Risk

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