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Post by Frodo on Nov 16, 2017 16:59:42 GMT
Misthaven…
Rebecca steps off the bus in the ‘bad’ part of town. After thinking things over these last few days, she’s decided to visit Cam in his diner again. She’s still VERY hurt, and even angry, at the way Cam treated her. But it seemed like he genuinely regretted things when she bumped into him the other day. He apologised, and said he wanted to make things right with her. And he even stayed with her when she fainted.
She passes Capri Motel. She’s half-tempted to walk in to the motel office, and tell Nilo how much better her life is now - she has a decent place to stay, with a kindly man that she befriended. She doesn’t need his crummy motel! REBECCA: No, there’s no point in going to Nilo’s office. He’ll probably just get me riled up, and I don’t want to be in a bad mood when I see Cam and Anne. She continues walking along, and a few streets later, she sees the familiar sight. Pinky’s Diner… It feels odd, being back here. She hadn’t left on very good terms. And although Cam had been friendly the other day, even asking her to visit the diner again… would he still be as friendly today? There’s only one way to find out.
She takes a deep breath, pushes the door open, and enters. The place looks fairly busy, and she sees Anne serving other customers. There’s also another teenager there - not Marcy, but someone she hasn’t seen before. Cam must have hired her to help Anne with the customers. After all, the diner is too busy for just one person to cope with. So Rebecca sits down at a table, and waits. She quickly notices this other teenager keeps asking Anne for help. Rebecca also notices this teenager doesn’t go near the till. So she MUST be a new waitress.
As Rebecca sits at the table, she overhears a conversation at the next table… WOMAN 1: I still can’t believe it! Look at me, it happened yesterday, but I’m STILL shaking! WOMAN 2: You poor thing! What a horrible thing to happen. WOMAN 1: You’re telling me! I just popped out to the shop, and some maniac comes in with a gun, and tries to rob the place! Rebecca’s ears prick up. WOMAN 1: Oh, I feel faint just thinking about it. I’ll never forget that man, as long as I live! WOMAN 2: What did he look like? WOMAN 1: Silver hair. Kinda spiky. Tall. And mean, shifty eyes. Oh, and he had an accent. Welsh, I think. I’m just glad someone managed to call the police. They soon came, and arrested him. Urgh, I don’t think I can ever go back to that shop! Rebecca glances over at them. That sounds like Tony they’re describing. COULD it be Tony? His greed for some ‘easy money’ got the better of him, and it wouldn’t be the first time he was arrested for armed robbery. Part of her is glad. Tony scares her! Yes, he did something good when she was 15, and it’s because of that, that she’s able to return to Misthaven now. But the one good thing he did, is far outweighed by all the bad things he’s done - the violence, the intimidation, the suggestive comments, the threats, the beatings. And let’s not forget, he wanted her to steal from Dave - that’s just not something she’s willing to do. So… has Tony been arrested?
Her thoughts are interrupted by an excited squeal. VOICE: REBECCA! Rebecca looks up, and sees Anne heading in her direction. Rebecca smiles, and Anne gives her an affectionate hug. ANNE: Rebecca, it’s SO good to see you again. REBECCA: * smiles* Hi Anne. ANNE: Cam said he saw you the other day. I REALLY hoped you would come and see us. And… here you are. * beams brightly* REBECCA: Yeah, it was definitely a surprise, bumping into Cam again. ANNE: I’ll bet! He’s been feeling really bad about… you know… REBECCA: Yeah, it wasn’t exactly a nice feeling, when he accused me of stealing money from him. And when I bumped into him again the other day, didn’t really know what to expect. But he was really friendly. It was him that asked me to pop back in here. So… ANNE: Well, I’m glad you did! I’m SO sorry about Marcy. I had no idea she was such a nasty piece of work. REBECCA: Well, Cam said it was you that told him what really happened - how Marcy set me up? ANNE: Yeah. You should have seen Cam when he found out the truth. I’ve never seen him so angry, I thought he was going to explode! * laughs* Marcy won’t dare show her face round here again! REBECCA: * smiles* Anyway, how have YOU been? ANNE: Me? Same as usual. Busy with this place. Speaking of which… I would really love to sit down and catch up, but it’s not fair to leave Louise all on her own. * nods towards the other teenager Rebecca had noticed* She’s new, and I’m supposed to be training her. Can you hang around though? I NEED to tell Cam you’re here. He’s gonna be thrilled! Rebecca nods, and smiles. She’s still not sure if she should completely forgive Cam or not… but she’s willing to take it one step at a time.
Anne dashes off, through the staff door, to the backshop. A few minutes later, she comes back, with Cam in tow. He’s carrying a drink. CAM: * smiles* Rebecca, I’m glad you decided to pop in. I wasn’t sure if you would or not. REBECCA: Yeah, well… seeing as I’m not banned anymore, thought it would be nice to see Anne again. CAM: You’re still going to make me work at my apology, aren’t you? * holds up the drink he‘s carrying* Peace offering? On the house. On condition that you don’t faint on me, again. A smile creeps onto Rebecca’s lips. REBECCA: I’ll try not to faint on you again, Cam. And… thanks for staying with me that day, when I fainted. Cam seems glad that Rebecca popped in. But as the lunch-time rush begins, Anne and Cam (and new waitress Louise) have to serve customers, so there’s not much time for chatting. Still, Rebecca appreciates the Peace Offering that Cam had brought out. She takes her time, enjoying the drink, then says Bye to Anne and Cam, agreeing to pop in again sometime.
Dave Woods House…
Rebecca arrives back at Dave’s house. She walks into the living room, and finds him reading a book. Mollie curled up at his side, of course. REBECCA: Hey Dave, I’m back. I got some bacon and eggs, ready for tea. Is that okay with you? Rebecca sits down in the chair near Dave. DAVE: Of course. Did you have an enjoyable morning? * smiles* REBECCA: * thinks* Yeah, it was good. I, um… There was a couple of friends I made when I first came to Misthaven a few months ago. But then things started to go wrong, and I ended up on the streets. So I wanted to just touch base with them again. DAVE: * smiles* Oh, I AM glad! I’m sure you don’t want to be stuck with an old man like me all day. I’m glad you have friends to see. REBECCA: Nonsense Dave. I enjoy your company. Your and Mollie are great company. Mollie raises her head, looks at Rebecca, and wags her tail. DAVE: Even so, it does my heart good to know you have friends your own age. Two Days Later… Misthaven Park…
It’s a lovely day, and Rebecca, Dave, and Mollie are taking a walk through the park. Dave stops for a rest, and sits down on the bench. As Rebecca sits down with him, she notices a little girl with a skipping rope, playing near the duck pond. The little girl’s dad is challenging her how many ‘skips’ she can do in a row. Rebecca watches. And as the little girl begins skipping… there is something eerily familiar about the skipping rope. It reminds her of the rope the Scary Man used to whip her own dad. And suddenly, she’s back in that dark room again… Rebecca feels Mollie licking her hand, bringing her back to the present. She blinks, and looks into Dave’s concerned face. DAVE: My dear Rebecca, are you alright? You have turned quite pale! * puts his hand on her shoulder* REBECCA: *rubs her forehead* Um… yeah, I think I’m okay. DAVE: Should I call a doctor for you? REBECCA: No, I’m okay. * still rubs her forehead* Dave feels her forehead, feeling very concerned about her. Mollie stares up at her, giving a little whine every now and then. DAVE: * to Rebecca* Mollie is also concerned about you. REBECCA: Sorry. Um… just felt a little faint there, for a while. I’m okay now, though. Rebecca begins to stand up, but Dave stops her. DAVE: You must sit, my dear child. Let yourself rest, until the colour returns to your cheek. Rebecca nods. She’s feeling somewhat shaken - the memory of her father’s death is so intense! And she still remembers looking up the stairs at that green lightshade. It’s amazing the things that a child remembers. She looks across for the little girl with the skipping rope… but the girl has already gone.
It isn’t long before Rebecca manages to pull herself together, and her and Dave continue their walk through the park.
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Post by Frodo on Nov 29, 2017 8:54:27 GMT
Pinky‘s Diner…
A few days have passed, and Rebecca decides to go to the diner again. She greets Anne, who’s clearly pleased to see her, then she sits down at a table. Her mind drifts back to a few days ago, when she had overheard the conversation about Tony (at least, she thinks it’s Tony) being arrested. It was only 2 years ago that Tony was last arrested for armed robbery - that’s when Rebecca saw her chance to get away from Tony and begin her search for Marcus Yates. And that’s how she ended up back in Misthaven. She’s no further forward in finding Marcus though, and that frustrates her! She HAS to find him! He has to pay for what he’s done! She hasn’t forgotten the brutal way he murdered her father.
Still, enough about Tony and Marcus. She chats with Anne in between Anne serving customers. And Cam had also popped out from the kitchen to say ’hi’ to her - he even gave her a hug! Bridges are definitely being rebuilt between Rebecca and Cam.
After a while, Rebecca leaves the café again.
Dave Woods House…
She returns home to Dave’s house, and calls out to him. He’s not in his favourite chair in the living room, so Rebecca goes through to the kitchen. She sees him through the window, watering plants in the back garden. Mollie is also out there, chewing on a bone. Rebecca opens the back door, and greets them both. REBECCA: * smiles* Hey Dave. Hey Mollie. DAVE: Hello Rebecca. Did you have a nice time with your friends? REBECCA: You know what? I think I did. * smiles* MOLLIE: Woof woof woof WOOF. * wags tail* DAVE: * chuckles* Allow me to translate. Mollie said ‘ Hello Rebecca.’ Rebecca chuckles at Dave translating. She pets Mollie, and scratches behind her ears. REBECCA: * to Dave* So are you enjoying yourself, gardening? DAVE: I’m having a marvellous time! * beams* I’m just giving my little plant friends a drink. * taps his watering can* I won’t be long, my dear. Why don’t you go and warm up the TV? There is a good documentary all about elephants starting in a few minutes. REBECCA: Okay. How about I make us both some hot chocolate, as well? DAVE: Marvellous! So Rebecca makes some hot chocolate for them both, and then goes through to the living room. She puts both mugs of hot chocolate down on the coffee table, then turns the TV on, ready for Dave’s documentary.
She turns round, and ‘that’ photo catches her eye from on top of the mantle piece. Mollie (Dave’s daughter) stares back at her from the photo. Why does this photo bother Rebecca so much, when the other photos don’t? It bugs her that she can’t put her finger on it, and she feels guilty that the photo DOES annoy her so much. It’s Dave’s daughter, after all - of course he want’s photos of her. She picks up the photo. REBECCA: * to herself* What were you like, Mollie? * sighs* Suddenly it hits her. It’s not Mollie that bothers her at all. It’s that light shade in the photo! That green light shade! Rebecca saw a green light shade like that the day she escaped from Scary Man’s house… the day her father was brutally murdered. Rebecca gasps.
Could Mollie have been in Scary Man’s house at the same time Tia and Jethro were being held there? Had she also been a prisoner? Could Dave himself have been there? REBECCA: No, she doesn’t look scared. She doesn’t look like she’s been tortured. So she can’t have been held against her will, like me and dad were. * pause* So how could she have been in Scary Man’s house? And who took this photo of her, anyway? How could Dave even have this photo… unless he was there as well? Rebecca thinks for a while. How could Mollie be in that house? If she’s not a prisoner - there’s only one other explanation she can think of. And it makes her sick to her stomach! REBECCA: * turning pale* Is Dave… could… could he really be… Marcus Yates? Suddenly… a voice behind her… DAVE: Well, that’s my little plant friends watered. * smiles* Brrrr, it’s chilly out there. * looks at the coffee table* Is that hot chocolate for me? Rebecca jumps! And spins round. Mollie trots in, with her bone in her mouth, and curls up next to Dave’s favourite chair. DAVE: Oh, DO forgive me, my dear. I didn’t mean to startle you. REBECCA: I… uh… DAVE: Are you alright, Rebecca? You have turned deathly pale. REBECCA: Um, yeah, I’m fine. Just tired, that’s all. Dave seems oblivious to what Rebecca is thinking about the photo… and about the light shade in the photo. And she doesn’t want to make him suspicious. She puts Mollie’s photo back on the mantle piece. REBECCA: I think… I think that documentary is about to start. Rebecca turns on the TV, then sits down. She picks up her mug of hot chocolate from the coffee table, with shaky hands. As the documentary begins, she looks at Dave. IS Dave really Dave? Or is he a cold-blooded killer? No, he can’t be, can he? Two uncomfortable days later, Rebecca still isn’t sure. She sits in her room, going over things in her head. It must be a coincidence - there was probably loads of houses with green light shades back then. Or maybe she’s remembering the light shade wrongly? But then, that doesn’t explain why the photo bothers her so much. Her head is spinning!
With a heavy heart, she opens her bedroom door, and makes her way downstairs. DAVE: Good morning Rebecca. *smiles brightly* Rebecca looks at Dave, and manages a ‘Morning’ to him. DAVE: Mollie and myself are going for a walk in the park. Would you care to join us? REBECCA: Uh, no, I don’t really feel so good. DAVE: My poor Rebecca. You have been out-of-sorts for 2 days now. And you are still very pale. Dave reaches out to feel her forehead… she flinches. DAVE: What is troubling you, my dear? * looks concerned* REBECCA: Nothing. Really. DAVE: * hesitates* Would you prefer I stay in with you? Or I could call a doctor? REBECCA: No, you go to the park with Mollie. Have a nice time. * manages a smile* Dave sighs, and then pulls on his coat. He still isn’t aware of what is going through Rebecca’s head… but he can tell there is SOMETHING wrong. She’s just not been herself the last couple of days. And he’s worried. DAVE: We won’t be long, will we Mollie? MOLLIE: Woof Rebecca watches, as Dave and Mollie head out to the park. She waits a few minutes, looks out the window to make sure he isn’t coming back, then climbs up the stairs. She stands outside Dave’s room, with her hand on the door handle. REBECCA: Please let me be wrong. PLEASE let me be wrong. Please don’t let Dave be Marcus. With a deep breath, she pushes open Dave’s bedroom door, and enters. She hates doing this. She hates snooping in Dave’s room. She doesn’t even know what she’s looking for really. But the uncertainty is driving her crazy. She HAS to know one way or the other. Maybe she can find something that would tell her… is Dave really Marcus? She stands in the middle of the room, looking round. Her eyes fall on the chest of drawers. She pulls open the drawers, but there’s only clothes inside. She checks the bedside cabinet next - it’s empty apart from a book and a torch in the top drawer. Then her eyes fall upon a desk in the corner. It’s one of those nice writing desks with drawers. She pulls open the first drawer, and finds a photo album inside. She flicks through the photo album, and on the first page, is a dedication. Mollie… YATES??? Rebecca gulps hard. She continues flicking through the photo album. It seems to show a young man, with a woman (possibly his wife?), and a baby. And as she turns the pages, she can see the progression of the family as they age through the years. It isn’t long before she recognises the man in the photo as a young Dave. And towards the end of the album… the baby has grown into a beautiful teenager… Mollie. Rebecca recognises her from the photos on the mantle piece downstairs. They look so happy - Dave, Dave’s wife, and Mollie his daughter.
Rebecca feels sick to her stomach. Why is it dedicated to ‘Mollie Yates’?
She puts the photo album back in the drawer, and sees some old envelopes with letters. They look a bit crumpled, as though someone has pulled the contents of the envelope out to read it many times. But Rebecca doesn’t care what’s inside the envelope - the address on the envelope is enough for her! It’s addressed to: So that’s it then. 22 Oakdale Avenue is the house her dad died in. So Dave is really Marcus Yates. He wouldn’t have this letter otherwise! Why? WHY did it have to be Dave? She had really liked him. She feels a tear trickle down her cheek. But her sadness is quickly replaced by anger. He had deceived her! He had lied to her. She’s been living here for a few months now, and not once did he tell her he was really Marcus. She thinks back to her dad… slowly getting weaker and weaker as Marcus tortured the life out of him… until he had no more life to give. Marcus HAS to pay for what he did. Her fist clenches as she stands up and walks over to the door.
She goes to her own room, and pulls her duffle bag out from under the bed. She rummages in the bottom of her bag, until she finds what she is looking for. A box. She pulls the box out, and opens it. She gently takes it out the box, and smiles. She’s glad Tony taught her how to shoot when she was 15 - that was the only good thing he ever did. And she’s become a good shooter since then.
She smiles again. REBECCA: Let the games begin.
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Post by Frodo on Dec 12, 2017 19:55:56 GMT
Dave Woods House…
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Rebecca’s alarm goes off, just as she planned. Her arm shoots out to turn it off. She looks at the clock - a little after 1 am. Good! Dave will be asleep.
She pulls on her dressing gown, and tip-toes down to the living room. She looks around the living room, taking everything in. Dave’s favourite chair by the fireplace - angled in such a way that he gets the warmth from the fire, but also has a good view of the room and the TV as well. Another armchair near the fireplace. A large coffee table between the 2 chairs. A settee in corner of the room. The TV in middle of the room. Photos of Mollie (his daughter) on the mantlepiece. As quietly as she can, she begins to move things around. She moves Dave’s favourite chair to the opposite corner of the room. She pulls the settee to where Dave’s chair used to be. The other armchair is moved to behind the door. She tries to move the coffee table, but that’s too heavy for her. She also moves the TV slightly, so it’s face a different direction. An hour later, she looks around the room again, surveying her work - this will do for starters. Satisfied, she tip-toes back up to her room.
Morning comes all too soon. Rebecca joins Dave for breakfast, trying to act normal.
REBECCA: Morning Dave. What do you want for breakfast today?
DAVE: *smiles* Are you making it?
REBECCA: *nods* Yeah, why not.
DAVE: In that case… I think I’d like some toast and marmalade please. *smiles brightly*
REBECCA: Sure, coming right up.
Rebecca proceeds to get a bowl from the cupboard, some milk from the fridge, and pours some cornflakes and milk into the bowl for Dave. She’s intentionally made him the wrong breakfast.
REBECCA: Here you go Dave. *puts the bowl of cornflakes in front of him*
DAVE: *chuckles* I’m afraid you mis-heard me, my dear. I asked for toast and marmalade, not cornflakes.
REBECCA: *shakes her head* No, you asked for cornflakes. But I can make you toast, if you want.
Rebecca takes the cornflakes away and empties the bowl into the bin.
DAVE: You must be confused, Rebecca. I definitely asked for toast and marmalade.
REBECCA: Dave, it’s okay for you to change your mind. Don’t worry about it.
This time, Rebecca makes some toast and marmalade for Dave. He munches on the toast in silence - HAD he asked for cornflakes? He was sure he said toast… but then why had she made cornflakes for him?
REBECCA: Everything okay, Dave?
DAVE: What? Oh, yes, everything is fine, thank you.
After breakfast, Dave makes his way to the living room, with Rebecca in tow. She’s been desperate to see Dave’s reaction to her re-arranging. Dave walks into the room, and stands there in shock.
DAVE: What’s… happened?
REBECCA: What do you mean? *flops down onto the settee*
DAVE: My chair… it should be here. *indicates the settee, with Rebecca on it*
REBECCA: *frowns* Your chair has always been over there. *points to the opposite corner, where she had moved the chair to*
DAVE: *getting flustered* This room… is just… wrong.
REBECCA: In what way?
DAVE: The furniture… has moved.
REBECCA: *looks around* I don’t think so.
Rebecca is playing games with Dave. She was tempted to just shoot him, but that would be too quick. He has to suffer… as her and her father had suffered.
REBECCA: So you fancy re-arranging the room? I’ll help. What do you want moved?
Under Dave’s instruction, Rebecca puts the room back to how it was yesterday. She does feel a pang of guilt, but since seeing the evidence in his room, she now sees Dave in a completely different light. And when she thinks of her father, she knows she’s doing the right thing.
After the room is back to normal, Rebecca looks at Dave.
REBECCA: So… you got any plans today?
DAVE: Mollie is eager for her walk in the park. Would you give us the pleasure of your company?
REBECCA: *shakes her head* I’d like to Dave, but I should collect your prescription from the chemist. Also, there’s something I want to check at the library.
DAVE: Of course, of course. A young girl like you shouldn’t be hanging out with an old man like me. *chuckles* But I do appreciate you collecting my prescription for me.
So Rebecca grabs her coat and heads out to the chemist to get Dave’s prescription. It doesn’t take her long. Afterwards, she heads to the library.
Misthaven Library…
She wants to look on the internet. She thinks for a minute, then types in ‘How Do I Check If Someone Has Changed Their Name’ - the results tell her to check the National Archives, which she does. And the Archives just confirm what she found in Dave’s room. Nine years ago, Dave officially changed his name from ‘Marcus Yates’ to ‘Dave Woods’. That explains why she was never able to find much information on Marcus Yates. So Dave is guilty! Why else would he change his name? Part of her had still been hoping it wasn’t true - that it was all just some misunderstanding. But the National Archives are official documents. There is NO mistake! She sighs deeply, as she takes a printout of it.
She leaves the library with a heavy heart.
Dave Woods House…
She arrives home. Dave is out - he must still be at the park with Mollie. Good, that gives her some time to gather her thoughts. She leaves his prescription on the kitchen counter, then goes up to her room and closes the door.
She pulls out the photo of her dad, which she keeps in her duffle bag, and stares at it with tears in her eyes.
REBECCA: I’m found him, dad. I’ve finally found Marcus Yates. And I’m going to make him pay for what he did to you. You suffered… so much! Because of him! And now it’s HIS turn to suffer!
Her mind drifts back to the last time she saw her daddy… the day he was cruelly murdered.
Rebecca tries to act normal for the rest of the day, but she’s still wary of Dave. What he did was unforgivable!
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Post by Frodo on Dec 29, 2017 13:07:32 GMT
Dave Woods House…
BIP BIP BIP… BIP BIP BIP… BIP BIP BIP… BIP BIP BIP
Once again, Rebecca’s alarm goes off at 1 am. And once again, she tip-toes out her room, hoping not to wake Dave. At top of the stairs, she looks back towards Dave’s room, and fantasises what she would REALLY like to do: Rebecca sighs, and turns away from Dave’s room. As tempting as her fantasy is… it would mean a quick death for Dave. And that’s too good for him! He deserves to suffer… like her father had suffered. Slowly and painfully.
She tip-toes downstairs. She goes through to the living room, deciding what to do… how to re-arrange things. First of all, she takes the wood that’s normally kept next to the fireplace, and takes it through to the kitchen, putting it by the back door. While she’s in the kitchen, she puts Dave’s jar of coffee powder into the fridge. Then she goes back to the living room - she moves Dave’s favourite chair, so it’s now facing head-on to the fire, instead of at an angle. She moves the TV remote from the coffee table to on top of the TV. Just little things for now, but if she keeps at this, hopefully it will begin to un-nerve Dave. Then she can build up to more serious things.
So after she’s finished moving things around, she creeps back upstairs to bed.
Morning comes. Rebecca makes her way down to the kitchen, to find Dave standing there, looking at the back door. He turns to look at her. DAVE: Rebecca… why on earth would the wood for the fire be here, at the back door? REBECCA: *casually* But you always keep it at the back door, Dave. DAVE: … It belongs in the living room, next to the fire. REBECCA: I can carry it through for you. No problem. Dave just nods a ‘Thankyou’, not quite understanding why his firewood is in the kitchen, instead of the living room. So Rebecca carries the firewood back through for him, smiling to herself. When she returns to the kitchen, she finds a bemused Dave looking in the cupboard. DAVE: Have you seen my coffee powder, Rebecca, dear? REBECCA: It’s in the fridge, where it always is. * smiles* Rebecca goes to the fridge, retrieves the coffee powder, and hands it to Dave. DAVE: But I don’t keep my coffee powder in the fridge. *pause* Oh, never mind. As long as I can have a nice cup of coffee. * smiles at Rebecca* As Dave makes a cup of coffee for himself, Rebecca makes some porridge for them both. Then they sit down at the table and chat. REBECCA: I’ve been meaning to ask you Dave. This is such a nice house. * looks around the room* Have you always lived here? She tries to sound casual, as though making friendly conversation. But really, she’s still hoping that Dave will say something that will prove he’s not Marcus - she still wants to be wrong about that. DAVE: Here? Alas, no. I moved into this house several years ago. I used to live in a house in Oakdale Avenue. Oakdale Avenue? More evidence against him. REBECCA: Oakdale Avenue? DAVE: * nods* My daughter loved that house. I remember how she loved to play in the basement, and her mother would scold her for getting sooty from the old furnace. * smiles as he remembers his daughter* Rebecca remembers the basement… and the furnace… all too well! She and her father were held captive there for weeks! Her father was tortured… she had the burning poker scar her. Her fist clenches as she tries to remain calm and not lose her temper. REBECCA: Sounds like you have fond memories of the place. Why did you leave it, and move to this house? DAVE: After… after I lost my daughter… staying there was not an option for me! * sighs sadly, then pauses for a while* Enough reminiscing. Best not to dwell too much on the past, as they say. * tries to smile* Would you join Mollie and myself for a walk in the park after breakfast? It has been too long since we’ve enjoyed the pleasure of your company. REBECCA: I’m sorry Dave, I can’t. There’s some stuff I really need to do today. DAVE: * sadly* Of course, I understand. Perhaps tomorrow, then? Rebecca looks at him. It wasn’t that long ago she loved going for walks with him. She loved his company. She loved their chats. He’s such a kind and gentle man - she appreciated the fact that he took her in when she was at her lowest. Not many people would have done that. And she, in turn, enjoyed taking care of him. But since she discovered his true identity, she just can’t think of him the same way anymore. He’s not kind and gentle… he’s a monster! And yes, she’s even a little afraid of him. Who could blame her, after everything Marcus did? Of all the men in Misthaven, WHY did it have to be Dave? WHY is Dave… kind and gentle Dave… turn out to be Marcus?
After breakfast, she shouts a ‘Cheerio’ to Dave, then heads out the door. REBECCA: * to herself* Okay, what am I gonna do for the next few hours? I told Dave I had stuff to do… so… what? * thinks* I’ll go across town to Pinky’s Diner, and see Ann and Cam. * smiles* Pinky’s Diner…
A bus-ride later, and Rebecca arrives at Pinky’s Diner. She walks in, and sits at a table in the corner. It’s still fairly early, so it’s not too busy yet. Anne spots her, and comes over to greet her friend. ANNE: REBECCA! * hugs* Good to see you again. * smiles* REBECCA: * smiles* Well, my only 2 friends in Misthaven spend a lot of time here, so I thought… what better place to hang out? * chuckles* ANNE: Talking of Cam… He said that next time you come in here, he wants to talk to you. REBECCA: * frowns* He wants to talk? I don’t like the sound of that. Last time he ‘wanted to talk’, he fired me, and threatened to have me arrested if I step foot in his diner again. ANNE: * chuckles* He’s not going to fire you. Or have you arrested. Or anything like that. Trust me, Rebecca. Rebecca looks towards the staff door leading to the backshop area. REBECCA: Is he there now? ANNE: Where else would he be? * smiles* Relax, he won’t bite. * pauses* Go on… go and see him. Rebecca rolls her eyes, takes a deep breath, then walks over to the staff door. She knocks on the door. REBECCA: * knock knock knock* Cam? She enters the kitchen area, and looks around. It feels strange being back here. But Cam hears her, and greets her warmly. CAM: Great to see you Rebecca. REBECCA: Yeah, um, Anne said you wanted to talk to me? CAM: Yup. I do indeed. REBECCA: * gives a nervous laugh* You’re not going to have me arrested for coming into your diner, are you? Like before? CAM: * shakes his head* Nope, not at all. * pause* Okay, here goes. I know things didn’t exactly work out the last time you worked here. But you were an excellent waitress. You handled the customers well… even the troublemakers. You worked well with Anne. And I’m sure you would work just as well with Louise. You were good on the till. And I could do with more people like you on my team. So… I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but would you like to try again? Would you like to work here again? Rebecca opens her mouth, ready to tell him what he can do with his stinking job, and that he should go take a running jump, and there’s no way in hell she would ever work here again. But then… she stops herself. She shouldn’t let her temper get the better of her. Can she really blame Cam for what happened? She has to admit, Marcy’s setup was convincing - it was a long time before the truth came out. And this diner is Cam’s livelihood! And if something is threatening his livelihood, of course he’s going to do what he thinks is best. Would Rebecca herself have acted any differently if she was in Cam’s shoes? Probably not. In a way, Cam is also a victim of Marcy’s deceit.
She looks at Cam and smiles. REBECCA: What about Marcy? CAM: Marcy won’t be a problem! She’s barred! Permanently! She won’t be able to charm her way back, you have my word on that! REBECCA: * pauses* Okay then. I think I can give it another shot. I missed working here. * smiles* Cam nods and smiles. He holds out his hand - she takes his hand, and they shake. CAM: Welcome aboard, Rebecca! REBECCA: * grins* When do I start? CAM: Tomorrow. Bright and early. REBECCA: I’ll be here! The bridges are mended. Rebecca feels that she can trust Cam again.
She walks back through to the front of the café, eagerly looking forward to tomorrow. Anne sees her - she must have been keeping an eye on the staff door. And as soon as she finishes taking a customer’s order, she bounds over to Rebecca. Without saying a word, she just looks at Rebecca with a raised eyebrow. REBECCA: I suppose you know what Cam wanted to talk to me about? * smiles* ANNE: He MAY have mentioned it. And asked what I thought about you coming back here. Which I wholly support, by the way. * clears her throat* So… REBECCA: I start tomorrow. * grins* ANNE: YES! * hugs Rebecca* After a nice chat with Ann (in between customers, of course), Rebecca leaves the diner, looking forward to tomorrow.
Dave Woods House…
Back at Dave’s house, Rebecca flops down on the settee in the living room. Mollie trots in, and wags her tail at Rebecca. REBECCA: Hey Mollie. * pets the dog* Did you have a nice time in the park? I bet you were chasing lots of squirrels, weren’t you? MOLLIE: Woof woof. DAVE: *entering the woof* Squirrels and birds, and even ducks on the pond. * chuckles* Is that not right, Mollie? Mollie trots over to Dave, and curls up at his feet. DAVE: * looks at Rebecca* So did you have a nice morning? REBECCA: * nods* I did! I caught up with some friends, which was really nice. Oh, and I got a job. I’ll be working in a diner, starting from tomorrow. DAVE: Oh, how marvellous for you. *smiles kindly* That should get you out and about, and keep you out of mischief, hehe. But seriously, I do hope this job agrees with you. You’ve seemed so down recently, and it pains me to see you in such turmoil, Rebecca, dear. Dave reaches out to put a friendly hand on her shoulder… she shrinks back. Dave notices her reaction, and looks sad. But he doesn’t press the issue. He just smiles at her kindly. DAVE: You know, if anything is troubling you, you can talk to me about it. I’d like to help… if I can. REBECCA: No, nothing’s troubling me. * lies* Just nervous about tomorrow. Dave nods slowly. He can tell Rebecca is keeping something from him. He just wishes she would trust him enough to share her problems with him. He has grown to care for this teenager a great deal! REBECCA: Anyway, want some lunch? * stands up* I can make some bacon sandwiches for us both? DAVE: That sounds delicious, my dear. Rebecca looks back at Dave, as she leaves the room. He may act all nice and caring now… but she KNOWS what he’s really like… who he really is. And he’s not going to get away with it!
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Post by Frodo on Jan 2, 2018 23:23:15 GMT
Dave Woods House…
A couple of weeks pass. Rebecca quickly gets into the habit of setting her alarm for 1am, so she can re-arrange things in the house, and convince Dave that things have always been like that, before getting up again and heading of to Cam’s diner. It’s almost as if she’s living 2 different lives - one part of her is desperate for revenge for the things that were done to her father, and the other part of her is a normal teenager working in the diner.
Her plan for revenge is working. Dave is definitely becoming affected by Rebecca’s re-arranging stuff, and he’s becoming withdrawn and less sure of himself. As she watches him, she does feel a pang of guilt now and then - she’s having a hard time associating Dave… kind and compassionate Dave… with the monster that tortured and killed her father in cold blood. Still… the evidence is overwhelming - Mollie’s photo with the green lightshade, the letter she found in Dave’s drawer addressed to ‘Marcus Yates‘, the photo album with the dedication to ‘Mollie Yates‘, Dave’s own admission that he used to stay in Oakdale Avenue and his house had a basement with a boiler (thus, a poker). So she keeps up with her plan, and progresses to actually hiding things, like hiding his daily newspaper and telling him it hasn’t arrived yet, or hiding his favourite book etc.
Things at the diner though, are going wonderfully. Rebecca really enjoys being back there, and working with Cam, Anne, and Louise. There’s been no sign of Marcy, thankfully. And also, being at the diner gives her a reason to be away from Dave!
But in the evenings, she has to go back to Dave’s house… which she is beginning to dread. She feels afraid, hate, wanting revenge, and guilt, all at the same time. Oh, it may seem like Dave is a kind-hearted man who took Rebecca in out of the goodness of his heart… but she knows! She knows it’s all an act! He doesn’t care for her at all. He’s probably just biding his time until he can get rid of her without raising suspicion!
Until one fateful evening… and things inevitably draw to an explosive head.
After a busy day at the diner, Rebecca returns home, and flops into a chair in the living room, feeling exhausted. Mollie trots into the room, and rubs up against Rebecca, wanted to be petted. REBECCA: * petting the dog* Hey there Mollie. Who’s the best girl? Who’s the best girl? Are you the best girl? MOLLIE: Woof woof woof. Mollie rolls on the floor, exposing her belly, wanting Rebecca to give her a tummy-rub - which she does. Rebecca kneels on the floor, rubbing Mollie’s tummy, and playing with her. REBECCA: * to Mollie* Hehehe, you like that, don’t you? You like people rubbing your tummy. Of course… where Mollie is, Dave is never far behind. He enters the room, leaning heavily on his cane, looks at Rebecca, and smiles kindly. DAVE: Ah, it’s good to hear you laugh, my dear Rebecca. This home has been sadly lacking of your laughter recently. Rebecca stiffens as he enters. He shuffles over to his chair, and lowers himself down. DAVE: So did you have fun at the diner today? REBECCA: Yeah, I like working there. DAVE: Good, good. Making friends there, I hope? REBECCA: A few. Dave nods. He leans down to rub Mollie’s tummy, who pants happily at all the attention she’s getting from Dave and Rebecca. But then Dave looks solemnly at Rebecca. DAVE: Rebecca, dear… is everything all right at your diner? REBECCA: What do you mean? DAVE: * pauses, trying to choose the correct words* You’ve been so… withdrawn recently. It breaks my heart to see you in such turmoil. REBECCA: … The diner’s fine. DAVE: Then what is it? What is troubling you so much. Please don’t think me an interfering old man… it’s just that I’ve grown to care for you a great deal. And I hate seeing you in such obvious pain. I miss your laugh, and your smile. And you barely talk to me now. What is troubling you, my dear? Dave leans over, and puts a concerned hand on her shoulder. Having him act all concerned, as though he was really worried about her, is too much for Rebecca! She roughly pushes his hand away. REBECCA: DON’T put your hands on me! And DON’T act like you give a damn! Dave looks at her, confused, and clearly hurt at her outburst. DAVE: Rebecca… REBECCA: * jumps up* DON’T ACT ALL INNOCENT! AND DON’T YOU DARE PRETEND THAT YOU CARE ABOUT ME! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME! Mollie jumps at Rebecca’s outburst, so she’s no longer exposing her tummy.
Rebecca runs from the room, almost in tears. How could Dave pretend he’s worried about her, when it was him that cruelly murdered her father? DAVE: Rebecca, wait! Oh, goodness me! Dave struggles to get up from his chair. He grabs his cane for support.
Rebecca runs up to her room, and slams the door, sobbing uncontrollably now. She grabs her duffle bag from under the bed, and pulls the zip open. She rummages right to the bottom, and pulls out the box with gun… then the takes the gun from the box. She loads the gun, before pointing it at the door. REBECCA: * to herself* Time to pay for your sins, Marcus! You may think you fooled me… but you haven’t. She stand up, and heads back downstairs. By the time she reaches the living room, Dave has managed to haul himself up, thanks to his cane, and is half-way across the living-room floor. Mollie is at his side, whining sadly. Rebecca appears at the doorway of the living-room. DAVE: Oh, Rebecca, dear, there you are! REBECCA: Don’t ‘Rebecca, dear’ me! You don’t even know who I am! *raises the gun, and points it at him* You don’t even recognise me, do you? Dave sees the gun, and is clearly afraid. DAVE: REBECCA! What on earth has got into you. Rebecca slowly walks towards Dave, the gun pointing at him. REBECCA: You don’t remember me, do you? You don’t remember what you did? * pauses* Time for a history lesson… MARCUS! Dave looks at Rebecca sharply. ‘Marcus’? Nobody has called him that for many years.
Rebecca lowers the gun, and lifts up her jumper slightly, revealing the scars on her tummy.
Dave sees the scars, and turns deathly-pale. DAVE: * whispers* Tia Lovett! He stumbles backwards, falling on to the floor. REBECCA: Oh, so you DO remember me? How nice! * still pointing the gun at him* Mollie instinctively jumps in front of Dave. She bares her teeth, snarling menacingly at Rebecca. Mollie may not understand what is going on. She doesn’t understand what a gun is. Or the history between Rebecca and Dave. Or the years of hurt. What she DOES understand, is that this human is threatening her master Dave. And that is NOT okay! Mollie will give everything to protect her master! So she places herself between Dave and Rebecca, snarling away. DAVE: Remember you? Not a day goes by, when I don’t think about… what happened. REBECCA: ‘What happened’? Oh, you mean when you tortured my father for weeks, before murdering him in cold blood! Is that what you mean? Dave puts his hand to his face, and weeps. REBECCA: Oh, poor Dave! Do you feel bad for killing my dad, and ruining my life? * sarcastic* DAVE: Rebecca… please… Mollie growls and snarls at Rebecca. Dave holds onto her, so she can't jump up and attack Rebecca. REBECCA: Please, what, MARCUS! Please feel sorry for you? Why should I? D ave continues sobbing on the floor. Rebecca continues pointing the gun at him. Tears begin pouring down her face. This moment has been years in the making! REBECCA: So tell me Marcus… why did you do it? Dave hesitates. He doesn’t want to destroy her precious memories of her dad - that’s the LAST thing he wants. But on the other hands… she needs answers… badly! And Dave can provide those answers. REBECCA: What’s the matter… MARCUS? Cat got your tongue? DAVE: Rebecca… REBECCA: DON’T CALL ME THAT! MY NAME IS TIA LOVETT! DAUGHTER OF JETHRO LOVETT - THE MAN YOU MURDERED! Her tears get the better of her. She lowers the gun, and squats down on the floor, sobbing desperately. REBECCA: You took EVERYTHING from me. * sobs* I was six years old, and you blew my world apart! DAVE: *also sobbing* I live with that every day! I can never put right… what I did. I can never tell you how sorry I am. What I did… to you… is unforgivable. REBECCA: Then WHY? Again, Dave hesitates. He’s done enough damage to her. He doesn’t want to destroy her memories. But telling her the truth would help give closure… to BOTH of them! REBECCA: WHY? TELL ME MARCUS! I REALLLY WANT TO KNOW WHY YOU MURDERED MY FATHER! She stands back up, and points the gun at him again. DAVE: * slowly* Your father worshipped you! Anyone could see that. You were his only weakness. REBECCA: … And that made it okay to torture him to death? YOU BASTARD! DAVE: NO! * hesitates* You’re father… could be cruel. REBECCA: DON’T SAY THAT ABOUT MY DADDY! DAVE: Mollie… my daughter… was very sick. Doctors said she was dying… but they didn’t know why. They couldn’t diagnose her. All they said was… she had some kind of blood disease. I had to watch my daughter grow weaker every day. Do you know what that’s like? REBECCA: Try being a terrified six-year-old kid, watching your daddy getting tortured, bleeding, weaker every day, and losing the will to live! Try hearing the screams from your daddy as he gets beaten again. Try watching your daddy try to hide his pain from you. Try begging your daddy to talk to you, and not understanding that he CAN’T talk to you cos he dead… and you’ll never hear his voice again! Try watching the blood ooze from his neck! DAVE: I’m SO SO sorry, Tia! REBECCA: You’re sorry? Oh, well that makes everything alright then! * sarcastic* DAVE: My daughter was getting weaker from her strange blood disease, and no-one could tell me why. They couldn’t diagnose what was wrong… and they couldn’t cure her. Then I heard about your father’s clinic. Dr Lovett was researching blood diseases. I wrote to him, and he agreed to treat Mollie. It seemed like a dream come true. He took her to his clinic. REBECCA: So my father helped your daughter… and you killed him? DAVE: NO! * pause* It seemed like a dream come true… but it wasn’t! * pauses again* Your father was a cruel man. The fame he got from his research was more important to him than curing deseases. He lost all compassion… all he wanted was fame and glory. And my daughter… and all his other ’test subjects’ paid the price. He did unthinkable experiments on them… playing with their lives. He injected them with untested drugs, basically using the patients as guinea pigs. He refused to give them any pain relief. REBECCA; STOP IT! STOP LYING ABOUT MY DADDY! DAVE: I’M NOT LYING! He tested all sorts of drugs on my daughter and his other patients. He didn’t care about helping them at all! He just wanted some award for his research. * pauses* My daughter started having seizures… because of the drugs he gave her! She was in so much pain! She died in so much pain. I held her in my arms, as she took her last breath! REBECCA: SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP! * puts her hands to her ears, trying to block out Dave’s lies* DAVE: You were his ONLY weakness! You were the only thing he loved. REBECCA: WHY ARE YOU SAYING THESE THINGS ABOUT MY DADDY? DAVE: Because after my daughter died… I WANTED HIM TO SUFFER… TO KNOW WHAT HE HAD DONE! * sobs* I wanted him to feel the same pain I did! *sobs again* Grief makes people do horrible things... things they normally wouldn't dream of doing. But what I did to you… an innocent child… is unforgivable! I regret that every moment of every day. And I have NEVER forgotten! REBECCA: ENOUGH! ENOUGH OF YOUR LIES! YOU’RE A MONSTER! Rebecca raises the gun, pointing it right between his eyes. Her finger clenches. Mollie continues snarling, with Dave holding onto her.
Her finger tightens on the gun. She’s ready to pull the trigger… but she can’t pull the trigger. Something is stopping her. Tony taught her well… she’s an excellent shooter. She can hit an apple from 500 yards away. But shooting a human being is COMPLETELY different from shooting an apple, as Rebecca is finding out. And despite everything… even after all the things Dave has done... she can’t make herself pull the trigger.
She makes one more sob, then turns around, and runs from the house, into the night.
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Post by Frodo on Jan 13, 2018 23:12:33 GMT
A Street Bench, Somewhere In Misthaven…
After a sleepless night, Rebecca sits on the cold, hard street bench, watching the sun‘s first light slowly rise. The air is chilly, and Rebecca shivers. But she doesn’t care. She’s FURIOUS at Dave. No… ‘furious’ isn’t a strong enough word for what she’s feeling. HOW DARE Dave make up these lies about her daddy! Does Dave think he can say what he likes, cos her daddy isn‘t here to defend himself? Well, he’s NOT going to get away with it! She‘ll PROVE that Jethro Lovett is a GOOD man, who only wanted to help his patients! She’ll look for his clinic on the internet at the library - and she’ll prove it wasn’t some torture chamber, as Dave made out. And she’ll take that proof to Dave, and this time, she WILL shoot him! NO-ONE talks like that about her daddy!
She looks at her watch. She doesn’t know how long it will take her to walk to the library, but if she sets off now, it might be opening by the time she arrives. She can’t get the bus since she doesn’t have any money on her - she fled from Dave’s house yesterday with only the clothes on her back, and her gun, which is now hidden under her jumper. She pulls the sleeves of her jumper down over her hands, trying to stay warm, then starts walking.
Misthaven Library…
It’s taken her an hour and a half to walk to the library. It’s still not open yet, so she sits on a nearby bench. It’s a lot lighter now, and people are beginning to go about their daily business. She watches a robin cheekily dance around on the lamp-post as he sings his song.
Soon, the library manager appears, ready to open the library for the day.
MANAGER: Oh, hi there. *smiles* Haven’t seen you in the library recently. Let me guess… you want to use our internet?
REBECCA: *forces a smile* Yeah, there’s some important research I really need to check out.
MANAGER: *unlocking the library door* Well, come in. It’s chilly out here, today.
Rebecca follows the manager inside. She waits, as the manager turns on all the lights, turns the heating on, sets up the internet computers, and various other things. It feels like forever, before Rebecca is allowed on the computers, although it can’t have been more than 10 minutes.
She sits down with anticipation. It feels strange typing her father’s name into the search engine. But she’ll prove to Dave, that Jethro Lovett is no monster!
She starts by searching for ‘Jethro Lovett Clinic’, and a list of results come up. She clicks on the first one - it’s an advert for his clinic:
REBECCA: *smiles* See! My dad CARED about people! He wanted to help them!
She looks at the next result. It’s a newspaper report.
Rebecca frowns. These volunteers are wrong to try and bully her father by threatening his reputation. She looks at the next result. Another newspaper article.
REBECCA: *frowns again* No! That can’t be right - the newspaper got it all wrong! My dad wouldn’t do that!
The next result…
Rebecca is starting to feel sick. What a horrible way for Mollie to die! Could her father really be responsible for that?
She looks at the next result.
Rebecca almost bursts into tears. Her father… tortured people… in the name of science. She can hardly believe it. This is the man she worshipped!
She reads a few more results, each one saying much the same thing - her father was cruel, her father was ruthless, her father mistreated patients.
She can’t take any more. She runs from the library, and immediately throws up outside, from the shock. Everything she had known… everything she had believed in… her whole life… was a lie. Her daddy wasn’t some kindly saint who was wrongly tortured murdered by some maniac… he caused pain and suffering to others. The way he died was cruel and unjustified… but he wasn’t some innocent victim. No! It CAN’T be true! This is her daddy! She falls to her knees in tears.
Somewhere In Misthaven…
Three days pass. Rebecca hasn’t been back to Dave’s house - she’s been living on the streets again.
It’s starting to get dark. She flops down on a street bench, still trying to come to terms with what she found out about her dad. She just can’t get her head around it - how can her father so cruel?
She hears a voice calling her name. Is it a hallucination? Is she dreaming? Is it real? She can’t tell. Until a figure sits down on the bench next to her. She looks at the figure, and gradually makes out the form of Cam.
CAM: Rebecca, so this is where you’ve been hiding?
Rebecca looks at Cam, then looks back down at the ground, without saying anything.
CAM: You haven’t shown up at the diner for 3 days. Is everything okay?
Rebecca puts her hand up to her face, and bursts into a fit of sobs.
CAM: Hey, hey, hey, you don’t have to cry about it. I’m not going to fire you for not showing up. *puts a comforting arm around her*
REBECCA: *sobbing* Everything’s… such a mess. I don’t know what to do.
Cam looks at her, and realises that something serious is going on. Something more than just not turning up at the diner.
CAM: Look, the diner’s not far from here. Just a few blocks. Why don’t we go there, and we can talk?
Rebecca hadn’t realised she was near the diner. All she’s thought about for the last 3 days, is her dad, and the clinic. She hasn’t even eaten!
She nods. Cam helps her to her feet, and supports her as they walk to Pinky’s Diner.
Pinky’s Diner…
It’s after opening hours, but Cam unlocks the diner, and leads Rebecca inside. He sits her down at one of the tables, and then sits opposite her.
CAM: Okay, now what’s troubling you?
Rebecca pauses for a while. Then everything comes blurting out. Everything! Witnessing her father’s murder… her kidnapping by Tony… searching for the man who killed her dad… her need for revenge… discovering Dave’s true identity… being unable to hurt Dave… discovering the truth about her beloved father… everything!
REBECCA: *still sobbing* So I suppose you despise me now? After I tried to hurt Dave?
CAM: No! I don’t!
Cam shakes his head, as he pulls her into his arms, trying to comfort her.
CAM: What you’ve been through, all these years, I can’t begin to imagine. I am SO sorry you’ve been through all that! You were just a child when your father died. And as for this Dave… you DIDN’T hurt him. That says a lot about you! Despite everything that’s been done to you, despite what you saw Dave do to your dad… and to you… you couldn’t hurt a man who had helped you. And I don’t believe you could shoot anyone. I’ve seen you act tough… but you are not a killer!
REBECCA: But my dad was? All those people, in his clinic. Including Dave’s daughter.
CAM: I don’t know what drove him to do those things. I don’t have the answers Rebecca. But he was still your dad, and he still deserves your love.
REBECCA: I just… I don’t know what to do, Cam.
CAM: Go back, and talk to this Dave character? Maybe can give you answers.
REBECCA: But I pulled a gun on him.
CAM: I’m sure he’ll understand. You were a child when you witnessed the things he did.
REBECCA: …
CAM: Listen, it’s getting late. You look like you haven’t eaten for a while. Why don’t I cook you something? We’re in a diner, after all.
Rebecca nods weakly. Cam leads her through to the kitchen, and cooks her up a cheeseburger and chips. She munches it - she hadn’t realises how hungry she was, until now. Cam talks to her, as she eats.
CAM: Why don’t you stay here at the diner for tonight? It may not be very comfy for sleeping, but it’s better than outside in the cold. You can think things over, and see how you feel about Dave in the morning?
REBECCA: Aren’t you afraid I’ll steal all your takings?
CAM: No, I trust you Rebecca. *tries to cheer her up* Although I AM afraid you’ll steal all my burgers.
This makes Rebecca smile.
CAM: A smile? I must be doing SOMETHING right.
Rebecca nods. After bottling things up inside for so many years, it felt good to actually get it out in the open. And more than that… Cam hasn’t turned on her. He hasn’t judged her for threatening Dave. If anything, he feels bad for everything she’s been through.
CAM: I should be off now. I’ll lock up, so no-one can wonder in. But I’ll be back first thing in the morning.
Rebecca nods. Cam turns to leave. Rebecca calls him back.
REBECCA: Cam… thanks. I needed someone to talk to. And… thanks for the burger.
Cam hugs her again, hoping she knows he‘s on her side.
CAM: I’ll see you in the morning then.
Cam leaves the diner, and Rebecca sits back down at one of the tables, hoping to get some sleep tonight, and glad to be indoors where it’s warm.
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Post by Frodo on Jan 19, 2018 15:02:35 GMT
Pinky‘s Diner…
Morning comes all to soon. Rebecca had another restless night - her head’s too full of her dad, his clinic, the cruel experiments that went on there, her conflicting emotions with wanting to love the father she worshipped for so long and hating the truth about how cruel he really was, remembering the torture he suffered, yet he himself had tortured other people. And every time she closes her eyes, she sees the look on Dave’s face as she pointed the gun at him. Even now, she finds it hard to understand how the Dave she knows now… could be the Marcus that tortured her father for weeks, and even burned her with the red-hot poker. Then again, she doesn’t understand how her kind and gentle daddy could do those terrible things in his clinic. She wants to deny it - she wants to shout out ‘IT’S A LIE!‘… she had wanted so much for Dave to be lying… but all those internet articles can’t be wrong. Should she go back and talk to Dave, like Cam suggested? What if Dave just turns her away? What if he refuses to talk to her again? What if he turns her into the police because of the gun incident? She still has so many questions. She feels like her head’s going to explode!
Outside the diner, Cam hesitates. Rebecca’s revelation yesterday was a mind-blower! He’s shocked, and very saddened by it all. The emotional toll of witnessing her father’s murder must be horrendous! Yes, it’s disturbing that she wanted to kill someone… but given the circumstances, would he have been any different? Would anyone? No-one can answer that, unless they’ve walked in her shoes. And as he already told her, she didn’t pull the trigger, and THAT’S what counts.
He enters the diner, looks round, and sees Rebecca. CAM: * smiles* Morning Rebecca. REBECCA: * stands up* Cam, hi. CAM: *puts his hand on her shoulder* How’re you feeling this morning? REBECCA: Like my head’s gonna burst. * pause* Thanks for listening yesterday. CAM: You thought about what I said? About talking to this Dave person again? REBECCA: … I don’t know. I’ve been going over it and over it in my head, for days now, and there‘s still things I don‘t understand. And it’s still hard to believe what my father was capable off. I don’t know if I can face Dave again. CAM: Obviously, I don’t know him. But I know you, Rebecca. And if you don’t try and talk to him, you’ll never get the answers you need. You’ll always be wondering… ’Why?’ Rebecca bites her lip. Cam has a point - she NEEDS to know why. CAM: I was thinking though… where does your mum fit into all this? REBECCA: My mum? * pause* I’ve thought about her a lot over the years. But I couldn’t let myself dwell on it. I’ve had to just focus on Marcus… Rebecca’s voice trails off, and she looks down. Things are not so black & white anymore - Marcus is not the evil psychotic monster she thought him to be, and her father is not some innocent saint. TAP TAP TAP Someone is tapping on the door. Cam and Rebecca look, and see that it’s Anne. Cam goes to let her in. ANNE: REBECCA! * hugs Rebecca* You decided to give us another try, then? Of course! Anne must have wondered why Rebecca hadn’t been working at the diner for the last few days. REBECCA: * to Anne* Yeah, sorry, haven’t been feeling so good the last few days. ANNE: Well, it’s great to see you again. You still don’t look well, though. Anne looks at Rebecca’s pale face, not knowing that Rebecca‘s been sleeping rough on the streets again, and has barely eaten. And in that moment, Rebecca decides - she still needs answers from Dave, so she WILL go and see him again. REBECCA: Yeah, sorry. * looks at Cam* Cam… sorry about this, but could I have one more day off? Please? Cam smiles. He hopes this means that Rebecca is going to talk to Dave. CAM: * nods* Sure. Go and take care of yourself. Rebecca walks towards the exit. She leans on the door for a moment, before pushing it open.
Dave Woods House…
It’s a long walk to Dave’s house, but Rebecca finally arrives there. She thinks back to a few days previously, when she had confronted Dave about being Marcus, and then running from the house. She takes a deep breath, and knocks on the door. No-one answers. She knocks again. Still no-one answers. Rebecca frowns - is Dave okay in there? He’s not hurt, is he? No, wait, why should she care? He’s MARCUS, after all! But still… before she discovered his true identity, she was really fond of Dave. Oh, she’s SO confused!
Finally, Dave opens the door, still wearing his dressing gown. DAVE: REBECCA! Dave and Rebecca look at each other… neither knowing quite what to say. It’s Rebecca who first breaks the silence. REBECCA: Um… I need to talk. I still have questions. About my dad. He looks down at her hands - she’s not holding a gun this time. Good! DAVE: Of course, of course. Come in. Dave steps aside, and indicates Rebecca to come in. He doesn’t seem at all hostile, and angry. Is that good or bad? She isn’t sure.
Mollie appears at foot of the stairs. REBECCA: Hey Mollie. Here, girl. But Mollie doesn’t go to Rebecca. Instead, she sits down where she is, and watches Rebecca from a distance. DAVE: Mollie, shall we go into the living room, and chat with our dear Rebecca, before breakfast? MOLLIE: Woof. Pant, pant, pant. Mollie trots over to Dave, and then follows him into the living room.
Rebecca watches Dave as he leans heavily on his cane and hobbles through to the living room. It’s only been 3 days, but he seems frailer than she remembers.
He lowers himself into his favourite chair. Rebecca paces back and forth a few times. Mollie curls up at Dave’s feet, keeping a firm eye on Rebecca. DAVE: It is good to see you again Rebec… forgive me… TIA. REBECCA: * stops pacing, and turns to look at Dave* Dave, no gun this time, I promise. But I need to know… why did you kill my dad? Why did you torture him for weeks? Why did you torture ME? The questions come blurting out all at once. DAVE: * hesitates* I will always regret what I did to you. I have no excuses for my behaviour… only the truth. * pause* And the truth is… I was very close to my daughter. After she died in your father’s clinic… Dave pauses, and Rebecca can almost hear him saying ‘My daughter died at your father’s hands’. DAVE: … After she died, I lost all reason. All I could see, was anger. I didn’t know what I was doing anymore. * deep sigh* Something happened to me, Tia. After I lost my daughter, I became so depressed, I just couldn’t cope. And… I had a nervous breakdown. REBECCA: * gasps* A BREAKDOWN? DAVE: * nods slowly* It’s not something I’m proud of! It caused me to do some TERRIBLE things. Including hurting an innocent child - you! Rebecca stares at him. A breakdown! Marcus had a breakdown! She’s heard about nervous breakdowns - it affects a person’s mental ability to function in day-to-day life, and causes severe mood-swings. Could that have caused him to become a violent monster? DAVE: * continues* What I did to you, has haunted me every day, Tia. * strokes his brow* She paces again, before stopping, and turns to face him. REBECCA: But you killed my dad. There was a trial… DAVE: There was a trial, yes. The authorities say that they caught me with my feet dangling in a duck pond, of all things. *shakes his head* I have no recollection of that. I spent 6 months in prison, all the time being avaluated by a psychiatrist. Then they decided to put me in a psychiatric hospital. * pause* I was institionalised for 2 years. Much of it is a blur, but I do remember intense therapy. Psychiatric sessions. Countless medications before they found the right combination that worked. Slowly, a light appeared at the end of the tunnel. I still miss my daughter terribly, but I could see that murder, and torture, were not the answer. So Dave only spent 6 months in prison? 6 months for killing her dad? Was that the controversy she heard about? If so, she wouldn’t consider that he got off easy. The 2 years in a psychiatric hospital couldn’t have been much fun. And part of her feels sorry for him - she knows the pain and the anger and the desperate need for revenge that Dave experienced after losing a loved one. But then she remembers one thing. REBECCA: * shouts* BUT YOU CHANGED YOUR NAME! IF YOU HAD A BREAKDOWN AND WEREN’T RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS, WHY DID YOU CHANGE YOUR NAME? WHY HIDE THAT YOU’RE MARCUS YATES? She shouts, and points her finger at Dave. Mollie defensively jumps up, and lets out a low growl at Rebecca. DAVE: * to Mollie* Shhh, Mollie. Down girl. *scratches Mollie’s head* Dave pauses for a long time, close to tears. It’s clearly painful for him to think back to that time. Eventually, he raises his eyes to look at Rebecca. DAVE: I changed my name… because there was nothing left for Marcus Yates. My daughter was gone. My wife blamed me, and left me. Revenge on your father didn’t bring the satisfaction I thought it would. There was nothing left. So when I was released from the psychiatric hospital, I wanted a completely fresh start. Rebecca nods. So Dave lost his daughter AND his wife. Her father's actions towards Mollie caused a devastating chain of events that is still felt today. Dave became sick. He had a nervous breakdown, and THAT’S what changed him. REBECCA: Your wife... Mollie's mother... what was her name? DAVE: Her name was Genevieve. Ah, my beautiful Genevieve. REBECCA: Dave, I… I want to tell you… I researched my father’s clinic. I wanted to prove that you were lying, and my father was a GOOD man, with GOOD intentions. But… what I read… oh god, this is hard… I read about what happened to your daughter. And I’m so sorry for that. DAVE: You are not to blame for your father’s actions. You were only a child. REBECCA: I read about the things my father did… the experiments… mistreating his patients. You… you weren’t lying, Dave. DAVE: I’m sorry you found out that way. REBECCA: The man I read about on the internet… is not the same man I called Daddy. He’s not the man who picked me up when I fell, or comforted me when I cried. DAVE: I believe his love for you brought out the best in him. After I knew who you really were, I didn’t want to tell you what the doctor side of him was like. I didn’t want to destroy your memories of him. REBECCA: * sad* But I didn’t give you much choice, did I? When DID you know I was Tia? DAVE: * points to her tummy* When you revealed those scars. Knowing I caused them gives me deep shame. * rubs his brow again* Tia, you are perfectly entitled to want revenge against me. I hold no animosity towards you for that. But please… take it from someone who’s been where you are now… it does not ease anything. * pause* I am old, Tia. Older than my years. And I’ve spent the last 12 years regretting what I did to you. They talk for several more hours, letting out their guilt, their anger and pain, why he changed his name, why she changed her name… gradually understanding the other’s point of view. Afternoon arrives. Rebecca stands up. REBECCA: Dave… I should go. I should really find somewhere else to stay - I’ve been staying on the street for a few days. DAVE: My dear Tia, you are still welcome to stay here, if you wish. Rebecca looks at him. After their long conversation, she DOES feel closer to him again. But knowing his real identity, and fearing him and hating him for so many years, it will take time to truly feel at ease with him. And she’s not ready for that yet. REBECCA: Um, I don’t think that’s a very good idea right now. Besides, I don’t think Mollie would like me moving back in. * looks at the dog* DAVE: Where will you go? REBECCA: I’ll find a motel somewhere. DAVE: If I may… there’s a motel near the park where Mollie and I take our walks. I have never been in it, therefore, I cannot vouch for it. But it’s there, if you wish? REBECCA: * smiles* Thanks Dave, I’ll go an check it out. So after picking up her duffle bag from her old room, Rebecca leaves Dave’s house once again, this time, under better circumstances. Then she heads for the motel Dave mentioned.
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Post by Frodo on Feb 2, 2018 23:35:43 GMT
Blue Swallow Motel… Several days have passed. Rebecca moved into the motel that Dave mentioned. It’s more expensive than Nilo’s motel, but the owner is a lot friendlier. And she’s glad not to be on the streets anymore.
She’s still angry and confused about her father, and the experiments he performed in his clinic. But now she knows the truth, she can’t keep pretending he’s a saint.
After a hard day, working at Cam’s diner, she sinks down into a chair in her motel room. She grabs her duffle bag, and pulls out the photo of her dad. REBECCA: * deep sigh* Well, I found that man that murdered you, daddy. But I know the truth now. I worshipped you… I wanted vengeance for you. But you… you killed his daughter. * her voice trails off* I know Dave did some terrible things. He tortured you for weeks, and he burned me with the poker. But I can’t hold him to blame. He was grieving for his daughter. And he had a mental breakdown. Because of YOU, daddy! Because you wanted some stupid medical award! * pauses* How many more lives did you destroy? She closes her eyes for a moment. Why do things have to be so complicated? But even when she first discovered Dave’s true identity, she had trouble associating ‘Evil Marcus’ with ‘Kind, Friendly Dave’. BEEP BEEP BEEP… BEEP BEEP BEEP… BEEP BEEP BEEPRebecca’s eyes shoot open. It’s morning already - she fell asleep in the chair. She cricks her neck, stretches, yawns, then gets ready to go to Cam’s diner.
Pinky’s Diner…
She arrives at the diner, and Cam lets her in. CAM: * jokingly* So Rebecca… changed address recently? He’s referring to her staying at Capri Motel (Nilo’s motel), then the streets, then Dave’s house, then the streets again, and now Blue Swallow Motel. REBECCA: Not for at least… oh, 3 days now. * sticks her tongue out at him* He’s glad to see her happier again. And he’s VERY glad she hasn’t mentioned anything about wanting to kill Marcus again. CAM: So, ready for another fun-filled day at Pinky’s Diner? * grins* REBECCA: Yep. The day passes quickly. Until around mid-afternoon. Two young teenage boys enter the diner, and sit down. They’re clearly drunk, and they’re singing loudly… and off-key. They snap their fingers, demanding to be served. Rebecca walks over to them. BOY 1: Okay waitresh, we’s wants * thinks* 100 beers pleash. REBECCA: * raises her eyebrow* Oh, really? BOY 1: Yesh, really. And makesh it shnappy! BOY 2: And don’t forgets the poppadum * laughs loudly* REBECCA: I think you boys have had enough alcohol for one day. BOY 1: Are you… * hic* Are you refushing to sherve ush? Boy 2 leans over to whisper something in his friend’s ear… and falls off his chair. REBECCA: Yes I am. You’re both drunk, so I’ll have to ask you both to leave. BOY 2: And what… what if we don’t’sh? *climbs back onto his chair* REBECCA: * grits her teeth* I’ve asked you politely. Now if you don’t leave, I’ll have to call the police. BOY 1: And tell them whatsh? REBECCA: That you’re drunk and disorderly. That you’re disturbing the peace. And do I even have to check your ID? The boys look at Rebecca. They’re under-age, and if the police check their ID’s, there will be trouble. REBECCA: Again… are you going to leave now, or do I have to call the police? BOY 2: Who wants to shtay at thish crummy diner anyway? I bet the beer’s warm… and flat. * hic* The 2 boys stand up, start singing loudly again, and make their way to the exit.
Anne walks over to Rebecca.
ANNE: Nice work, Rebecca! * smiles* Rebecca can still handle tough customers when she has to.
Eventually, closing time comes. Rebecca, Anne, and Louise wait, as Cam does the cashing up. And without Marcy’s tricks, things tie up nicely.
When she leaves the diner, Rebecca doesn’t go straight home. She makes a detour to the park, before making another stop-off. Dave’s House…
She hasn’t seen Dave for a few days, so she decides to visit him again this evening. He greets her with a friendly smile. DAVE: So good to see you again, Rebe… Tia! My goodness, I must remember to call you Tia. * chuckles* He leads her into the living room, and they both sit down. Mollie curls up at Dave’s feet, of course, keeping an eye on Rebecca. REBECCA: * holds up the paper bag she acquired in the park* Um, I got some… *glances at Mollie, then back at Dave* H…O…T…D…O…G…S. One for you, one for me, and… a peace offering for Mollie? DAVE: Why, thank you Tia. * chuckles* Rebecca had spelled the word out, as she remembers Dave telling her Mollie would get offended, since she was a dog. REBECCA: * looks at Mollie* What do you say, Mollie? Will you accept my peace-offering? Rebecca breaks a bit off hot dog off, and holds it out to Mollie. Mollie stands up, and gives a little whine. She wants the treat, but she’s still not sure about Rebecca. REBECCA: Come on, girl. Can’t we be friends again? Mollie takes a step forward, and sniffs at the hotdog. She looks up at Dave, who nods, then takes another few steps towards Rebecca. She gently takes the hotdogs from Rebecca’s hand, and swallows it. REBECCA: *rubs Mollie’s nose* There we go… *smiles* Rebecca breaks off another bit of hotdog, and holds it out for Mollie, who gobbles it up quickly this time. DAVE: * smiles* Ahhh. She can’t resist a treat. * pause* So how have you been, since we last spoke? REBECCA: Confused. I still can’t believe my dad did all those horrible things in his clinic. I WANT to love him, cos he’s my dad. But… what he did to your daughter, and his other patients… I hate that! DAVE: It is understandable that you are loyal to him. REBECCA: I still hate what he did to your daughter. And Dave… I’m sorry about the whole gun thing. DAVE: You were upset. You had just discovered my terrible secret. REBECCA: Gawd, how are you not furious with me? DAVE: Because you still grieve for your father. I understand the terrible price grief can have. Besides, I have wronged you, Tia. And no amount of words can express my regret for that. REBECCA: … I know what I said to you before… about calling me Tia. But I understand the need sometimes, to begin again… Sometimes… when the past holds too many bad memories… it’s better to start again… with a new name… a new identity. * clears her throat* What I’m trying to say, is that… I’m not ‘Tia’ anymore. I’ve changed… too much has happened to me. So I’d like it if you went back to calling me ‘Rebecca’. DAVE: * smiles* Rebecca! I'd like that very much! He holds out a hand of friendship to her, and she takes it. Mollie watches, and gives a little bark. She doesn’t fully understand what’s been going on, but if her master accepts Rebecca again, then so does she. Another 2 weeks pass. Rebecca enjoys working at Cam’s diner. And several times, in the evening, she’s visited Dave. They’ve become firm friends again. Sometimes they talk about his daughter, or her dad. Sometimes they talk about what’s on TV. Sometimes they just chat about nonsense.
Mollie trots up to Rebecca, and rolls on her back, showing her tummy. REBECCA: * laughs* You daft thing, Mollie. You want me to rub your tummy? MOLLIE: WOOF! Whine. Rebecca laughs. She's glad Dave and Mollie have accepted her as a friend again. She gets down on the floor, and tickles Mollie’s tummy. Dave watches from his chair. DAVE: Rebecca… now that you and Mollie are friends again… would you like to move back in here? REBECCA: Haha. I’m sure you could do without me moving back in. DAVE: Well, it HAS been strange… since you left, things haven’t been moved around when I wake up in the mornings. * has a twinkle in his eye* REBECCA: * looks down* I guess you know that was me? I’m so sorry, Dave. DAVE: * leans across, and puts his hand on her shoulder* You have nothing to be sorry about, dear Rebecca. * pauses* So, what do you say? Would you like to live here again? I could do with the company. Rebecca thinks for a moment, and then nods. REBECCA: You know what? I’d like that, Dave. I've missed living here. * smiles* DAVE: Oh, how wonderful! * smiles brightly* Rebecca looks up at Dave, studying him closely. Wanting to hurt him, and get revenge for her father, is now the furthest thing from her mind. The psychotic monster she has feared for so long… is just a man! A broken man, full of grief and remorse for his daughter, and the torture he inflicted on an innocent young child - Tia! REBECCA: * slowly* You know… I’ve been so afraid of you for so long. I‘ve hated you for so long. You became… a monster to me. But you’re not. You’re not a monster. You’re just human… like the rest of us. You're sweet, kind-hearted Dave. And losing your daughter… because of my father… took a HUGE toll on you. * long pause* You're not a monster! I forgive you. DAVE: OH! Oh my! Dave chokes up, as he struggles to control his emotions. A tear trickes down his cheek. She forgives him for what he did to her as a child… for all the pain he caused her... for torturing her dad... everything. REBECCA: Dave? Are you okay? DAVE: * nods* You… you forgive me? I never thought I would here those words. I've dreamed of it so many times, but I never thought… never thought you would really forgive me… * chokes up with emotion* Rebecca stands up, and wraps her arms around him to hug him. REBECCA: * smiles* I forgive you, Dave! Finally! After so many years of hurt… two broken souls… connected by such tragedy and unbearable pain… can come together. Two broken souls can find comfort in each other, and help each other heal.
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