RISK
An Original Screenplay
Wendy Maddocks
©201 by Wendy Maddocks
Other works by Wendy Maddocks
Stand alone novels
Twisted evil
Into the darkness
Short story collections
The thrill of the Chase
A Shade too young
The Shades of Northwood series
Running shoes
Circle of arms
Unfinished business
Kiss at midnight
Circle of the Fallen series
Angels of America
Poetry collections
When I was young
Before the dawn
Screenplays
RISK
Non-fiction
Student: dazed and confused
RISK INSTITUTE - NIGHT - EXT
A huge grey building hulks against the darkness and a moon blurred by cloud. Dim lights glow from one window and a shadowed figure moves behind the curtain.
On to the roof of this building, a boy, Sam, in his teens walks to the edge. He looks down. It’s a very long way to the bottom and there would nothing to soften a fall. He is wearing plain white pyjamas and nothing else. Toes curl into the gravel at his feet. Eyes closed, he raises his hand and salutes. Inching forward, leaning, until he is so close a breath might topple him.
SAM
I am ready for the end.
A bat whines close to his head, rippling his buzzed hair. The boy jolts his eyes open and throws himself away from the edge but still too close for comfort. He tries to shuffle backwards, moves and crawls, but when he looks, the boy is no further away. In fact, the edge seems to be getting closer to him. A hand slides over gravel, some falls away and the boy scrambles for purchase again. He throws his sliding arm over his body, fear bright in his face.
PAYNE LOUNGE - MORNING - INT
In a cluttered room a young girl of 12 or so is sitting in front of the TV watching cartoons and shovelling drippy cereal into her mouth. A baby sits in a corner playpen beginning to whimper. The girl ignores him and carries on eating. She, Jodie, throws a stuffed toy to the floor and curls on top of it, cereal quickly forgotten. A shower of letters drop through the front door. The letterbox bangs back into place and that shocks the baby into an all out wail.
JODIE
Gaynor! Your son’s crying.
Heavy feet thump down the stairs and a middle-aged man appears. He scoops a dummy out of an open drawer and walks over to the baby, playing aeroplanes with it until he takes the dummy. Jodie watches all this, rolls her eyes and suddenly finds the TV very interesting.
JODIE (CONT’D)
He’s her kid, Dad. Make her take care of it.
DAD
Would it kill you to be civil, Jodie?
JODIE
Maybe. And wouldn’t she be happy then. No step-daughter to get in her way.
DAD
Stop being silly. Gaynor likes having you here just fine.
JODIE
Right.
DAD
She does.
Another set of feet, these one in high heels, click downstairs. Gaynor, dyed blonde and too much makeup, passes Jodie by as though she wasn’t there and starts fussing over her son though not actually picking him up.
JODIE
I’m sitting here. Hello.
GAYNOR
So you are honey.
JODIE
Good morning.
GAYNOR
Oh, yes, dear.
JODIE
This is me being civil Dad. But she doesn’t even know my name.
DAD
They’re terms of affection. It’s a good thing.
JODIE
I’m not convinced. And look how she dresses. It’s not how moms are meant to look.
DAD
Mothers all look different. And they all act differently too.
GAYNOR
Honey, I’m not trying to replace your Mom. I’m trying to be my baby’s Mom though.
JODIE
Let’s just see how many cards you get on Mothers Day.
Gaynor turns the TV off and earns herself a look dripping with venom. Jodie points over to the post on the floor just a few metres away. Gaynor moves the cereal bowl from the floor to the table and strokes Jodie’s short hair on her way to fetch the mail.
Gaynor stands by a wall going through the letters, putting bills in a drawer and keeping the ones that look interesting.
DAD
Stop blaming her for not being Mom.
JODIE
Who shall I blame then?
DAD
Not Gaynor. I love her, she married me, you were part of the package.
JODIE
So I was on offer. Great.
Gaynor hold up a white envelope with R.I.S.K. on it and a picture of a large building like an old hospital or prison. Dad puts the baby down and stares back. They seem to be having a conversation without words. Jodie groans, hauls herself up and drags over to the stairs.
GAYNOR
Good. You go play out, dear.
JODIE
I’m going to my room. That’s upstairs. Inside.
GAYNOR
Lovely.
JODIE
Congrats, Dad. She’s a winner.
JODIE’S ROOM - MORNING - INT
Light floods the screen and Jodie comes into view, leaning back and wiggling the screen until it looks right. She sticks her tongue out and hum,. Key click on a computer keyboard and a red light pops up in one corner. REC.
JODIE
Hiya Mom. You probably know that Dad got married again. I don’t think she likes me but I hate her too. I hate her, her whiny little brat, the way she makes Dad do everything for her. I wish you could come back and kick her out. They’re so busy making gushy faces at each other that I don’t even get any attention. How fair is that? I did get to be a bridesmaid at the wedding and wear a real pretty dress. I’ll attach a photo. Boy, I hope you get email in heaven.
The screen darkens, her hand covering the lens, then a few key taps and a message sent bleep.
GAYNOR (V.O.)
Jodie, come down here!
JODIE
In a minute.
GAYNOR (V.O.)
Now.
DAD (V.O.)
Please.
The screen goes dark and switches into the proper bedroom. Jodie is watching her toy woodpecker peck down its’ pole, picking it up and letting it slide again.
JODIE
Coming.
She sets it right at the top and leaves it going down.
RISK INSTITUTE - MORNING - EXT
Sam is sitting on the roof of the building, flipping through an exercise book. The pages are mostly blank.
SAM
Who’s coming, Mattie?
Mattie, a boy years younger than he, is sitting beside him and trying not to look at Sam. Mattie stands up and drops a handful of pebbles over the edge.
MATTIE
They sent for her and now she’s coming. I can see it, Sam.
SAM
We should get ready then. For when she comes.
MATTIE
Yes. For the new girl. She’ll be brave, good, strong. And she’ll make you like her.
SAM
Don’t suppose you know her name.
MATTIE
I think we should wait and ask her. It’s nicer that way.
A bell rings out loud and long. Mattie jumps up and runs towards the middle of the building. There is a tiny trapdoor set into the gravel. Lifting it up, the little boy climbs inside until only his head is showing.
MATTIE (CONT’D)
It won’t be long. You wait and s
ee.
SAM
Don’t tell anyone, okay? You can’t let them know what you saw.
MATTIE
Is it a secret?
SAM
More like a surprise.
Mattie disappears down the hatch and it bangs shut after him. Sam tears a page from the middle of his exercise book and scribbles WHAT AM I DOING UP HERE? Then he closes his eyes and lets his body sway with the breeze, close to the edge again but nowhere near falling.
SAM (CONT’D)
I know you’re coming. I dreamt it. But I wish you weren’t.
He screws the page up and holds it over the edge.
RISK INSTITUTE - CONTINUOUS - EXT
A dirty but undented Peugeot pulls into the tiny visitors car park in front of the huge school. A huge artic idles and a delivery man heaves unmarked boxes around the side. The Peugeot switches off and Jodie climbs out of the back. Her dad and Gaynor get out of the front and retrieve the baby in a car seat from the back.
DAD
I’m still not sure about this.
GAYNOR
We’re only looking. And I heard it’s very exclusive.
DAD
For exclusive read expensive.
GAYNOR
You want the best for Jodie. I mean we both do of course. And this might be it.
A screwed up piece of paper flies towards Jodie, she picks it out of the air just before it hits the ground, unscrews and reads it. Jodie shades her eyes and stares up to see Sam on the roof looking down at her.
Dad takes her wrist and pulls her over to the dark doors. It is heavy
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