Season 2, Episode 13

INT. TULSEN FARMHOUSE, LIVING ROOM – NIGHT

Gale & Shiro sit down with a fire going in a fireplace.

GALE: How are your girls enjoying their time here?

SHIRO: Do I need to say for Ni?

GALE: She speaks for herself. I can’t tell with Kobai, but I’m glad that Xena is coming out more.

SHIRO: Though she’s scared to go into the stable by herself.

GALE: Oh boy. Remember the first times we had to help dad with a birthing animal?

SHIRO: I’ll still get nightmares from them.

GALE: Speaking of which, what’s with Ni and horses?

SHIRO: Uh. Of all the stories to start with.

FLASHBACK – EXT. HORSE TRACK – DAY

A horse racing track with horses running about the place. A few jockeys trot about the track.

7-year-old Mi, Ni, & Kobai are on a field trip with their 2nd grade class. Shiro is a chaperone.

TEACHER: Okay class, who can tell me what kind of feet horses have?

KOBAI: Two-toed hooves.

This teacher has had experiences with Kobai’s answering.

TEACHER: Right. Can anyone tell me what else has hooves?

KOBAI: Donkeys, mules, any two-legged animal with equestrian origins.

TEACHER: O-okay. Can anyone else – besides Kobai – tell me how fast a horse can run?

Shiro sits with another dad that’s a chaperone.

SHIRO: Why do they have to come to a horse track to learn about horses?

DAD: Because the nearest one’s are in glue factories.

SHIRO: I should have just taken them to my home.

DAD: Farm stock, huh? You ride all the time?

TEACHER (O.S.): Ni, get back up here!

Shiro takes notice.

Ni stands at the end of the track, eagerly ready to sprint down the track.

Ni burst down the track, racing at high speeds without using her powers. She nears the finish line, she can taste the victory in her mouth. The line gets closer & closer with each second that passes.

A jockey on a horse passes Ni and crosses the finish line before, utterly defeating Ni’s fantasy victory.

Ni crashes to ground, rolls across, halting just at the finish line, brought down in her own glory.

Shiro sighs at Ni’s usual antics.

Struggling to get up, a shadow comes over Ni. That shadow is cast by the horse that beat her. In her eyes, Ni swears vengeance on the beast that beat her.

INT. TULSEN FARMHOUSE, LIVING ROOM – NIGHT

Gale just stares at Shiro with an expression that says, “Are you kidding me?”

Shiro has his neutral face on.

GALE: That’s it?

The fire crackles away.

SHIRO: Were you expecting a good reason?

The fire crackles away.

GALE (beat): Never mind. So what’s with Mayla and cake? Obviously, you didn’t teach her how to cook.

SHIRO: And that’s why she loves cake. Before I let try cooking meals, I decided to let her start out on something easier.

Gale becomes interested.

SHIRO (CONT’D): Though it starts out weird. One of tenets was evicted & arrest, leaving everything behind.

GALE: What was he arrested for?

SHIRO: In Arrato, that's a gambling question. I was helping the landlord clean out the room and I found all these cooking ingredients. I asked if I could take it and he let me.

GALE: When you say, “a lot,” how much are we talking?

INT. TULSEN FLAT – DAY

A 4-year-old Mayla looks at the kitchen flooded with bags of flour, sugar- basically a bakery’s worth of ingredients. Just the shear size of it amazes Mayla.

Shiro hands Mayla a cookbook.

SHIRO: This will help you at least know how to put it together. If you need any help, feel free to ask one of the neighbors. (heads out) I have to go to work. I’ll be back by 4. Have fun.

Shiro leaves.

Mayla looks at the book. She opens it up. This book is a baking book for sweets and baked goods. Mayla flips through the colorful pages dazzled by what all is in it. She finds a page with a simple cake recipe in it.

Mayla turns the oven and reads the instructions out loud. Hanging on the oven is a pair of oven mitts with a note that reads: USE WHEN OPENING THE OVEN.

MAYLA (reading): Preheat to 325.

Mayla looks at the oven. It starts at 350. She tries to figure out how to turn it down.

Mayla presses the plus sign. The number is 355. Mayla moves her finger over the minus sign. She presses the button and the number goes back to 350. Mayla keeps pressing the minus sign until it reaches 325.

On the counter are two bowls, a big one and a small one, a whisk, eggs, flour, sugar, and a few measuring instruments. Mayla stands on a stool reading the recipe in the book.

MAYLA (reading): “Add two cups of… floor.”

Mayla picks up a measure cup. She tries to find “2 cups.” The measure cup only goes up to “1 ½ cups.”

Mayla opens the flour and scoops up a cup of floor. She seems to have grabbed a little more than necessary.

CUT TO

Mayla holds an egg above the bowl. She carefully taps the egg on. No crack. She holds the egg over the counter. She lightly taps it and the egg starts cracking.

CUT TO

The eggs & flour are in the bowl. Mayla read.

MAYLA: “Wa-hisk the floor & eggs.” “Wahisk?” (looks closely) “See gloss-airy for vi- vi- vissa-all…”

Mayla turns to the back. An image of a woman whisking appears under the definition.

CUT TO

Mayla whisks as if she has been doing it for years.

CUT TO

Mayla, dotted with batter, adds half a cup of sugar to the mix.

CUT TO

Mayla reads the recipe.

CUT TO

Mayla pours the batter into a pan.

CUT TO

Mayla opens the oven. The heat melts her hair.

CUT TO

Mayla, with the mitts on, watches the batter bake into it golden cakey shape. The sight of it amazes her.

DING Timer goes off. Mayla opens the oven. Her hair melts again. She grabs the pan, takes it out, places the pan on the stool, and closes the oven.

Mayla puts the cake on the counter and marvels her creation. It smells heavenly. She takes a fork, picks up a piece, and tastes the cake.

An overwhelming sensation surges through Mayla as the sweetness of the cake runs through her mouth. The taste is indescribable, the feeling so soft and warm, the texture flows to the back of her mouth.

Mayla can’t help but try another piece. The same feeling rushes throughout her body. She takes another. And another. And another. And another. Before she knows it, she has already eaten the entire cake.

The comforting feeling does not leave Mayla and she wants to relive the sensation.

To her left, a mountain of ingredients still covers the floor. Elation flows through Mayla.

EXT. TULSEN FLAT – DAY

Shiro returns home from work.

INT. TULSEN FLAT – DAY

Shiro walks in to see Mayla scarfing down her 10th cake. She is showing obvious signs of a sugar rush. The mountain of ingredients is now half its size.

SHIRO: Mayla… did you bake cakes all day…?

MAYLA (sugar rush): I baked a cake and ate it and it felt so good that I just had to try it again so I made some more and then I made some while I ate some so when I was done with one I could eat the next one right away and then I discovered that you can place more than one in the oven at the same time so that way you can bake more at once so you can have more later while another one is baking so I have two more baking right now and-

Mayla feels dizzy. The room swirls around her. She looks over at a bowl that has cucumbers sticking out of it.

MAYLA (dizzy): Space… cucumbers…

Mayla crashes hard to the ground.

INT. TULSEN FARMHOUSE, LIVING ROOM – NIGHT

Gale looks at Shiro with a very questionable look.

GALE: You let a four-year-old girl use the oven unsupervised?

SHIRO: I told her to get help when she was baking. I did show her how to use it a couple of times.

GALE: NOT. THE. POINT.

SHIRO: After four months of instant meals, she wanted to try to cook herself. She’s a natural at that.

GALE: *sigh* How does that seem reasonable?

SHIRO: When they take up a skill, they pick it up and launch it into the sky. And it has saved us a couple of times.

GALE: Like Kobai with her insane knowledge?

SHIRO: The house incident was not the first time. As a matter of fact, I remember the exact moment. Mi, Ni, Kobai had just met their second-grade teacher…

FLASHBACK – EXT. ARRATO CITY STREET – DAY

Shiro walks 7-year-old Mi, Ni, & Kobai down the sidewalk. Ni kicks a rock around herself. 

MI (arms crossed): Why do we need to go to school?

SHIRO: So I can work and you three won’t get in trouble.

NI: What trouble? I quite enjoy this.

Ni punts the rock. It hits a glass pane off screen.

A crosswalk blinks “WALK.” Shiro, Ni, Mi, & Kobai cross.

A car hurdles towards them, the driver clearly distracted. Kobai telepathically swerves the car into the poll in front of them.

The driver gets out holding his phone.

DRIVER: What do think you’re doing?

NI: Crossing the street.

DRIVER: You should watch where you’re walking.

MI: What do you mean?

Shiro restrains a temperamental Mi.

DRIVER: I could sue you right now for walking on a green light.

KOBAI: If we were j-walking during a green light for you, but clearly the sign behind you says WALK. This intersection may not have its own camera system, though most lights in this part of the city do not have one-

Kobai points out a camera on the building nearby that looks towards the crossing.

KOBAI (CONT’D): That camera can, even in black & white, considering the position of the lights which make it accessible for color blind drivers. Even adding to it, the lights are on a fixed time system, meaning, if you know the time in which you were crossing, (looks at wristwatch) Which is now 3:24:46, you can ask at any city government facility for when the lights are what when. Also, you yourself have created evidence to point out that you were distracted while driving as that phone in your hand keeps a record of what you did when, even app usage.

The driver stands frozen by Kobai overly thorough evaluation of the incident.

KOBAI (CONT’D): Shall I go into a deeper evaluation of the incident?

The driver races into his car and gets out of there. Mi, Ni, & Shiro watch the car drive off. Kobai crosses the street as if nothing happened.

INT. TULSEN FARMHOUSE, LIVING ROOM – DAY

GALE: You almost got hit by a car!

SHIRO: That was years ago.

GALE: Did you go to court?

SHIRO: Wasn’t worth it. Besides, how was I supposed to explain that my daughter telepathically pushed the car out of our path?

GALE: I don’t know, but once those girls leave your life, I’d give you about two months.

SHIRO: I’m not dependent on them.

GALE: Really. Did you know about that traffic light thing?

SHIRO: It was a law made about two years beforehand to help in traffic-based court cases.

GALE: And how did Kobai know?

SHIRO: The real question is what does she not know.

GALE: I guess talent comes natural for these girls. So when did Ni take up soccer?

SHIRO: Oddly enough, it started at their first time in a movie theater…

FLASHBACK - INT. MOVIE THEATER – DAY

A screening of the first “Zombie Horror Party” film starts to play. In the theater, 6-year-old Mayla, 5-year-old Mi, Ni, & Kobai, and Shiro sit in the theater.

Mayla is terrified, Mi is asleep, Ni is more into this than necessary, and Shiro & Kobai just stares at the screen.

SHIRO (V.O.): Wait, it was their second one.

GALE (V.O.): You took your girls to see a horror movie?

SHIRO (V.O.): The guy told us the wrong theater and the signs were being fixed that day.

GALE (V.O.): Don't tell Ma about any of this.

INT. MOVIE THEATER – DAY

A feel-good sports film plays on screen. A high school soccer player plays his heart out on the field while his girl watches him.

In the theater, 5-year-old Mi, Ni, Kobai, now 7-year-old Mayla wearing a special birthday bandana, and Shiro sit in the theater. Mi is asleep. Kobai, Mayla, & Shiro watch the film.

Ni seems mesmerized by the skills the boy on screen uses to win the game.

The final shot of the film: the boy & girl kissing, fading straight to THE END.

EXT. MOVIE THEATER – DAY

The crowd walks out of the theater. Shiro carries Mi on his back while holding Kobai’s hand. Kobai holds Mayla’s hand who holds an entranced Ni’s hand.

SHIRO: What do you girls think?

KOBAI: Mediocre and paint-by-numbers.

MAYLA: I enjoyed it.

SHIRO: Ni, what do you think of it?

Ni, still mesmerized by the skills she saw on screen, fails to hear Shiro.

SHIRO: Ni?

Ni walks into a trash can. Mayla panics.

SHIRO (CONT’D): You all right?

NI: That was AWESOME! Dad, can I play soccer? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I?

SHIRO: Okay. Okay OKAY. (Ni shuts up) I’ll see if I can sign you up.

NI: Wa-HOOOOOOOO!

EXT. SOCCER FIELD – DAY

An underkept field with grass that needs to be cut back, a little kid’s soccer team plays around the field.

SMACK Ni is hit in the face with a soccer ball. She goes down to the ground.

Outside the field, Shiro, Mayla, Kobai, & Mi sit in the bleachers with other parents who seem more concerned than a blank-faced Shiro. Mayla seems more like the concerned parent than Shiro. Kobai reads a book.

MI (snarky): This looks fun. Can I-?

SHIRO: You’re not getting a soccer ball just to hit your sister in the face with it.

Mi disappointed.

Ni gets up, eyes the ball, and kicks it. The ball curves, somehow wedging itself into the fence.

MAYLA (shouts to Ni): It’s okay. You can do it.

SHIRO (to Ni): Listen to your coach.

Ni gives two thumbs up and rushes to get the ball out of the fence.

KOBAI (reading): Quite the advice, father. Have you play a decent amount in your youth?

SHIRO: I had to help on the farm. Sports were not an option.

KOBAI (reading): And your high school years?

SHIRO: We’ll talk about those later.

Kobai closes her book and walks off the bleachers.

SHIRO (CONT’D): Where are you going?

KOBAI: The library is across the street. I shall not be long.

SHIRO (gets up): I’m coming with you. Mayla, you and Mi stay here.

WHACK Ni takes another ball to the face but stands. Everyone looks over at Ni wondering if she’s okay. Shiro & Kobai look over as well.

Ni raises her head, bounces the ball off her face, and bounces it off her head. The coach & the other parents are amazed.

Ni brings the ball down to her knees and she continues to bounce it. Everyone is amazed.

SHIRO (walks): You girls just continue to surprise me.

Shiro & Kobai walk off.

Ni bounces the ball around her body.

INT. TULSEN FARMHOUSE, LIVING ROOM – NIGHT

GALE: You weren’t kidding when you said the girls were more than unique. Hatched from eggs, hair color, powers… now talent mastering.

SHIRO: I think it might also be how motivated they are as well. Although she has said that about every sport she has seen.

GALE: Mayla can cook, Ni plays soccer… and Kobai is just super smart. What about Calif?

SHIRO: Hers is pretty simple. It happened just after she hatched. Kobai wanted to go to the museum for a paper, even though she was only in second grade at the time.

GALE: I wouldn't be surprised if she was in college by now. Why isn't she?

SHIRO: That’s another issue.

FLASHBACK – INT. MUSEUM – DAY

8-year-old Kobai with a beehive hairdo covering her horns looks at an exhibit on bees, taking notes. Shiro is there with her.

SHIRO: You know you’re only do a report in 2nd grade. They mainly check for spelling.

KOBAI: Thus said the father who puts all his effort in his career, even going so far (points at her hair) As to practice on his own daughter against her consent.

SHIRO: This place has a no hat policy. Plus, you’re doing a report on bees. I thought it would help get you into the feel of it.

KOBAI: You had to explain to me what this style was. No one in my class is going to know what this is.

SHIRO: Except your teacher.

KOBAI (considers): True. The idea of me having something that relates to my research might show how much commitment I put into this report.

Shiro looks around. Someone is missing. He spots the next room. The sign above the door reads ART EXHIBIT. Shiro heads over there.

KOBAI (CONT’D): That might also increase my credibility on the matter-

INT. MUSEUM, ART EXHIBIT – DAY

A room lined with paintings and sculptures.

Shiro walks in. He searches the exhibit.

4-year-old Calif, who has no beret, admires a painting of a puppy. Simply yet heart-warming, the image sucks her in, dazzling her eyes away with every single brush stroke. It is the most beautiful things she has ever seen.

Shiro finds Calif.

SHIRO: There you are. Don’t go running of like that. You could get lost. What you looking at? (sees painting) Nice, isn’t it? My mom used to be a painter. Then she met my dad and the rest is history.

Calif pays Shiro no attention. The painting has a hold on her, and she does not turn away from it.

Shiro can see the same look in Calif’s eyes that she saw in Mayla’s & Ni’s when they got into baking and soccer.

SHIRO: Want to paint something like this?

Calif turns to her father. The idea of painting something like this puppy has peaked Calif’s mind but she is unable to understand what her dad has told her.

INT. MUSEUM GIFT SHOP – DAY

A standard gift shop with knickknacks related to exhibits in the museum.

Kobai eyes a model bee kit. She considers how it could help her with her report.

Calif stands in awe of the shop. So many smaller versions of the things inside the giant rooms.

SHIRO (O.S.): Calif.

Calif sees that her father stands near a wall display with miniatures of the paintings in the exhibit. She rushes over there, hoping to find the puppy painting.

CALIF (searches): Where’s the dog?

Shiro takes a child’s paint set of the shelves and shows it to Calif.

SHIRO: Want to make your own?

Calif stands there confused by Shiro’s words.

INT. TULSEN FLAT – EVENING

9-year-old Mi & 5-year-old Xena watch television together. 10-year-old Mayla cooks dinner.

Shiro lays out the art supplies for Calif on the table. Calif sits in a booster seat. Shiro puts the brush in Calif’s hand.

SHIRO (guides Calif’s hand): You put the brush in the paint. Then you put the paint on the paper and move it around.

Shiro lets Calif try on her own. Calif moves the paint across the paper.

SHIRO: Good. Just like that.

Kobai barges in with a rolled-up piece of paper.

KOBAI: Father.

Kobai unrolls the paper right in Shiro’s face, revealing an elaborate plan for her bee report, filled with mechanical bees, a giant hive, and what looks like Kobai dressed up as a queen bee and a throne.

KOBAI (CONT’D): How long would it take to ascertain all the materials to create this and construct?

SHIRO: Not as long as it would take to get enough money to buy all this.

KOBAI (rolls up paper): So you are saying we must cut areas of our budget in order to fulfill the financial needs of the display?

SHIRO: That’s not-

KOBAI (to Mi): Mi, cease you mindless viewing. We are cutting our cable bill to zero.

MI (lights up): Don’t you dare!

Xena puffs up into a fur ball.

SHIRO: Mi, put it out. Kobai, we are not building this.

KOBAI: Are you contradicting yourself in order to fit your personal desires?

SHIRO: Have you even finished your report?

Kobai walks to her room.

KOBAI: Fair assessment. Without the report, it would be pointless to expand outward with supporting material.

SLAM Door closes.

Shiro sighs in relief. Calif diligently paints away.

SHIRO: And she wonders why she’s not in college…

Shiro looks over at Calif’s painting. He’s already amazed. In the short amount of time, she has already recreated the puppy painting from the museum.

SHIRO: You did this already?

CALIF: Is it bad?

SHIRO: “Bad?” If the museum finds this, they might think you stole it. This is amazing. You’re a natural, Calif. (pets Calif) My little artist.

Calif smiles gleefully.

INT. TULSEN FARMHOUSE, LIVING ROOM – NIGHT

SHIRO: I bought her beret on her 5th birthday. She’s basically painted a painting a day since then.

GALE: Well, I guess that what you get for having a little artist like her.

SHIRO: No, I think she just wants the praise instead.

Gale yawns.

GALE: It’s getting late. How about you tell me the rest some other time?

SHIRO: Who said I had any more?

GALE: The father of six lively children and one who could be. How can you not?

SHIRO: You want to hear a quick one before calling it a night?

GALE: How quick?

SHIRO: Do you want to know how I found out the girls have abilities?

GALE (invested): How?

CUT TO

INT. TULSEN FLAT, BATHROOM – NIGHT

Shiro cleans 4-year-old Mayla’s hair with a towel.

SHIRO (V.O.): I just cleaned Mayla’s hair the day I found her.

Shiro looks at the towel. Mayla’s hair goo melted onto the towel and slides off.

INT. TULSEN FARMHOUSE, LIVING ROOM – NIGHT

SHIRO: Nothing special. Just found it odd that that was her hair.

GALE: Wow. Talk about quick. Well, you learned something about Ni’s ability. Maybe the girls will make some memories here as well. Good night.

Gale walks out of the room.

SHIRO (to himself): I think they already are.

Shiro sits there looking at the dying fire.

FADE OUT