Season 2, Episode 3

INT. FARMHOUSE, MAYLA’S ROOM – DAWN

A small room with one bed, a window, a desk, and a wooden bed. Mayla’s beret & an analog clock lie on the desk. The clock says 5:30. Mayla sleeps soundly in bed.

Mayla smells something. She wakes confused.

INT. FARMHOUSE, STAIRCASE – DAWN

Mayla follows the smell to the kitchen.

INT. FARMHOUSE, KITCHEN – DAWN

Gale cooks breakfasts. She’s making omelets.

Mayla walks in.

GALE: Mornin. Did I wake you up?

MAYLA: It’s okay. I’ve never been woken up to the smell of breakfast before.

GALE: And everyone said grandpa was crazy, but I tell ya, it works.

MAYLA: No. It’s just that I usually cook breakfast. I’m always the first one up in the morning.

GALE: Well a farmer’s day starts before the sun and so does breakfast.

MAYLA: Do you need some help?

GALE: I’m almost done. Do you like to cook?

MAYLA: Housework seems like the only thing I’m good at.

GALE: Don’t undermine yourself like that. I’m sure you’re good at lots of things.

MAYLA: It’s all right. I actually quite enjoy cooking.

GALE: If you like it, how about helping me tomorrow? I can even show you some family recipes.

MAYLA: Sure.

GALE: All right. Go ahead and take a plate. Luegon doesn’t eat until after he does his morning chores.

MAYLA: Thank you. (grabs a plate) What does Uncle Luegon do in the morning?

Mayla grabs a glass.

GALE: Depends on the day. Might be milking the cows, collecting eggs… I know he’s not doing work on the machines. He normally eats before doing that. Be there all morning if he did.

MAYLA (pours orange juice): Sound hard.

GALE: We don’t mind. Puts bread & potatoes on the table. Though, with you girls here, we could use the extra hands.

MAYLA (sits down): Really?

GALE: It’s a big farm and a big farm needs a lot of hands, especially in the fall. Want to know what me & Luegon have planned for you girls today? (pause) We’re going to show all of y’all around the farm. How does that sound?

MAYLA: Sounds fun.

Mayla eats her breakfast. Gale continues making breakfast.

Shiro enters kitchen.

SHIRO: Grandma’s three-spice wake-up omelets?

Mayla freaks at the spiciness of the omelet.

GALE: Think your girls will like ‘em?

Mayla chugs her orange juice.

SHIRO: If you have enough milk…

Mayla fans her mouth out.

SHIRO (CONT’D): No paprika for Kobai. Terrible allergy. Don’t even ask.

GALE: I’ll keep that in mind.

SHIRO (to Mayla): You okay?

MAYLA: I dived right in.

GALE: Sorry ‘bout that, sweetheart.

Shiro heads outside.

INT. COW BARN – DAWN

A modern-day, small cow barn with about 20-30 cows and a few calves inside. A milking machine runs down one side.

Luegon checks the machine.

Shiro comes in.

SHIRO: Tough year, huh?

LUEGON: Yep, and I got a pickup today.

SHIRO: Sell a few?

LUEGON: Yeah. Most of ‘em were getting close to that time. What’s your plan for today?

SHIRO: Figured I’d help out while I’m here.

LUEGON: You still remember how this hunk of junk works?

SHIRO: Pa practically beat it into me.

LUEGON: Think you can check the gauges?

SHIRO (heads for gauges): Right on it.

Shiro runs a test to make sure the gauges work.

INT. FARMHOUSE, KITCHEN – MORNING

Kobai, Calif, Ni have breakfast with Gale & Josiah. Mayla places some dirty dishes in the sink. Ni scarfs her food down.

NI (full mouth): This is really amazing!

Kobai chokes at how spicy her omelet is.

KOBAI (choking): Not your usual breakfast omelet.

Kobai guzzles a glass of milk. Mayla grabs two plates.

GALE: That good, huh?

MAYLA: I’m going to give these to Xena. I don’t think she ate last night.

GALE: Tell her there’s more if she wants some.

Mayla leaves the house.

GALE (CONT’D): Speaking of sisters, when is… Mi going to wake up?

KOBAI: Mi is what you would call “a lazy bum.” The only reason she is out of bed by 9 on the weekends is because Mayla cleans up around then.

GALE: That’s pretty late. Though I guess y’all city girls don’t have to work from dawn to dusk.

NI: And there’s also the fact that she and dad got in a fight and was the one who caused the fire.

GALE: I thought it was faulty wiring.

KOBAI: A mere convenience for an unfortunate situation.

GALE: I suppose problems come with raising children in general.

Calif belly-snacks with a pouty face. Gale looks over to the interesting ritual.

INT. BARN – MORNING

Mayla pushed the main door open.

MAYLA: Xena, breakfast.

Xena pops her head over the side.

MAYLA: It’s only me.

Xena climbs down the ladder.

Mayla comes over to the ladder. A crate sits nearby. Mayla places the plates on the crate.

Xena sits on a small box and eats.

MAYLA: There’s some orange juice inside. Do you want me to grab some for you?

Xena nods yes.

MAYLA: Aunt Gale’s going to show us around today. Do you feel like meeting her?

Xena stops eating. Mayla can tell that Xena is not ready to meet anyone.

MAYLA: It’s okay. You don’t have to push yourself. She is family. I’m sure- I know she wants to get to know you.

Xena lowers her head.

MAYLA (scoots out): I’ll go get you that orange juice. If you need anything, just come by the kitchen. The back door leads straight to it. (in doorway) See you at lunch.

Mayla closes the door.

Xena looks off at the door. Her stomach growls.

INT. FARMHOUSE, MI’S ROOM – DAY

Mi lays in bed. She does not look eager to do anything.

CRASH Ni lands on top of Mi.

NI (jumps on bed): Morning time! Morning time! Morning time! (on top of Mi) Wakey-wakey! (

No response.

NI: I said- (extreme massage) WAKEYWAKEYWAKEYWAKYEWAKEYWAKEYWAKEY~

Gale & Kobai watch from outside the room. Gale feels sorry for Mi but relates.

Mi pretends to be dead. Ni thinks that Mi is not yet awake.

NI (conniving): Well, if you are still not awake~

Kobai pushes Gale back.

ZAP Ni shocks Mi.

NI (shocking Mi): GOOOOOOD MORNING!

Ni cuts her flow of electricity. Gale’s jaw is practically supported by the floor.

Nor response.

NI (quick shock): Wakey. (quick shock) Wakey. (quick shock) WAKEY!

Mi turns over to see Ni on top of her. Ni puts her arms on her sides.

MI: Are you sick?

Ni does not follow.

MI (turns back over): You use more voltage back home.

NI (grabs Mi): ARE YOU MOCKING MY CONDUCTIVITY!

Mi shoved Ni and drops back into bed.

Ni drags Mi out of bed.

NI: Come on.

INT. FARMHOUSE, 2ND FLOOR – DAY

Ni drags Mi out of her room.

NI (CONT’D): You are missing some of the best omelets since Mayla’s. You have got to try them.

Ni drags Mi down the staircase.

GALE: Now I know what Shiro was talking about.

KOBAI: Full Disclosure: I am telekinetic.

EXT. COW BARN – DAY

Shiro & Luegon head on up to the farmhouse.

SHIRO: What time is the truck suppose to get here?

LUEGON: About 10. That gives us an hour or so to eat.

SHIRO: Is Crazy Dan still picking it up?

LUEGON: He’s running the place now.

SHIRO: Really? Crazy Dan? Running a milk factory?

LUEGON: I don’t believe it myself. His nephew normal does pickups. Might can ask him how Dan’s doing.

SHIRO: I can already guess: the same but with more money.

LUEGON: Yep. I’d hate to be at his will reading.

EXT. FARMHOUSE – DAY

Gale brings the girls outback. Mayla, Ni, Kobai, & Calif come out of the back.

GALE: Well girls, here we are.

The girls look around.

Close to the house is a horse pin. Going from closet to further, the main barn, which looks worse in the light, the cow barn where Shiro & Luegon are walking from, another shed, and another house for farm hands to stay in.

NI: How far is this yard?

GALE: It’s only about 350 acres. A little bit small-

Ni burst off to the edge of the farm.

NI (O.S.) (distant): THIS PLACE IS AMAZING!

Calif points out the other house.

CALIF (points): Does someone else live here?

GALE: That’s a house where helpers live in when they work. It’s good not to be too close all the time. (points out shed) Next to it is the shed. (points out cow barn) And your dad and Uncle Luegon just came out of the cow barn.

LUEGON (passing by): And are about to eat.

SHIRO: Mi still in bed?

Luegon walks inside.

KOBAI: Our unpunctual sister took an omelet and retreated back to her hole.

SHIRO: And Ni?

KOBAI: Possibly the Arctic.

NI (O.S.) (distant): THIS PLACE HAS A LAKE!

SHIRO (walks to door): You girls behave for your Aunt Gale. I’m going to help Uncle Luegon.

MAYLA: We will.

Shiro walks inside.

A horse nay catches the girl’s attention.

Two horses walk into the pin attached to the stables. One is white with spots and the other is a chestnut brown.

Mayla & Calif are lovestruck.

CALIF: Horses.

GALE: Yep. We have a few of those. The one with the spots is Yuki and the brown one is Charlie.

MAYLA: They are so pretty.

A wet Ni dashes up.

NI: What, what, what are we looking at?

Ni spots the horses.

The horses look at Ni.

NI (evil aura): Ah, my eternal rivals. Finally, I can claim my spots as the fastest in the area.

Ni maniacally sneers at the horses.

Gale has never seen anything like this before. Kobai looks as if she is about knock Ni out.

INT. BARN – DAY

Xena explores the rafters. She finds a window that looks towards the house.

Xena peers out the window.

EXT. HORSE STABLE – DAY

Mayla, Kobai, Calif, Gale, & Ni with a knot on her head stand by the horse pin. Gale calls one of the horses over.

Mayla pets his snout.

EXT. BARN – DAY

Xena watches her sisters with the horses. She wants to go outside but is still not comfortable with Aunt Gale.

INT. FARMHOUSE, MI’S ROOM – DAY

A dirty plate lies on the floor with a half-empty cup of milk on top.

Mi lies in bed on top of the covers.

Outside the room, the stairs creek.

LUEGON (O.S.) (muffled): How long did it take your girls to get out of napping?

SHIRO (O.S.) (muffled): They hatched as four-years-old. I didn’t have to deal with the earlier stages.

The conversation catches Mi’s ear.

LUEGON (O.S.) (muffled): Gale thinks we should stop, though he’s a hand full.

INT. FARMHOUSE, 2ND FLOOR/EXT. MI’S ROOM - DAY

Mi cracks the door open and peers out into the hallway.

LUEGON (O.S.): It’s not easy to watch a toddler when you’re working the fields.

POV Mi sees Luegon going into Josiah’s room. Shiro stands in the hallway.

SHIRO: Preteens aren’t any easier.

LUEGON (O.S.): Yeah. That one seems like she’s another problem.

Luegon comes out carrying Josiah.

SHIRO: I don’t even know where to begin.

Luegon walks to staircase. Shiro follows.

SHIRO (CONT’D): If she keeps it up, I just know she’ll be somewhere worse.

LUEGON (walks downstairs): Prison?

SHIRO (stops at staircase): Far worse.

Shiro walks downstairs.

INT. FARMHOUSE, MI’S ROOM – DAY

Mi stands at her door, peering through the small crack.

SHIRO (O.S.): I don’t even want to imagine it.

Mi stands at her door, alone in her room.

INT. HORSE STABLE – DAY

A quaint little stable with eight horses. Seven saddles lie on the other side with the horses they fit on.

From the entrance down are six horses: a brown one with a white main, a Clydesdale with a white patch on his left eye, a blue one, two gray one, and a black one that is pregnant.

Mayla, Kobai, Calif, Ni, & Gale come inside the stable. Mayla & Calif are amazed by the horses.

CALIF: So pretty.

NI (menacing): Yes, that’s exactly what they want you to think.

Kobai whacks Ni in the face.

CALIF: Do these have names as well?

GALE: Yep.

The brown horse nudges Gale. Gale pets him.

GALE (CONT’D): This one here is Grazer. He was my dad’s favorite. On down, we have Orion, Mavis, Luck, Silver, and-

The black one tries to sit down.

Gale rushes over. The girls follow.

The horse lies down.

GALE (relieved): Thought it was time.

CALIF: What’s wrong?

GALE: Nothing yet. Terry’s about to become a mother.

Calif, Ni, & Mayla are confused.

KOBAI: She’s pregnant.

NI: It’s a girl!?

KOBAI: You being surprised isn’t unusual, but I thought they would have already taught you that Mayla.

MAYLA (confused): Come again?

GALE: Apparently, your father does not know how to do the talk.

KOBAI: Still, isn’t it a bit late in a horse’s time frame to still be pregnant.

GALE: We’re not so sure why. We found Terry tearing up the fields one day.

KOBAI: She’s untamed?

GALE: Must have wondered from a wild heard. She’s can’t go far on her own. She’s not as bad as she sounds but for the most part, she’s not fit for riding, even after the little comes.

MAYLA: She’s still pretty.

NI (dubious): That’s what they want you to think.

Kobai get in position to strike Ni.

BEEP BEEP Reverse lights go off outside.

EXT. COW BARN – DAY

A tanker truck pulls up to the side. Luegon & Shiro greet the driver.

TANKER DRIVER: You got help already?

LUEGON: Family visit. My brother-in-law here said he’d help. Where’s Steven?

TANKER DRIVER: Day off.

SHIRO: I guess I’ll see him next pickup.

Luegon & Shiro hook up the tanker to a storage tank.

EXT. HORSE STABLE – DAY

Kobai, Mayla, Calif, & Gale look over at the tanker.

In the background, Ni stares at the horses.

KOBAI: I assume this is going to be a daily occurrence.

GALE: The milk gets picked up once a week. Twice depending on the tanks. (beat) So, does anyone want to see the pond?

MAYLA: Pond? Where?

GALE: It’s a ways down, so, how about I get the tractor ready and y’all can ride on the trailer?

INT. HORSE STABLE - DAY

NI (to the horses): Hehe. You hear that. Your usefulness is but an illusion. One day, I will show you-

A bucket hits Ni’s head and wraps around.

EXT. FARM – DAY

Gale leads Mayla, Calif, & Kobai to the barn.

GALE: Does she want to come?

KOBAI: She’s already been down there. Just give her ten minutes to catch up.

EXT. COW BARN – DAY

Luegon closes the hatch to the tank.

LUEGON (thumbs up): All good!

The tanker starts up & drives away.

SHIRO: So, what’s next on today’s agenda?

EXT. FARM, DRIVEWAY – DAY

The tanker makes its way to the road.

On the side, Mi walks away from the farm.

The tanker passes by & Mi keeps going. She has no idea where she’s going. All she knows is that she wants to get away from everything.

EXT. FARM, FIELD – DAY

Gale drives a tractor down a lane between fields. A trailer hitched to the back carries Mayla, Calif, & Kobai. A basket is in the trailer with them.

Mayla looks at the acres of crops. The view both ways is same, rows and rows of crops that blend into a wall the further she looks.

Mayla sees a dust cloud coming from the house along the trail. It appears to be heading towards them.

NI (running): WAAAAAAAAAAIIIIITTTTT UUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPP!

Ni runs into the trailer.

Mayla & Calif look at Ni with a hint of concern. Kobai sees Ni hanging on the back.

KOBAI: What took you so long?

Ni hangs on to the back.

EXT. FARM, POND – DAY

A pristine pond on the edge of the farm. A fence runs halfway through.

Mayla & Calif looks at the beautiful view.

MAYLA: It’s amazing.

Ni jumps in the air and strips to her bikini.

NI: ROUND 2!

Ni splashes into the pond. Calif tries to get a good view.

GALE: Y’all can swim in it all you want. Just don’t step on the other side.

KOBAI: I can assume that the other side is another person’s property.

GALE: Since the pond runs on both of our properties, we agreed that the pond is an open area. The only rule is that no one can step on to the other’s side without permission.

MAYLA: This would sound fun if all our bathing suits weren’t lost in the fire.

Ni swims around.

GALE (points out Ni): Then why-

KOBAI: That is her undergarment.

GALE: Ah…

KOBAI: Worry not. Most people who even spot Ni think the same thing.

Gale feels no comfort from Kobai’s mechanical response.

GALE: Well, that’s it. This is the end of the line.

KOBAI: I believe you have already made that clear.

GALE: It’s almost noon. I brought a picnic lunch. How about we eat out here?

MAYLA: Sounds nice.

Ni jumps out of the water holding a largemouth bass.

NI: PICNIC!

EXT. COUNTRY ROAD – DAY

Mi wanders along a long, empty road. She has no idea where she is going. All she knows is that she is getting away from her family.

Mi’s stomach growls.

Mi grabs an ear of corn from a field. She heats the cob up.

The cob catches fire.

POP Popcorn pops off the cob all over. Mi does not feel like chasing her food.

Mi discards the cob, grabs another one, and tries again.

POP The same things happens.

Mi chucks the cob into the field.

Mi grabs another cob, tries to control her fire, and tries to cook the corn.

Mi tries harder to control her fire.

Mi’s fire bursts out of control and burns the cob to ashes.

Mi gives up and crashes on the ground against a post. She sees no point in anything.

RUSTLE The cornstalks move. Something is inside them. Mi hears the rustling but doesn’t feel like checking.

A piece of popcorn hits Mi’s head.

Another piece hits. Mi wonders what’s going on.

Another piece hits her.

Mi crawls through the fence into the field.

The rustling moves deeper into the corn. Mi scouts whatever is making the corn move.

RUSTLE The corn shakes next to Mi. Crows fly out of the corn. Mi thinks that’s what caused the rustling.

RUSTLE The rustling happens again. Mi continues to the sound more curious than before.

A clearing comes up. Mi clears the way.

In the middle of the clearing, DANIEL – a chubby boy slightly shorter than Mi with a smile that seems glued to his face – plants the popped corn.

Mi watches Daniel. She doesn’t know what he is doing.

RUSTLE Mi moves too quick.

Daniel hears something. Mi pulls back into the corn and tries to stay as still as possible, hoping the boy doesn’t see her.

Daniel continues to plant the popped corn.

Mi eases up her guard and continues to watch the strange, little boy doing whatever it is he is doing.

Daniel sees a butterfly and holds out his hand, hoping the butterfly will land on him.

Mi becomes confused by the boy’s actions.

GUN CLOCK The sound of a rifle clocking comes from Mi’s right side. Mi turns to see the end of a shotgun.

At the other end of the shotgun is TYSON, a 13-year-old farm boy with auburn hair and a steel look in his eye.

Mi rises and stares down the end of the barrel. Tyson looks as though he is trigger happy with a dead expression painted onto his face. Mi has been cornered…