—just to talk to me.
MATHEW
Be with me. Up here.
CHLOE
(to GREG/MATHEW) Thanks for waiting.
(to audience) We go back to the main room. I can't stop staring at him. In this room. Surrounded by—
GREG
Colleagues.
MATHEW
Memories.
CHLOE
And he won't stop—
MATHEW
Telling stories.
GREG
Jokes.
CHLOE
Trying to impress—
MATHEW
Her.
GREG
Everyone around me.
CHLOE
He makes me kind of sad.
GREG
(to CHLOE) Can you believe what he said at dinner?
CHLOE
None of it's real.
MATHEW
(to CHLOE) And this one I got from my mum when I was ten.
CHLOE
He's alone. Totally alone. I can see it in his shoulders. In the way he—
GREG and MATHEW wipe sweat off their foreheads in the same way.
—so you won't notice the sweat on his forehead.
GREG and MATHEW both massage their necks.
No real friends. No family. No one. Except me.
MATHEW
(to CHLOE) Dance with me.
MATHEW takes her arm.
GREG
(to CHLOE) Dance with me.
GREG pulls her away.
CHLOE
What? No. I don't know how.
GREG/MAT
I'll teach you.
CHLOE
No. Mathew—
MATHEW
(to audience) She said my name again. Like that.
GREG
It'll be fun.
He puts his hand on her back.
CHLOE
(to audience) He put his hand on my back again. Like that.
GREG
(to audience) Everyone's staring at us again. Like that.
(to CHLOE) Come on, all you wanted to do was go dancing.
GREG/MAT
Please?
Both men have their hands out. She first looks at MATHEW and then grabs GREG's hand.
MATHEW
Now the lady puts her left arm on the man's shoulder.
She puts her left arm on GREG's shoulder.
And her right arm holds his hand.
CHLOE
Like this?
GREG/MAT
Perfect.
MATHEW
And then my left leg goes forward—
GREG
And your right goes back.
CHLOE
Am I doing okay?
MATHEW
You're a natural.
GREG
You're… very good.
MATHEW takes CHLOE from GREG.
MATHEW
You know how I got so good at dancing? On Saturdays, when my dad was gone, my mum used to put a dress on and lipstick and earrings and she'd turn on the radio and whip me around and say, "Dance with me, Mathew. Dance with me like you love me."
GREG takes her.
GREG
Where did you learn to dance like this?
CHLOE
I didn't. I don't know—
GREG
You're very good.
Beat.
How often did you go upstairs? When you were with him.
CHLOE
What? Are we working now?
GREG
Of course not. This is off the record. We're just talking. Like friends.
CHLOE
Friends.
Beat.
I made him take me. The first time it was a trick. I hid my food and so—
GREG
He didn't search your room?
CHLOE
He believed in privacy.
GREG
Didn't you get hungry?
CHLOE
It's just mind control. But you can't stop your body from showing it. So I looked sick. And that freaked him out. He thought I needed sun.
Was he still violent then?
CHLOE
No. I didn't let it happen.
GREG
How did you stop it?
MATHEW takes her from GREG.
MATHEW
This is nice of me, hey? Letting you upstairs. I'm pretty nice.
CHLOE
Totally.
MATHEW
You know how you dropped your fork at dinner? If I did that when I was your age, my dad would have screamed in my face. But I didn't get mad at you, did I? And when you put your elbow on the table? My dad would have thrown you across the room. But I'm not like that.
CHLOE
Were you scared of him?
MATHEW
I didn't have to be. I was an expert on knowing when the storm was coming. Mum called it my superpower. The second he walked in I'd sniff him out. Within three seconds—
GREG takes her.
CHLOE
Within three seconds I knew how to act. Sweet. Tough. Motherly. Like a child. Smart. Silent. It was my superpower.
GREG
How would you know?
MATHEW takes her.
MATHEW
Little things. If he was swinging his arms or if they were crossed in front of him. If his hands were in fists or if he kept moving his fingers.
GREG takes her.
CHLOE
If his voice was up in his head or down in his throat. The direction of his eyebrows if—
MATHEW takes her.
MATHEW
—his mouth was twitching. If he kept tugging on his shirt or touching his hair.
GREG takes her.
CHLOE
Everything says something. You have to have senses like an animal.
MATHEW takes her.
MATHEW
It would be nice to have you up here more.
CHLOE
Really? Mathew, are you for real? I'd do anything.
MATHEW
I'd be watching you all the time. And you'd have to earn it. Do chores—
GREG takes her.
CHLOE
I did lots of cleaning. Cooking. I'm a good cook. On special occasions I made—
GREG
Special occasions?
CHLOE
Birthdays, Christmas, Easter… special occasions.
GREG
Would he buy you gifts?
MATHEW takes her.
MATHEW
If you're bad, if you try anything when I have you up here, what should I do? Say it. If I try to run…
CHLOE
If I try to run… you should lock me up again. And never let me back up. For the rest of my life.
MATHEW
I have your permission?
CHLOE
Totally.
Beat.
Now how often can I come up?
GREG takes her.
It was once a week at first. Then it was more. Then more.
GREG
Did he tie you up? Have a gun?
CHLOE
No.
GREG
Did you try to escape?
CHLOE
You'd think. But I had to be careful. You get upstairs and it's like you'll do anything not to lose the privilege. 'Cause it's almost like you're a normal person, right? Being out was like, I don't know, being in heaven. Can we go out like this mor
e often?
GREG
Sure. Maybe. Like to—
CHLOE
Wherever you want. Whenever. I'll do anything.
(to the audience) My heart beats faster and faster.
MATHEW takes her. To audience.
MATHEW
As she clings to me.
GREG takes her.
CHLOE
He holds me.
GREG
They gather to watch us.
MATHEW starts to take her. She's between the two men. Music ends.
GREG/MAT
Thank you.
To audience.
CHLOE
On the way out—
MATHEW
The way down—
GREG
Someone takes our picture. One last shot.
MATHEW
She gives me a hug.
CHLOE
He kisses my hand.
MATHEW
I don't force her.
CHLOE
He just does it.
GREG
They just want to.
MATHEW
I think about all of it…
CHLOE
His hand on my back. Walking me around the room.
MATHEW
The sun on her face. She looked older somehow.
GREG
People fighting to talk to me. Me. I didn't know I'd feel so—
CHLOE
Needed.
GREG
Wanted.
MATHEW
Loved.
(to CHLOE) Wait. Before you go to sleep—
Tell me you love me. Please. Now. Right now. Tell me.
CHLOE
Will you let me upstairs tomorrow morning? And then again at night?
MATHEW
Okay.
CHLOE
I love you. I love you so much.
GREG
Wait. Before you go—
I know I said tonight was off the record. But… you'd be okay with me using what you said. Right?
CHLOE
Will you take me to a movie some time? And we can go for supper first? Like friends?
GREG
Uh… sure.
CHLOE
You can use whatever you want. Night, Greg.
SCENE THREE
Shift. To the audience.
CHLOE
The night was—
MATHEW
—almost—
GREG
—perfect. I felt—
CHLOE
—almost—
MATHEW
—normal.
CHLOE
I don't want this to end.
MATHEW
How is this going to work? Her upstairs.
GREG
I can't mess this up. There's only four left. Go over everything she said.
MATHEW
Make a checklist of the entire house.
GREG
Starving herself to get upstairs.
MATHEW
Key locks on the windows.
CHLOE
Maybe we can start a new project when it's done.
MATHEW
Take out all heavy or sharp objects.
GREG
Cooking, cleaning, celebrating.
CHLOE
He doesn't have anyone else.
MATHEW
A schedule for when she's upstairs and when she's down. Practise drills for when someone comes to the door.
GREG
She says she wasn't tied up.
MATHEW
Get new clothes, a haircut.
GREG
No gun to her head.
MATHEW
I have to look good. Presentable. For her.
GREG
But that doesn't make sense.
CHLOE
I want us to be more than friends.
GREG
She has to be lying.
CHLOE
I want us to be—
MATHEW
I want her to look at me like—
GREG
And if that's the case—
CHLOE
Boyfriend and girlfriend.
GREG
How do I get to the real story?
CHLOE
How do I do that?
MATHEW
I fall asleep dreaming about—
CHLOE
What it's going to be like.
GREG
I wake up at 8 a.m. to the sound of my phone ringing. Our nation's biggest magazine. They want to set up an interview. They want to do a story on me. My life, my interests, my opinions. Me. The Man Behind the Girl.
CHLOE
(imitating radio host) "Our phone lines are open. Tell us what you think."
I wake up to the sound of angry voices on the radio.
(imitating public) "I was okay with it when she was still screwed up or whatever, but now that we know she's going out every night? The secrecy is totally not acceptable."
GREG
I'm at the Starbucks before work when I hear the woman say it. I look to see what she's talking about. On the front page… A huge picture. Me and her. At the gala. The entire front page.
CHLOE
Caller after caller.
GREG
(imitating public) "What are the police doing? At least this writer is trying different ways to get her to talk."
CHLOE
That's not why Greg took me. He wanted to take me.
GREG
(imitating public) "Who cares about the details? We still don't know who it is."
Beat.
Doesn't matter how much you give them. All they want is him.
SCENE FOUR
Shift. GREG's condo, MATHEW's house.
CHLOE
(to audience) He wants to see me more often.
MATHEW
(to audience) Each month I let her up a little more.
CHLOE
(to audience) Two or three times a week.
GREG
(to audience) I ask her more about being upstairs. Trying to get something. Some truth into what he did to keep her there.
MATHEW speaks to audience and CHLOE speaks to GREG, unless otherwise indicated.
MATHEW
Each time she's upstairs I give her a little more responsibility. So she can take ownership. Like it's her house.
CHLOE
I gave him shopping lists every week.
(to MATHEW) You can't forget vitamins this time. You don't want us to get sick, do you?
MATHEW
She takes care of me. It gives her purpose. Purpose keeps people happy.
CHLOE
I kept him happy by making us like a family. That was all he wanted.
MATHEW
I give her whatever she wants.
CHLOE
The more he thought I considered him like a dad, the more comfortable he thought I was.
MATHEW
Give her what she wants, the more comfortable she'll be.
CHLOE
The more comfortable he thought I was, the less he watched me upstairs.
MATHEW
The more comfortable she is, the scarier it is "out there."
CHLOE
The less he watched me, the better my chances of getting out.
MATHEW
The scarier it is "out there," the more she wants to be with me.
CHLOE
Get it? I was—
MATHEW
&nb
sp; I am—
MAT/CHLOE
—in control.
CHLOE
Get it?
Beat.
GREG
(to CHLOE) The better your chances of getting out? But it was six years—
CHLOE
I had to wait for the perfect moment.
To the audience.
GREG
And that's the only explanation she'll give. So I write it in a way that people will read between the lines, understand that obviously things were worse than she's letting on. The violence, the sex, the abuse, it's all coming. A girl who controls her kidnapper, who walks free, who tries to make him happy, like a family? Surely they'll see through that, right?
Wrong.
CHLOE
He writes about my tricks to get upstairs. To stay upstairs. How I was in control of Mathew. How I made Mathew give me whatever I wanted. He shows how strong I was. It's inspiring. Perfect.
Almost.
GREG
All they read is—
(imitating public) "Upstairs?"
CHLOE
(imitating public) "She was upstairs?"
GREG
(imitating public) "Would just tell him what she wanted."
CHLOE
(imitating public) "Controlled him."
GREG
(imitating public) "Doesn't sound all that bad."
CHLOE
(imitating public) "No wonder she didn't want to come home."
GREG
People are turning on her.
CHLOE
People are stupid.
GREG
Soon they're going to turn on me.
CHLOE
They're not even trying to understand.
GREG
The police are questioning me again, turning up the pressure, so I have to turn up the pressure on her. If she's not going to give me the real story then maybe I need to change my focus. If I can get enough information from her, enough details, then realistically… I could just find him myself. Imagine that… if I found him myself…
(to CHLOE) What kind of job did he have?
GREG and MATHEW are both speaking to CHLOE. CHLOE is speaking to GREG.
MATHEW
How are we going to celebrate my day off?
CHLOE
Labour. But it was creative.
MATHEW
I don't want to waste it. We have to have fun.
GREG
What about fun?
CHLOE
Checkers. Hearts.
MATHEW
There's that new card game you like so much. Or we could read—
GREG
What kind of books did he like?
MATHEW
—your new mystery book.
CHLOE
He loved the way his heart beat when he didn't know how it was gonna end.
GREG
The adrenalin rush. My favourite. So would he go to the library or bookstores?
CHLOE
Both. He liked used bookstores.