TO: FENRIR

EPISODE THREE: HALF CIRCLE

LOLA: They aren't even doing anything Mom.
LILY: Hun, it's just a big accident and there's nothing they can do about it. They're detaining Ms. Mills. They're sending Harrison's body off tomorrow after the funeral.
LOLA: They're just releasing it into space? That's a bit morbid right?
LILY: Well, apparently there's no where else on the ship. And since we've departed there's no where we can send him off too.
LOLA: Sad.
LILY: Yeah. Hope that this is the last of our hardships on this trip.
DALLAS: Hey Mom, can you come here for a second. I can't figure out how to turn this thing on.
LILY: Coming hun!
-
Mom brushed away to Dallas' aide. I sat with my eyes drowning in the vast purple ocean of space. My face, swollen with tears reflected off the glass, I had never noticed how stressed I looked. It's only been two days since we left earth and it seems like we should have stayed put.

FEMALE VOICE (from behind Lola): Excuse me, Lola right?
-
I was almost startled as the silence had almost set and dried in my brain and to be awoken again by a new voice made me jump.
-
LOLA: Oh, hi. Yes I'm Lola. You are...
FEMALE VOICE: Oh yeah sorry, I'm always awkward when meeting new people. I'm Danica, Danica Baker. I'm, or was, Harrison Mills' girlfriend.
LOLA: Oh my gosh I didn't know he had a girlfriend, I'm so sorry for your lost, Danica.
DANICA: No, uh please don't be sorry. If it wasn't for you then Harrison's Mom probably would have gotten away with beating him.
LOLA: I dunno. I just, (choked up) I just feel like... It was my fault...

(One day later)

LOLA: Ms. Mills what is going on.
-
My heart beat thumping in my chest. Heavy and warm. Harrison holding his breath. One eye closed from the purple swelling from his mothers fist. Neck tense from the knife held close.
-
MS MILLS: Stay back, or I will end this little piece of crap. I've got nothing to lose.
LILY (storming into the bathroom door followed by a huge crowd.): Lola, come here right now and let these men handle this.
MAN IN SWAT UNIFORM: Everyone just stay calm. Ma'am put down the knife and give the boy to me. He is very injured.
-
My eyes scanned the room. No one knew what to do. I took in a deep breathe and walked closer. Everyone in the room's eyes widened and gasped.
-
LILY: Lola stop! Please!
MS MILLS: What the hell are you doing? Do you want me to kill him girl?
HARRISON (voice washed with tears): Please, she'll kill me.
LOLA (stopping in her tracks with hands up): Listen. I'm about to get a little philosophical on you for a minute...
LILY: Lola no, not this right now.
LOLA: Mom, I can do this.
MS MILLS: Get on with it!
LOLA: Okay, do you like bears, Ms Mills?
MS MILLS: What is this?
LOLA: Well do you?
MS MILLS: Sure.
LOLA: Did you know that a parent bear will kill their cub to ensure they don't steal food? To rule out competition.
MS MILLS: And?
LOLA: See they do this out of fear. They're scared their child will become bigger and stronger than them.
MS MILLS: Okay what in the hell does this have to do with---
-
I took a step back, Harrison dug his hand behind his mother's wrist, pushing the knife away from his neck while she was confused by my philosophical nonsense. He turned around and pushed her at the shoulders against the porcelain tiles, staining blood on their alabaster coat. Knocked unconscious and limp to the floor. Harrison standing back with a look of pure disbelief and worry in his eyes. Shoulders tense and hands stiff. 
-
SWAT MAN: Detain both of them, boys. Bring them to the interrogation room after they're cuffed.

(Present)

DANICA: Wow. I could only see from the back of the crowd. I never even knew she did that too him. He would come to my house with bruises on his forehead. But he said it was from skateboarding accidents. I can't believe I never realized.
LOLA: So sad he had to hide it.
DANICA: Yeah it all makes sense now. Hey I did never make it into the interrogation room, I thought I saw you get dragged in there after they went in.
LOLA: Yeah they called me in after interrogating Ms Mills and Harrison.
DANICA: What happened? I know Harrison went ballistic on the officers but like what else.
LOLA: I'm not supposed to say. But you deserve to know. This has gotta stay between us, okay?
DANICA: Of course, anything for a little closure on what happened to Harry.

(One day later)

STANLEY: Hello Miss Witmore. Have you been enjoying your stay? Sorry to have to stick you with your brother in the bunk bed, gotta save room.
LOLA: What am I here for?
STANLEY: Oh okay. Skipping the small talk. You're one straight forward young lady. But I guess we can get into it. Listen what you just did back there was courageous, but dumb.
LOLA: Look I distracted her ass so that Harrison could get himself free. You meat heads putting a bullet in one of them would do nothing.
STANLEY: Well that kids self defense put his mother in a coma. That is a lot of money wasted on a "happy accident".
LOLA: So what are you saying? Are you gonna arrest Harrison and not his Mom?
STANLEY: Well our plan was to detain both of them. But further investigation says that Harrison needs to be... taken care of.
LOLA: What? He's just a kid! You can't do that.
STANLEY: Yes we can. We run things here.
LOLA: What are you gonna do to him?
STANLEY: That's classified. The story is that he lashed out on some of our officers, he was sedated, his body reacted to the sedation terminally. Easy as that. We can't have dangerous people like that on board of this ship.
LOLA: Seems like you're the dangerous ones.
STANLEY: We're trying to protect this vessel so we can ensure we arrive safely to the Fenrir Station! So I'm going to need you to keep shut about this or we can come up with another story for you. Now, go back to your mother, and take a nap.

(Present)

DANICA: Oh... (Choked up) oh my gosh (running into Lola's chest).
LOLA (slowly wrapping her arms around Danica): I'm so sorry Danica. So sorry.
DANICA: I just can't believe he's gone for a reason I didn't even know about! I feel so uneasy. I don't feel safe on this ship anymore.
LOLA: Me too. It's like I'm being held at gunpoint and forced to smile.
DANICA (moving back from Lola): We need to expose them. Everyone needs to know the truth.
LOLA: I agree. But not now.
LILY (from inside their room): Lola! Come here honey! I have a surprise for you!
LOLA: Listen Danica, find me during Lunch Hour tomorrow. We need to make sure we stay close. Go get some rest, this will all get better. I promise.
-
I walk into our room. Only lit by a warm red candle, giving the scent of cinnamon and apple and the glow of the TV.
-
LILY: Look who it is Lo!
LOLA: Dad?
VOICE FROM THE SCREEN: Hi Lola! You look so beautiful. I miss you all so much.
LOLA: Why are you so choked up, Dad?
DAMIAN: I'm just happy to see my family. Thank Da Vinci for setting us up with the interstellar video chat.
LILY: Yeah! So how are things? It's been weird without you.
DAMIAN: It's uh been okay.
LOLA: Is something wrong? Why do you keep looking in the corner?
DAMIAN: Oh nothing.
VOICE IN THE BACKGROUND OF SCREEN (quietly): Tell them.
LILY: Who was that?
DALLAS: Dad what's going on?
DAMIAN: Listen guys. I have very bad news. And I just want you to stay calm and I'm gonna figure it out. Okay?
LILY: Damian just tell us what the hell is happening!
DAMIAN: Okay. I'm, I'm not...
LOLA: You're not what?!
DAMIAN: I'm not coming to Fenrir.
LILY: What? What do you mean? Who is with you?
-
Distraught poured down my spine. A deafening fear overcame me. My eyes went a bit blurry as a man in a black hoodie with a gun at the back of my father's head moved into the frame of the screen.
-
VOICE FROM THE SCREEN: Hello Witmore family.
LOLA: Chester! What are you doing?
LILY: You know that boy?
LOLA: Yeah he goes to my school! Dad what's happening.
DAMIAN: Guys, they didn't let him on the flight.
LILY: What did he do?
CHESTER: They wouldn't let my disabled father on the damn first ship and I...
DAMIAN: He ended up breaking a guards leg. They wouldn't let him on the ship after that. And there's no room on the next flight for him. He wants my seat.
LOLA: Well screw him don't give it too him!
CHESTER: Except for he's the one with a gun pointed to his head.
-
My family sitting close, watching my father with a shotgun barrel digging into the back of his head. All of us contemplating what on earth to do, the screen is off. All of the lights in our room goes black. Everything dark but the light of the stars gives a small bit back to what we can see.
-
LOLA: What the hell is going on?
LILY: Ssh. Here that?
LOLA: Generator.
DALLAS: Mom I'm scared.
LOLA: Come here Dallas it's probably just a power trip.
-
The lights dimly rise up, I barely see the faint vision of my mother looking for a her INC device in her bag, and my brother digging his head in my stomach in fear.
-
INTERCOM VOICE: Attention all passengers of Da Vinci Ship 16. Everyone please lock your doors and stay in your dorms. This is not a drill. There is currently a breach in security. Please stay calm. Once again. This is not, a drill.