
Pause.
Come on, quickly.
DEREK
Are you sure?
SARAH
Is your skin broken?
DEREK
No.
SARAH
You’ve not ingested any?
DEREK
No.
SARAH
So help lift her up, you can wash yourself later.
DEREK lifts LYDIA onto the pannier rack.
DEREK
Where are we taking her?
SARAH
(Ignoring him, and turning to LYDIA.) Lydia, put your arms around me.
DEREK
I want to help
SARAH
If you want to help her you’ll stay away and keep quiet.
Do not identify me
Do not go to the police.
Do not say a word.
DEREK
I won’t say anything.
SARAH
Somebody has.
Somebody has betrayed her.
DEREK
Is she going to be okay?
SARAH
She will be saved.
DEREK
What do you mean?
SARAH cycles off, a little heavily, with the extra weight.
SARAH
One way or the other, she’ll be saved.
Beat. DEREK runs after her but realises it is hopeless.
DEREK
Lydia!
Lydia!
He looks at his hands, covered in blood. He holds them there for some time, looking at them, the horror of the blood, and feeling the panic build inside him.
ACT TWO
Scene One
The Cottage
The next day.
An immaculate, blindingly whitewashed cottage near the sea.
High brambles surround a lovely English country garden.
A long driveway leads to a private road beyond.
Sunloungers, a jug of ice water on a table.
The sky is a deep vivid blue today and the sun is hot.
LYDIA lies on one of the loungers. She is pale and bruised. Clean now, but groggy.
SARAH enters.
She busies herself checking LYDIA’s pulse.
She takes LYDIA’s temperature, enters something on a clipboard.
LYDIA stirs. Moans.
She takes LYDIA’s hand.
SARAH
Look – the sun’s out.
That’s good.
The sun’s a good healer.
It’s over now, darling.
It’s all over.
You don’t need to worry any more.
We’ll get you out of here.
Find you somewhere else.
SARAH goes to kiss LYDIA on the head.
Lydia, you are not alone.
You are not alone.
LYDIA moans.
It’s over now.
It’s alright.
LYDIA cries out.
These stupid people.
They don’t understand how special you are.
They don’t understand that your time is yet to come.
They don’t understand that you too have a story.
Yes, you have a story.
And you will tell it.
Of how you lived.
And who you were.
LYDIA
You don’t know what I did.
SARAH
Tell me.
LYDIA
No.
SARAH
You have a story.
And when you start to tell it.
You start to be reborn.
LYDIA
I don’t want to be reborn.
SARAH
She’s going to find you, you know.
She’s going to find you.
LYDIA
Who?
SARAH
You know who.
LYDIA isn’t interested.
She’ll come.
Any day now, she’ll come.
And she’ll take you home.
Pause. There’s a noise.
SARAH hears it, looks up, suddenly full of attention.
Who’s there?
Who comes?
SARAH moves up the track, away from LYDIA.
DEREK enters, wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, as if he is in disguise. He is confused, agitated, exhausted.