Teaser

Originally broadcasted 1/10/06

Fade In:

Int.

Watchers Council – Slayer Dorm Room – Morning

The room was dark. Only the faint silhouette of the screen of a laptop could be seen. The soft tap-tap-tap of typing on a keyboard was the only sound.

V.O., Shannon: “To: Slayerson@yahoo.com. From: Sheena2@clevelandcouncil.org. Subject: Hi Norm!”

Cut To:

Ext.

Watchers Council – Grounds – Same Time

In the over-bright morning light, dead brown grass glistened with a heavy winter frost.

 

 

Cut To:

Int.

Watchers Council – Slayer Dorm Room – Same Time

V.O., Shannon: “I finally got to see the new Potter movie last night. Robin took me.”

Cut To:

Ext.

Watchers Council – Grounds – Same Time

A pair of girls’ sneakers crunched through the frosted grass of the Council grounds.

V.O., Shannon: “I think he was a little bored. Or maybe he was just in a bad mood again, he was pretty quiet.”

Just above the sneakers, a girl’s hands came into view as she bent over.

V.O., Shannon: “Kinda hard to tell with him these days, but he seems to be doing better with his leg. Or lack of leg. Anyway, he walks pretty good by himself now. You can hardly notice. And your mom, well, birth mom, seems in a better mood lately. By the way, what do you call Faith? Sometimes we call her slave driver but that’s just between us, okay?<g>”

In the girl’s left hand was a small, dark garbage bag. In her right hand, she held a beat-up, yellow plastic bowl filled with something that looked like leftover scraps of steak or beef.

V.O., Shannon: “I know you can’t leave the house yet…”

The right hand hesitated for a moment, then set the bowl on the ground.

V.O., Shannon: “…but Andrew told me about a place that sells bootleg copies of all kinds of stuff.”

With her left hand, she placed the garbage bag completely over her right hand and extended her arm out past the bowl, using the bag as a glove.

V.O., Shannon: “I gave him some of my Christmas money, and he’s gonna see if they have Goblet of Fire, and if they do, he’s buying it for me so I can send it to you. I know it might not be the most honest thing in the world, but you should be able to see it too.”

There was something embedded into the frozen ground, a cold mass was indistinguishable until she pulled it up with her bag-protected right hand.

V.O., Shannon: “Just be sure to save it so we can watch it when I come down there.”

The frozen object made a ripping sound as it came up. It was the torn body of a possum.

V.O., Shannon: “Hope it’s warm in Atlanta. I’m freezin’ my slayer butt off up here.”

Quickly, with her left hand, she pulled the sides of the garbage bag around the dead carcass. Both hands tied off the bag.

V.O., Shannon: “See ya. Gotta go strap on the feedbag and take care of my new pet project outside.”

The tapping on the keyboard stopped. After a few mouse clicks came the sound of the laptop lid closing.

The girl’s hands disappeared as she stood. Her sneakers stood motionless on the grass for a long moment before moving out of sight. The sound of footfalls crunching on the frosty grass slowly faded into silence.

A few beats later, a heavy pair of men’s leather boots came and stood right where the girl had been. Jeans-clad legs bent at the knees as the man squatted, resting his arms on the top of his thighs and folding his hands neatly.

He reached out with his right hand, and with one finger on the rim of the bowl, he tipped it toward himself to peer into it. Then he lifted his finger off, allowing the bowl to rock back into a level position on the frozen ground. He hesitated a few seconds. His hands disappeared as he straightened and walked away, leaving behind the bowl of food scraps.

Black Out