Wearing Their Skin

INT. AUGUST TWENTY-NINTH - ELEVEN AM

Everyone is seated in the living room.

ASPEN
[turns to Journey] Why aren't we at school?

WILLOW opens her mouth to speak but LUCA interrupts.

LUCA
Yea, I wanna see Charlie!

STYX glowers at LUCA.

JUPITER
We've already established you are forbidden to have anything to do with Charlie.

WILLOW
I have called you all here to the first Family Meeting in five years! [unenthused looks from everyone] Yaaaay!

MERCURY
It has been brought to our attention, that there are a lot of secrets--

LUCA
I think you mean, lies. [pointed look at STYX]

LILITH
[under breath] Can someone please slap her?

STYX
I'll do it. [begins to get up]

HADES pushes her back down.

JUPITER
[low growl] Ahem.

They all fall silent.

AZLYN
And we need to address the elephant in the room.

WILLOW
Styx, we are so sorry that you have been dealing with this all by yourself. No eighteen year old should feel this way.

LUCA
Speak for yourself. I'm not sorry, I think she's a lying piece of shit.

SHARP CLAP

[clutching her cheek] Oh my god, you hit me! She hit me, do you see what she did! [turning to LILITH] Lilith you're supposed to be my twin, my sister!

LILITH
Styx is your sister too and yet you act like this. You're lucky it was me, Hades looks like he was going to let Styx beat the shit out of you.

JOURNEY & JUPITER
That's enough.

JOURNEY
We're here to address the things that everyone has been keeping on their chests.

AZLYN
You're not alone in this. Here, if you want to talk we are using this. [holds up an olive branch] I'll start. I feel like a bad sister because I've been too busy with my job to pay attention to my family.

[hands branch over to WILLOW.]

WILLOW
I feel like I'm not a whole person without Ryn.

[hands branch to JOURNEY]

JOURNEY
I was supposed to go to Australia, but I ended up staying here because I'm the main source of income.

[hands branch to JUPITER]

JUPITER
I hate that I always have to enforce the rules, I want to have some fun once and while too, but without rules, you guys can't function.

[hands branch to MERCURY]

MERCURY
I've been going to Anger Management classes and started meditating so I can communicate better. I also picked up a new hobby, track.

[hands branch to ASPEN]

ASPEN
I'm really scared about graduating early, I had a plan to just fail this year so I didn't have to.

[hands branch to HADES]

HADES
I'm falling behind in my studies (already) and I'm not sure I even want to go to college.

[hands branch to LILITH]

LILITH
I'm bisexual. I met this really cute punk chick at school, her name is Jett.

[hands branch to VESPER.]

VESPER
Fifth grade is so hard. All the younger kids look up to me as a role model now, but I just want to be a kid.

[hands branch to VENUS]

VENUS
Fourth grade is hard too. There's this guy at school, his parents are college teachers and he told me that Venus was a goddess of well, I forgot the word, but it means that girls are working the corner. And he's spreading it around and everyone is called me that word.

[hands branch to STYX]

STYX
I just want Luca to be safe.

[hands branch to LUCA]

LUCA
I want everyone to stop worrying about me and just trust me for once.

STYX turns to her and holds out her hand, LUCA gives her the olive branch.

STYX
I do trust you, it's him I don't trust. You're too trusting, you can't see what he really is and I never want you to see how he really is. I know how you feel, I felt the same way, but I want you to feel that way about someone who won't hurt you. I just want you to be safe.

CRASHING SOUNDS

Everyone jumps as men flood in.
A man flashes his badge and handcuffs JOURNEY. VESPER cowers behind JUPITER. LUNA is holding a crying VENUS. STYX pushes LUCA and LILITH behind her and HADES. ASPEN is in MERCURY's arms.

POLICEMAN
Journey Rain, you are under arrest for Ryn West's murder. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.

Takes her out stage right.

DETECTIVE Flavio walks in, WILLOW rushes over to him.

WILLOW
Detective! What's going on? Why is Journey being arrested?

DET. FLAVIO
It's pretty clear why she's been arrested. You guy's mom is a mechanic, she knew how to cut the brakes.

WILLOW
That's not enough to arrest her!

DET. FLAVIO
Journey was jealous of you and Ryn's relationship. With Ryn dead, you'd go back to the house, take over the financial business and she'd skip town and go to Australia.

WILLOW
How..how did you know the financial business and her want to travel? She just told us that she-- Oh my god, you bugged us. Let her go, she didn't do this!

DET. FLAVIO
It's out of my hands now. I'm sorry, Willow. [lets out a sharp whistle] Let's go boys.

They all walk out single file, stage right.

Everyone begins to panic.

JUPITER
Everyone calm down!

Everyone stops.

WILLOW
Styx, you brought all of my stuff here, right?

STYX
Yea, it's downstairs.

WILLOW rushes downstairs.