LURE

Written by

MARK ANDERSON

phone: (818) 618-8972 website: mandersonscript.com email: [email protected] EXT. HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL FIELD - DAY Football pads clash. The school band marches in place. Teenagers mill around in packs. After-school activities fill the grass, but we focus in on the bleachers where an odd girl, 14, with short black hair, sits all alone. This is HAILEY. Hailey couldn’t care less about the comings and goings below. She’s too focused folding paper into an origami figurine. COACH JILL (O.S.) Perfect, Grace. However when Hailey hears that name, her heads pops up. Her cheerleader sister, GRACE, 17, flips and twists like an Olympian gymnast in the air and sticks the landing. COACH JILL, 34, rips into the other CHEERLEADERS. COACH JILL See. That’s how it’s done, ladies. Grace looks like the type who would eat this up, but instead, she amusingly mimics the rant behind the coach’s back. Her teammates have to mask their grins. COACH JILL It’s so simple. I know most of you thought we’re just going to do some cartwheels and shake our pompoms, but cheerleading is more than that. Concentrate, ladies. Come on. JEREMY, 17, the affable student body president, strolls in and catches Grace’s act. He chuckles. COACH JILL (O.S.) You all need to start acting a little more like Grace. Hailey spots Jeremy dotingly eyeballing her sister. Hailey brandishes an envious look and returns to her origami.

LATER Grace scoops up a towel off the bleacher just as Hailey finishes her origami creation, an owl. HAILEY Hoot, hoot. Hoot, hoot. 2.

GRACE (annoyed) Cute, Hailey. JEREMY (O.S.) Hey, Grace. Jeremy joins them. Grace flicks her golden curls back, wants to impress. GRACE Jeremy. Hey. HAILEY Hoot, hoot. GRACE Hailey, enough. JEREMY That’s a pretty slick owl. Can you make a dog? GRACE Jeremy? Grace gets Jeremy’s attention back. She then uses the towel to pat the sweat off her neck, toying with the poor boy. JEREMY Oh, yeah. So, hmm. Tonight. There’s this party. A party. You goin’? GRACE Maybe. Thinking about it. JEREMY Hoping something better comes along? GRACE Well, Bieber did call up last weekend, and we ended up jetting off to Vegas. Hit the strip joints, Cristal, some rails; it was all a blur. Maybe killed a hooker. Or two. JEREMY Too bad, because I am having some people over right now for a little pre-party barbecue. Hailey looks like she is going to be sick from all this overripe flirting. 3.

GRACE Are you now? I guess, Bieber could do without me for one night. HAILEY No. I got things to do at home. GRACE You can play your little online games anytime. Grace casts a huge, imploring gaze at Hailey. HAILEY No, I want to go home! Hailey stands up, defiant. JEREMY I can drop you off first. HAILEY No. Grace? Hailey shoots Grace a glare: you can’t leave me. GRACE Jeremy, I... Hailey, please? HAILEY I WANT TO GO HOME! Hailey stamps her foot on the bleacher’s metal. The ensuing CLANG ricochets across the field, startling everyone. A humiliated Grace shrinks from all the leering faces.

INT. GIRLS’ APARTMENT - DAY The front door whips open. Hailey storms toward their shared bedroom, Grace in tow. GRACE You’re such a selfish brat. You embarrassed me in front of the whole school. HAILEY Don’t be so melodramatic. GRACE Me? I am being melodramatic? 4.

GIRLS’ BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS A hodgepodge of origami figurines dangle from the ceiling and canvas the furniture. One bed (Hailey’s) has a litany of stuffed animals, the other (Grace’s) a pile of messy clothes. HAILEY (O.S.) Just leave me alone. God. They enter. Hailey parks herself at a desk. She starts up a laptop and unwinds some earbuds. Grace paces behind her. GRACE You don’t get it. How hard I’ve had to work to get myself into this position, with my friends, with Jeremy, and just because you -- Hailey puts in the earbuds. Whatever Grace is now saying is drowned out by blaring music. Realizing her speech is futile, Grace pantomimes strangling her sister and then leaves. Hailey makes sure she is alone and then clicks the mouse. ON THE LAPTOP A hidden chat room opens. A thumbnail photo of BRANDON, 17, boy-next-door looks, materializes next to Hailey’s thumbnail picture. They IM back and forth: BRANDON: There U R my queen. HAILEY: Sorry. My sister. God, I hate her. BRANDON: She is just a peasant. But if U want I’ll kill her for U. (Sarcastic Emoji) BACK TO SCENE Hailey reads this and beams.

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT The last hint of sunlight drains off the drab, low-income complex. A single security camera surveys the parking lot.

INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT Grace puts on makeup. Her phone RINGS and she answers. The beleaguered face of MELISSA, 39, emerges for a VIDEO CHAT. 5.

GRACE Hey, Mom. I thought your shift ended an hour ago. MELISSA Jen’s sick so I picked up an extra. GRACE What? MELISSA Yeah, use some cash from the swear jar to order -- GRACE This is bullshit. I have plans.

GIRL’S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS Hailey hears Grace’s and Melissa’s unintelligible SHOUTS.

EXT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT Melissa wears scrubs as she VIDEO CHATS with Grace. GRACE But she’s fourteen, Mom. MELISSA I told you, I don’t like this neighborhood, so if you leave Hailey alone tonight I will ground your ass until it has wrinkles. Grace shoots Melissa the patented teenage glower. HAILEY (O.S.) Can I speak to Mom? Melissa sees Grace hand the phone over to Hailey, who playfully flies the origami owl into view. HAILEY Hoot. Hoot. Mr. Owlie says he heard shouting. That makes him frown. He wants you to be happy, Mommy. MELISSA That’s a tall order right now, baby. 6.

HAILEY You know what Mr. Owlie does when he is sad? He hoots. Try it. Hoot. Hoot with Mr. Owlie, Mommy. Hoot. MELISSA Hoot. Hoot. Melissa can’t help but smile and chuckle. HAILEY See? Feel better? MELISSA Yes. Thanks, baby. I got to get back. Blow me a kiss, and I’ll see you in the morning. They blow kisses. Hailey hands the phone back to Grace. MELISSA And Grace -- GRACE Yeah, I got it. See ya.

INT. BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS Grace hangs up. Hailey dances the owl up to Grace. HAILEY Hoot. Grace snatches the owl, wads it into a ball, drops it in the sink, and strides off. HAILEY Bitch.

LIVING ROOM - LATER A nature program about leeches is on the television. Chomping on some pizza, Grace smirks: They have no clue what a leech is. DING. She grabs her phone and swipes it -- ON THE PHONE Is a comical-selfie Jeremy sent from the party and a text: JEREMY: I know I am no Bieber, but... 7.

BACK TO SCENE Grace’s smile withers to a scowl. She gets up and surges into:

GIRLS’ BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS Hailey blankets the laptop, trying to hide it from Grace, who rips off her sweatsuit and slides into a sexy dress. HAILEY Door closed. You’re supposed to knock. Remember? What are you doing? Are you leaving? GRACE Yes, I’m not going to let you -- Grace spots the photo of Brandon on the laptop. GRACE Who’s that? My Queen? Hailey snaps the laptop shut. Her face blushes bright red. GRACE You got an online boyfriend, Hailey? You’re gonna sext with him? Send him some selfies of yourself, in your My Little Pony bra? Huh? Hmph, like that would ever happen: you doing something cool for once. You’re such a freak. Zip me up. Hailey begrudgingly gets up and zips Grace up. GRACE Listen, I am going to IM you every hour until I get home, and you are to answer me within five minutes. Not six, five. And if you tell Mom, I’m going to... Well, if you think I am bitch now, just wait. Got it? Hailey offers a reticent nod. Grace slips on some high heels. GRACE Oh, and I suggest you get rid of all your stuffed bunnies and origami unicorns if you do decide to sex chat with the poor bastard. Grace cackles and struts out. 8.

Hailey sniffles up a tear. She reopens the laptop and types. ON THE LAPTOP She and Brandon’s messages pop on: HAILEY: Does your offer still stand? God, I want my sister DEAD! (Angry Emoji) BRANDON: (Evil-grinning Emoji)

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Grace gets into an Uber car. MUSIC builds with intensity as the car drives off into the dark, and then --

INT. PARTY HOUSE - NIGHT MUSIC thumps with energy as Grace plows through the wild, dancing PARTYGOERS. She finds Jeremy. Elated, he goes in for the hug and spills his drink on her dress. She looks unhappy. He tries to clean it up with his hand, unaware that he’s basically feeling her up. Now she looks pissed. He finally realizes what he is doing and removes his hand. He is about to beg for mercy, but then she lets out a big laugh. He sighs, relieved, and grins goofily: This girl rocks.

INT. PARTY HOUSE - LATER Grace takes various selfies of herself with Jeremy, posing with their red Solo cups.

INT. PARTY HOUSE - LATER Grace waits for the bathroom. DING. She checks her phone. ON THE PHONE HAILEY: Wasted yet?

EXT. PARTY HOUSE - LATER Grace tactfully takes a beer from her drunk friend, ALBIE. GRACE I think you’ve had enough, Albie. Give it to me. Give it. That’s it. 9.

INT. PARTY HOUSE - LATER Everyone dances, raising their hands up in the air. Grace’s phone pops up in the middle of all this. She hops up and down, trying to read a message. She grins, satisfied.

EXT. PARTY HOUSE - LATER Grace corners Albie. A SLEAZY GUY, 20, waits to the side. GRACE You’re not going home with that guy. No. No way. ALBIE Why? Why not? GRACE We don’t know him, and you don’t know him. Besides, he looks like a fat Michael Cera. (to Sleazy Guy) We don’t know you. Go. You’ve been successfully cock blocked. Shoo. JEREMY She said, “go,” pal. Move. Sleazy Guy takes a walk. Grace flashes a smile at Jeremy.

INT. PARTY BATHROOM - LATER Grace holds Albie’s hair as she throws up. DING. She pulls out her phone and checks. ON THE PHONE HAILEY: Officially annoying!!!

INT. PARTY HOUSE - LATER Grace and Jeremy become more intimate on the dance floor.

EXT. PARTY HOUSE - LATER Jeremy and Grace ogle each other as she strokes the hair of a passed-out Albie. The moment has come. 10.

INT. PARTY HOUSE - UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - LATER They careen along the walls, stumbling, giggling, making out, as they try to find a room. He gropes for a door handle. The respite gives her the chance to eye her phone. JEREMY I think this one’s empty. GRACE Wait, my sister hasn’t messaged me back. It’s been ten minutes. Grace pulls away and sends another message to Hailey. JEREMY She probably fell asleep. Grace, you have to stop worrying about her. She’s not your responsibility. Grace stares at her phone. Still no reply. She frets more. JEREMY Grace, what about you? Grace? GRACE Jeremy, I better -- DING. Grace hastily checks. ON THE PHONE HAILEY: Trying to sleep. Enough! BACK TO SCENE JEREMY So? Grace plants a kiss on Jeremy and they slip into the bedroom.

INT. GIRLS’ APARTMENT - NIGHT A late night info-commercial plays on the television. The cheese on the half-eaten pizza hardens.

GIRLS’ BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS Shadows sweep across the origami figures and stuffed animals. Grace’s bed is empty and so is Hailey’s. She is gone. 11.

INT. PARTY HOUSE - BEDROOM - DAY Shafts of sunlight crack through the curtains. Jeremy and Grace lie, asleep, cozily wrapped in each other’s arms. Grace’s phone RINGS. She groggily answers. GRACE Hello? MELISSA (O.S.) Where the hell are you? GRACE Oh, shit. MELISSA (O.S.) Oh, shit is right. I’ll come pick you two up. I can’t believe you dragged Hailey out all night. GRACE She’s not with me. MELISSA (O.S.) What? GRACE Hailey’s not with me. I left her at the apartment. MELISSA (O.S.) She’s not here, Grace. I’m looking at her bed. She’s not here! Grace! Grace removes the phone. Her mother’s shouts are replaced with a HIGH-PITCH SQUEAL.

INT. JEREMY’S CAR - DAY Jeremy drives Grace. She sits up, aghast. POLICE OFFICERS scour the apartment building. Police cruisers are haphazardly parked in the lot. NEIGHBORS, still in their pajamas, congeal together to gossip. Jeremy speaks, but all she hears is that SQUEAL.

INT. GIRLS’ APARTMENT - DAY A frantic Melissa talks to DETECTIVE MYLES, 46, female, and DETECTIVE CESAR, 52, male. Grace and Jeremy enter. 12.

Melissa charges at Grace, shouting at her. SQUEAL. Melissa slaps Grace’s head and face. The Detectives try to pry Melissa off. One blow hits Grace’s ear. The SQUEAL stops. MELISSA -- told you not to leave her. I told you. How could you? DETECTIVE CESAR Mrs. Dunn. Take it easy. Mrs. Dunn. Detective Cesar pulls Melissa back into the kitchen. MELISSA (O.S.) How could you leave my baby? JEREMY You okay, Grace? Grace nods, still slightly out of it. DETECTIVE MYLES Hello, Grace, I am Detective Myles. I am trying to establish a timeline for last night. Can you answer a few questions for me? GRACE Yeah. Yeah, sure. DETECTIVE MYLES First, can you confirm your sister doesn’t have a cell phone of her own? You share a phone? Correct? GRACE No, we can’t afford... Yeah, I got the only one. It’s with me. DETECTIVE MYLES Okay. Your mom said you left Hailey home alone to go to a party. Do you know when that was? Approximately? Grace stammers. JEREMY She got to the party around nine- thirty, so she probably left here around nine. DETECTIVE MYLES And who are you? 13.

JEREMY I’m Jeremy Everett. I am Grace’s... friend. I was with her all night. DETECTIVE MYLES Does nine sound about right, Grace? GRACE Yeah. That sounds. Yeah. Nine. DETECTIVE MYLES And was Hailey acting funny before you left? Upset about anything? GRACE We kind of got into this little fight before I left. I said some pretty horrible things to her. Detective Myles nods, affirming her assumption. DETECTIVE MYLES Okay, Grace. I may have some more questions for you later. The Detective starts to walk off. GRACE She wouldn’t run away. She would never do that. DETECTIVE MYLES There’s no forced entry. The front door was locked. You had a fight. One plus one equals two. You know? Grace shows Hailey’s messages on the phone. GRACE I was messaging her all night, making sure she was safe. See. She said she was in bed at two. Look. She was here. She was messaging me from our laptop all night. A POLICE OFFICER, holding a tablet, enters. POLICE OFFICER Detective, you need to see this. The Detective walks over. Jeremy puts a consoling arm around Grace. 14.

Detectives Myles scrolls through the tablet. DETECTIVE MYLES Cesar, come see this. Cesar. Detective Cesar returns, followed by a sullen Melissa. Melissa glares at Jeremy and Grace. Jeremy retracts his arm. DETECTIVE MYLES Mrs. Dunn, Grace, could you both take a look at something for us? Grace and Melissa join the conference around the tablet. DETECTIVE MYLES This is from the security camera in the parking lot. ON THE TABLET A fuzzy security video shows Hailey voluntarily getting into a car with tinted windows. MELISSA (O.S.) Oh, God, no. Hailey. BACK TO SCENE DETECTIVE MYLES Have you seen this car before? Do you know the owner? GRACE No. DETECTIVE CESAR Do any of her friends drive? GRACE She doesn’t have any friends. (off Melissa’s look) Well, it’s true. She doesn’t. She’s been having a tough time at school. DETECTIVE MYLES She clearly knows whoever this is. Any ideas? Some new kid at school? Somebody she met online? GRACE My Queen. 15.

GIRLS’ BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER CHIME. The laptop starts up. Grace sits at the desk. The Detectives, Melissa, and Jeremy gather behind her. GRACE Before I left, I saw her messaging with this boy. He wasn’t one of her usual online friends. She got really embarrassed when I saw it. Grace clicks on some folders, but can’t find the chat room. GRACE No, it was here. I can’t find it, but I saw it. I saw him. I swear. JEREMY May I? Grace? Grace slides over. Jeremy takes over command of the keyboard. JEREMY Just need to go back through the history. ON THE LAPTOP The chat room appears along with their thumbnail pictures. GRACE (O.S.) That’s him. Brandon. The screen scrolls down further and everything else is blank. JEREMY (O.S.) Weird. It looks the messages have been erased. BACK TO SCENE Detective Myles scoops up the laptop. DETECTIVE MYLES Okay. We’ll have our techs look into it. While we are doing that, we’ll also issue an AMBER Alert for the car. GRACE And what are we supposed to do? DETECTIVE MYLES Just wait by the phone. 16.

DETECTIVE CESAR A lot of times these kids will call by dinner time. Hungry and tired. No need to panic, yet. GRACE She didn’t run away! It was him! MELISSA Because you left her! You left her! Detective Cesar yanks Melissa away before the interaction gets too heated. GRACE Detective Myles, you have to believe me. She wouldn’t run away. DETECTIVE MYLES For Hailey’s sake, I pray that you’re wrong, Grace. Detective Myles exits, leaving Jeremy and Grace alone. The air between them is thick and stiff. JEREMY My parents have been texting me, but I can stay if you like. GRACE No. They’re probably worried. You should get home. Go. JEREMY Grace, they’re going to find her. Don’t worry. They’ll find her. Jeremy gives her shoulder a squeeze and departs. Grace remains at the desk, staring out at nothing for a beat. MELISSA (O.S.) (from living room) Peter, it’s Melissa. I know you’re at work, but it’s about Hailey.

HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS Grace steps out and shuffles down the hall. MELISSA (O.S.) Peter, listen. Hailey. She’s... she’s gone. She’s missing. 17.

BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS Grace enters and is about to turn on the faucet. She stops, seeing the waded-up owl in the sink. Her heart skips a beat. MELISSA (O.S.) The police don’t know anything yet. Peter, I don’t know! All I know is she’s gone. Our baby is just gone. A wealth of emotions -- fury, sorrow, confusion -- fill Grace’s gaze as she collects the owl while listening to her mom’s cries. She can only manage a weak: GRACE Hoot.

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT A police barricade tape flaps in the wind. Forty onlookers stand behind the blockade, rubbernecking at the apartment. A news van rolls up and joins two other news vans.

INT. GIRLS’ APARTMENT - NIGHT Grace and Melissa keep vigil over their phones. Both look beat. It has been a long day. Grace rubs her weary eyes. DING. Melissa sits up, hopeful. Grace scoops up her phone. She swipes it and sees the message. Her shoulders sink. GRACE It’s just Jeremy. Melissa shakes out a couple of pills from a bottle. MELISSA I hope he was worth it. Melissa gulps the pills down, glaring at Grace. KNOCK. KNOCK. A police officer, standing guard by the front door, opens it. There is a swell of CHATTER as the Detectives enter. GRACE What’s that noise? DETECTIVE CESAR It’s just the press. 18.

Grace peers out the window. She sees the chaotic scene developing outside. DETECTIVE MYLES Grace, could you come sit down? Grace and the Detectives join Melissa at the sofa. Detective Myles takes a photo of the car out from a manila folder. DETECTIVE MYLES Okay. This is the car; the one Hailey got into. We ran the license plate, and it was from a truck stolen in Arizona four years ago. Detective Myles takes out various pictures of Brandon. DETECTIVE MYLES And this is Cameron Phelps. He’s a model, who currently lives in Paris. You can download his picture from various stock footage sites. MELISSA What does that mean? DETECTIVE CESAR We have no idea who your daughter got into the car with. MELISSA Oh, my God. DETECTIVE MYLES It appears the suspect, using a masked IP address, pretended to be this Brandon, for the past two months, playing games, having private chat room sessions with Hailey. And then last night, he finally convinced her to meet him. MELISSA So, she’s been... she’s been... The words stick in her throat. DETECTIVE MYLES Yes, we have reason to believe she has been abducted. Melissa runs off to her bedroom, sobbing. The Detectives share a troubled glance and then turn their attention to a stunned Grace. 19.

DETECTIVE MYLES Grace, do you have any family, close friends, living near by? GRACE Not really. We moved here a couple of years ago, after my parents divorced. My dad is on his way. DETECTIVE CESAR The best thing we can do for your sister right now is get her face out there. DETECTIVE MYLES We are going to have a press conference tomorrow. It’s always helpful if the family is present. Do you think you can make sure your mom is capable of doing that? Grace? GRACE Yeah. I’ll make sure. Yeah. DETECTIVE CESAR And Grace, do yourself a favor: eat something, get some sleep. The Detectives collect their photos and stand up. GRACE You wasted so much damn time. She messaged me at two. You should have been out looking for her right way. Blocked the roads. Something. Perturbed, Detective Myles shows the photo of the car again. DETECTIVE MYLES The time stamp for when she got into the car is ten-thirty-five. GRACE So, she wasn’t home when she messaged me all those times? DETECTIVE MYLES If it was even her messaging you at all. Grace looks as if her heart has just been ripped out. 20.

GIRLS’ BEDROOM - LATER The lights of the police cruisers seep through the sheer curtains, making a colorful mosaic on the dangling origami. Grace sits on her bed, staring at the light show. She glances down at Hailey’s bed. It looks lonely, cold. She shudders.

LIVING ROOM - LATER Grace watches television. She flips through the channels. Each local news report features a story about Hailey.

KITCHEN - LATER Grace takes a bite of the petrified pizza. A guilty gaze washes over her. She runs over to the sink and throws up. She peers up. Through a window, the first rays of sunshine crack the horizon. Her eyes droop. Morning already?

MELISSA'S BEDROOM - LATER Pills trail out of a bottle on the nightstand. Grace struggles to dress a dazed and drugged Melissa. GRACE How many did you take? Mom? Melissa’s head flops to the side.

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY An irked Grace holds Melissa steady. They stand by a large portrait of Hailey as Detective Myles speaks to the press. DETECTIVE MYLES We can’t get into specifics, but yes, the suspect and victim did meet over the internet. REPORTERS clamor like rats over the top of each other to ask the next question. Grace clenches her jaw, hating this.

INT. GIRLS’ APARTMENT - DAY The front door swings opens. A BAWLING NEIGHBOR, 56, female, stands with a casserole dish. 21.

BAWLING NEIGHBOR Your sister was so sweet. Last month, after my recent bout of diabetes, she gave me this paper cat thingy. I threw it away already, but it was, well... Here. The Bawling Neighbor hands the casserole to Grace, who is too emotionally drained to even feign appreciation.

MELISSA'S BEDROOM - LATER Grace puts a plate of food next to her catatonic mother.

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT The Detectives give Grace reassuring pats on the back. She notices beyond them, a police officer removing the barricade tape and a news van driving off.

KITCHEN - LATER The casserole rots on the counter.

GIRL’S BEDROOM - LATER Grace tosses and turns. She opens her eyes. The stuffed animals on Hailey’s empty bed give her the evil eye.

LIVING ROOM - LATER Grace flips through the television channels. Not all the news reports feature Hailey. Grace scoops up her phone. ON THE PHONE HAILEY: Trying to sleep. Enough! BACK TO SCENE She hesitates -- it’s probably useless -- but then types. ON THE PHONE HAILEY: Trying to sleep. Enough! GRACE: Hailey, you there? Please, answer. 22.

BACK TO SCENE Grace lowers her phone and sees Hailey’s portrait loom in the corner. The portrait’s frozen eyes penetrate and punish Grace. BOOM. BOOM. A KNOCK AT THE DOOR rattles her more. PETER (O.S.) Melissa? Grace? You home? Grace bounds up and opens the front door. Her father, PETER, 43, a paunchy car salesman, stands with a suitcase. PETER I have been calling your mother, but there was no answer. Grace jumps into her father’s arms. PETER Oh, my Gracie. Don’t worry. Daddy’s here. Daddy’s here now. Melissa shuffles in with a glass of water. MELISSA Only took you two days, Peter. Two. PETER What do you want? The flights were all booked. (off Melissa’s look) Melissa, I’m sorry. How are you doing? Are you okay? Melissa swallows some pills and shuffles back to her bedroom. GRACE She’s been like this the whole time, so it’s been all up to me, and the cops, and I don’t know... PETER Shh. Shh. I am here now. I’ll take care of it now. Shh. Daddy’s here. Serenity pours over Grace as her father holds her. WHACK. WHACK. WHACK.

EXT. HAYFIELD - DAY Sticks beat down the knee-high stalks. Hundreds of volunteers search for Hailey across the golden meadow. 23.

Grace, in the middle of the line, fiercely thrashes at the stalk. Jeremy comes up beside her. JEREMY Grace. Hey. Watch it. GRACE Oh, Jeremy. Sorry. JEREMY It’s okay. How are you? GRACE I’m... I’m sorry I haven’t texted -- JEREMY Hey, perfectly understandable. I just wish, I had handled... I just didn’t know what to say or do. Honestly, I still don’t. GRACE You being here that’s enough. JEREMY Grace, we’re going to find her. Grace sees Peter yelling at the Detectives in the distance. GRACE Yeah. I know.

INT. GIRLS’ APARTMENT - NIGHT A newscast of the search plays on the television. Melissa spies Grace and Peter asleep on the couch together. PETER (V.O.) All kids are inherently kind, but I am almost certain that my Hailey has this extra level of tenderness built into her.

EXT. SCHOOL - DAY NEWS CREWS film Grace and Peter visiting a memorial fence, which is littered with signs, flowers and stuffed animals. PETER (V.O.) It’s like she knows when someone hurts. She can feel it. Your energy, she feels it. 24.

INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT Grace and Peter clean the casserole dish together. PETER (V.O.) I remember, I would come home from work just exhausted and beaten- down; so much so, that I would end up falling asleep on the couch.

LIVING ROOM - LATER Peter puts a blanket over a sleeping Grace. He then creeps out of the apartment. PETER (V.O.) And then the next morning there she’d be, cuddled up against me, her fuzzy pink blanket over me.

EXT. DOWNTOWN STREET - DAY Peter, Grace and Jeremy hand out fliers about Hailey. PETER (V.O.) As she got older, I think it almost overwhelmed her. Feeling so much.

EXT. POLICE STATION - DAY Grace watches Peter give the Detectives a stern lecture. PETER (V.O.) And so to cope she started to make these origami animals and she would then use them to cheer you up.

EXT. FOOTBALL FIELD - NIGHT Peter speaks to a crowd that has come to Hailey’s candlelight vigil. In his palm is one of her origami figurines. PETER And so maybe some you were walking down the school hall one day or shopping in town. And this strange, little girl came up to you and she gave you one these things for no apparent reason. Now, you finally know why. 25.

Standing behind Peter, Grace grips Jeremy’s hand. PETER Because she knew you were low. She felt it. And she was trying to lift you up. In her own special way.

EXT. FOREST - DAY Grace, Jeremy and a diminished amount of volunteers search. PETER (V.O.) But now Hailey is the one that is low, and she needs you to lift her up. All of you. She needs to feel your prayers and thoughts. Grace spots Peter talking on his cell phone, not searching.

EXT. SCHOOL - NIGHT A violent downpour drenches Hailey’s memorial fence. PETER (V.O.) Because some son of... has taken her. Taken my Hailey.

EXT. DOWNTOWN STREET - DAY Grace, Jeremy and Peter try to hand out fliers, but people are too busy ducking the rain to take one. PETER (V.O.) And so to that person, if you are watching, listening, this is what you need to realize. Peter wants to pack it in, but Grace resists.

INT. GIRL’S APARTMENT - NIGHT Grace wakes up. Peter is nowhere to be found. She peeks out the window and finds Peter outside, speaking apologetically to someone on his cell phone. PETER (V.O.) You need to realize what a kind, gentle, child you have in your hands. And please, we just want her back. Please, give her back. 26.

EXT. FOOTBALL FIELD - NIGHT Peter speaks in front of the vigil. PETER I; her sister, Grace; Hailey’s mother, we all want her back. Please. I am feeling so low right now. I need her back so bad. Peter bursts into tears. Grace comforts him. Closer to the crowd, she catches a glimpse of two women rolling their eyes. PETER And Hailey, we want you to know that we love you very much, and we’re never going to stop looking for you. Grace surveys the entire crowd and sees cocked eyebrows, unsettling head shakes, and hopeless grimaces. PETER We’re never going to stop. Never. Do you hear me, Hailey? Never. Thank you all very much for coming out. And thank you so much for supporting Hailey. Thank you. Grace beholds the sea of candles, getting their flames extinguished. PETER (O.S.) You know, she can feel this. I know she’s feeling this love right now. Thank you. She is feeling all this, you know. Thanks so much. The last candle is snuffed out.

INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT Peter picks up his suitcase. PETER I’ll be in constant contact with you and the police. And I am going to get back out here as soon as possible. I swear to you. Grace and Melissa stare at him, stupefied. 27.

PETER But it’s been almost two weeks. I’ve got work and, of course, there’s Chelsea. And I didn’t want to mention it before; I was hoping we would have Hailey home, but Chelsea is pregnant. Six months pregnant, and she’s freaking out a little. So, I guess, Grace, you’re going to be a sister again. Grace glares at him, unsure how to respond. PETER Yes, hmm, I’m going to be back as soon as possible. Peter gives Grace a hug. Any serenity she had is lost. PETER Gracie, I love you so much. Don’t worry. Like I said, I’ll be checking in all the time. Melissa. Peter tries to kiss Melissa’s cheek, but she turns away. PETER All right. Take care. Love you, Gracie. And I’ll be back before you know it. Promise. Love you. Bye. Peter walks out the door. MELISSA He’s never coming back. GRACE Yeah. I know. Grace stands with stark eyes. The SQUEAL kicks back in.

EXT. SCHOOL - DAY Grace walks by the memorial fence, the flowers wilted, the signs smeared and warped.

INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY - DAY Students sympathetically wave or nod as Grace walks by. 28.

INT. MELISSA'S BEDROOM - DAY Grace tries to coax Melissa out of bed with clean nurse scrubs. Melissa curls up deeper into her bathrobe.

INT. KITCHEN - DAY Grace removes the remaining funds from the swear jar.

INT. PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE - DAY The PRINCIPAL speaks affectionately to Grace, but all she hears is the SQUEAL.

INT. SCHOOL - DAY Albie and the cheerleaders blubber as they hug a detached Grace.

INT. GIRLS’ APARTMENT - NIGHT Grace flips through the television channels. Not one newscast features anything about Hailey. She grabs her phone and dials Detective Myles. She waits for an answer. Nothing. She hangs up.

EXT. SCHOOL - DAY Grace walks by the fence; all the signs and gifts are gone.

INT. SCHOOL CLASSROOM - DAY Grace tunes out the TEACHER. Jeremy eyes her, concerned.

INT. MELISSA'S BEDROOM - DAY Grace vigorously tries to get her mother out of bed. Melissa is having none of it and kicks her away.

LIVING ROOM - LATER Grace calls Detective Myles. No answer. She peers down. Several PAST DUE envelopes stick out from a pile of mail. 29.

INT. CAFETERIA - DAY Grace sits with Jeremy, Albie and others. The group laughs at some joke. BAM! Grace slaps the table and gets up. Everyone gawks at her as she exits, but she no longer cares.

EXT. STREET - DAY The noon sun burns bright as Grace walks home. She passes a strip mall. In the window of a diner is a HELP WANTED sign.

INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT The front door opens. The Bawling Neighbor stands with a bashful, apologetic look on her face. (She’s there for her casserole dish.)

LIVING ROOM - LATER Grace manically presses the remote. Channels of innocuous entertainment and news whirl by on the television.

INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY - DAY Grace sees no more sympathetic faces. People are either indifferent or whispering to each other about her.

PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE - LATER The Principal slides a box filled with the items from the fence over to Grace. The SQUEAL picks up a notch.

HALLWAY - LATER Grace, with the box, peers into the classroom.

CLASSROOM - CONTINUOUS Jeremy spots Grace through door’s window. Their eyes meet. She turns and leaves. Jeremy sneaks out.

HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS Jeremy chases after Grace. She brushes him off and exits. He stands, speechless, as the school doors close on her. 30.

EXT. STREET - DAY Grace walks home. She stops to get a better grip on the box and sees the HELP WANTED sign. She marches toward the diner. The SQUEAL is deafening.

INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT Grace hands the casserole dish back to the Bawling Neighbor, who is about to speak, until Grace shuts the door on her.

GIRL’S BEDROOM - LATER Grace pulls a sign out of the box. Spray-painted over a hopeful thought for Hailey, are the words: MAGGOT FOOD. Grace explodes with rage: She rips the signs apart, pushes over a dresser, shreds the origami figures. When she can’t find anything more to destroy, she calms down, huffing and puffing. She takes out her phone and types. ON THE PHONE GRACE: I miss you so much, Hailey. BACK TO SCENE Grace stares at the phone, begging for a reply. She is about to lower it when her eyes flutter for a brief moment like she saw something, but then her dark demeanor returns. She spots an undamaged origami unicorn on the desk. Her fist squashes it. The SQUEAL ends.

EXT. POLICE STATION - DAY Grace waits to ambush. Detective Myles comes out, rifling through some folders. GRACE Detective Myles. Detective. DETECTIVE MYLES Grace, why aren’t you in school? GRACE Minimum day. 31.

DETECTIVE MYLES Oh. I’m sorry I haven’t returned your calls. My workload has been crazy. Also, I don’t have much to report. This Brandon, whoever he is, was very savvy. He didn’t leave a lot of bread crumbs. GRACE I understand. But I’ve come about the laptop. My sister and I shared it, and some of my school assignments are still on it. It’s just difficult not having it, school-wise. DETECTIVE MYLES It’s evidence now so I can’t give it back, but we could probably let you pull the assignments off of it. GRACE Why don’t you just clone the hard drive to a new laptop for me? I don’t want to hound you every time I have a book report. DETECTIVE MYLES I don’t know, if -- GRACE Please? It’s the least you can do. DETECTIVE MYLES Okay. Sure. I’ll get a tech right on it and have an officer drop it off to your place tonight. Grace gives a subtle nod of thanks and is about to leave. DETECTIVE MYLES Grace, I’m glad you’re focusing on school. Sometimes, with cases like this one, they can be a grind, but having some normalcy helps. GRACE Yeah. I know. And then Grace is on her way. SIZZLE. 32.

INT. DINER - NIGHT Burger patties fry on a grill. Fries crisp in a fryer. A CHEF slides a greasy plate of food onto the serving window. Grace, in a waitress uniform, takes the plate. She crosses the diner and puts it in front of a SEEDY CUSTOMER, 31. SEEDY CUSTOMER Could you grab that ketchup for me, sweetheart? There, on that table. Grace fetches the bottle. She can feel the customer’s leering eyes on her body. She returns and puts it on his table. GRACE Anything else? SEEDY CUSTOMER And the mustard. Please? Grace tries not give him such an eyeful, but he angles his head to get the view. She returns and plops the mustard down. GRACE All good now? SEEDY CUSTOMER Oops. Sorry. Tabasco?

EXT. DINER - NIGHT Grace leaves, exhausted. The lights shut off behind her. She hears GRUNTS and PUNCHES. She peers over and sees -- Tucked in the corner of the strip mall is an MMA gym. Through the open door, a bunch of young, tough men spar inside.

EXT. AKIO’S MMA GYM - LATER Grace shuffles up, enamored. It’s not like an old boxing gym. The equipment is new, high-tech, including an octagon cage, but the stench of sweat and blood is still potent. She spots the back of a man, watching his pupils. By his stature, he looks like a wholesome, middle-aged Sensei. The man turns. He is Asian, but his neck and arms are covered in tattoos. This is AKIO, 43. Grace and Akio make eye contact. His eyes narrow like he knows her. He strolls up. She is about to speak, and he shuts the door on her. She lingers for a beat, baffled. 33.

INT. GIRLS’ APARTMENT - NIGHT Grace enters. Melissa comes in from the kitchen, still in her bathrobe. She holds a laptop computer in her hands. MELISSA A police officer dropped this off for you. What is it? Grace takes the laptop. She types a text on her phone. GRACE Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing. MELISSA Grace? GRACE I told you, it’s nothing. MELISSA Grace, I know that things haven’t been easy -- GRACE Mom, just take some of your pills and go lie down. MELISSA Grace, I’m just trying -- GRACE Just go. Don’t worry, Mom. Go. Melissa, tail between her legs, toddles off to her bedroom. There’s a TEXT SEND SWOOSH. Grace peers down at her hands. ON THE PHONE GRACE: I need you. Come over?

EXT. APARTMENT - NIGHT Jeremy walks up with a bouquet of flowers. He knocks. GRACE (O.S.) (from inside) Just a second. He does a double take at the flowers and tosses them right before Grace opens the door. 34.

INT. GIRLS’ APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS Grace gestures for Jeremy to come in. He does. GRACE Thanks for coming over. JEREMY Yeah, of course. I was beginning to worry if I was ever going to get to see you again. GRACE I just can’t do school right now. JEREMY Understandable. So how is... how is your mom doing? GRACE Same as before, just using a heavier dose. Come on. I have something to show you in my bedroom. Grace goes. Jeremy flashes a delighted grin and follows.

GIRLS’ BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS She leads him in. The room is a mess, but Jeremy only has eyes for her. JEREMY Would did you need to show me? GRACE That. Grace motions to the laptop computer on the desk. JEREMY Oh, yeah, that. A computer? GRACE Why do you think I invited you over? JEREMY This, of course. GRACE Here, take a seat. 35.

Grace pulls the chair out for him. Jeremy hesitates. GRACE What’s wrong? JEREMY It’s just... isn’t this where... GRACE Try sleeping in here every night. Grace forces Jeremy down in the chair. GRACE You found that chat room, so you know about computers. Right? JEREMY Somewhat. I guess. GRACE Good. I need you to find anything you can about Hailey and this guy. JEREMY Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Jeremy tries to get back up. Grace holds him down. GRACE It’s a clone. So everything should have transferred over. JEREMY Probably, maybe, but why? GRACE I can’t explain it. I just have to know what she said. Grace casts an intense, pleading gaze at Jeremy. He draws a heavy sigh and presses the start-up button. CHIME.

LATER Jeremy, now alone, works on the laptop. He gives the wrecked room a once over, concerned. Grace returns with a soda. JEREMY You know your wi-fi password and firewall protection is a joke. Grace just shrugs, “So?”. 36.

JEREMY You know how dangerous that is? Grace forces him back to the laptop. GRACE Tell me I’m an idiot later. Did you find anything? JEREMY Like I said, all the chat room messages have been scrubbed clean. There’s nothing left. GRACE There has to be something. I got to know, Jeremy. JEREMY There is this.

ON THE LAPTOP An on-line game called MEDIEVAL WARRIORS loads, where players build castles and fight each other. GRACE (O.S.) That’s one of the games Hailey always played. So? JEREMY (O.S.) I think this where she first met Brandon. See. Brandon’s thumbnail picture pops up. His status reads: OFF- LINE. Jeremy scrolls down and reads their first messages: JEREMY (O.S.) Wow. You kicked my ass. Hailey’s response: That’s what happens when you mess with the Red Queen. Brandon: LOL. I yield, my Queen. BACK TO SCENE GRACE So he meets them in the game and then convinces them to join a private chat room, where God knows what happens. JEREMY Pretty much. 37.

Grace closes the laptop and escorts Jeremy out. GRACE Okay, thanks. You should probably be getting home. It’s getting late.

LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS Grace continues to bounce Jeremy from the apartment. JEREMY Wait. Hold on second. Grace, stop. Talk to me. What are you planning? Because if you are thinking of trying to track this Brandon guy down by yourself, that’s insane. Grace, let the police handle this. This guy is dangerous. Grace opens the front door and shoves him outside. GRACE Yeah. I know. Thanks for all your help, Jeremy. JEREMY Grace, I mean it. GRACE Thanks for the flowers, too.

EXT. APARTMENT - NIGHT Grace shuts the door on Jeremy. He peers over at the flowers, an uneasy gleam in his eyes.

INT. AKIO’S MMA GYM - NIGHT The cage door of the octagon opens. Two FIGHTERS enter and start to spar. Akio stands outside, arms folded. AKIO I want to see some actual technique, instead of you two bitch slapping each other for the whole round. Grace, in her waitress uniform, walks up to Akio. His back is turned to her. She is just about to speak, when: 38.

AKIO We’ve got a cardio kickboxing class in the afternoons. And if that’s too much for you, there’s a spin class down the street. GRACE I want to learn to fight. AKIO This is an advanced class. Private. Start with the kickboxing, and if you last the month, then you can take the basic -- GRACE No. I need to learn to fight. Now. AKIO Again, this is an advanced -- WHOOSH. Grace kicks her foot up within an inch of Akio’s ear and holds it there. He finally turns to her. GRACE Ten years of gymnastics and three years of cheer. I can hold my own. AKIO Hmm. Go get changed. Grace lowers her foot and walks off to the locker room. CARNEY, 24, long hair, huge muscles, comes up to Akio. CARNEY Akio, are you really letting that little princess join the gym? AKIO Get wrapped up.

OCTAGON CAGE - LATER Grace, in headgear and MMA gloves, lands hard on the mat. Carney stands over her. Akio and the rest of the fighters watch from outside the cage. AKIO Get up. Before you learn to fight, I gotta learn if you can take an ass whooping. 39.

Grace gets up. She flails some punches at Carney. He blocks them and tosses her down like a rag doll again. CARNEY That’s not going to cut it, Princess. The other fighters laugh and make cat-calls. AKIO And the only way to do that is if you survive a round without tapping out. Grace tries to pick herself up. WHAP! Carney kicks her in the ribs and she crumples back down. AKIO You got four minutes left. CARNEY That spin class isn’t looking so bad now, is it, Princess? Grace stands up and boldly puts her dukes up. The fighters hoot. Dante, 19, scrawny, is the most vocal. DANTE Yo, she’s calling you out, Carney. An enraged Carney rushes her and pins her against the fence. He rams his elbow into her face, slicing a cut open. Blood gushes into her eyes. She blinks, panting, trying not to freak out. Through all the blood, she eyes a stoic Akio. AKIO What do you want me to do? It’s your fight. Carney scoops Grace up, lifts her high into the air, and drives her shoulders into the mat. CRASH. The cage rattles. The fighters go ballistic, shouting, slapping each other. DANTE You snapped her like a twig. Yo, is she dead? She’s gots to be dead. Carney triumphantly raises his arms up. Grace rolls around on the mat, in agony. 40.

AKIO Tap and the nightmare will be over. You can go back to your parties and prom date committee. Just tap. A dejected Grace motions for Carney to come closer. CARNEY I think she’s asking me to call her an ambulance. Grace spits out her mouthpiece. Carney edges closer. CARNEY What is it, Princess? Grace’s face turns savage. She kicks Carney hard in the groin, lifting his feet off the mat. The fighters groan, feeling his pain. Grace does a kick-up back to her feet. She latches onto Carney’s hair and repeatedly knees him in the face. She is unrelenting. Knee after knee. Blood splatters all over. Carney reaches up to her shoulder and taps. CARNEY I tap. I tap! Grace stops her attack and lets him fall to her feet. The fighters are stunned, then they all explode into a cheer. DANTE Holy shit, Princess is a badass. AKIO Silence! Everyone quiets down. Akio jumps up on a stool and leans over the cage’s edge. He stares Grace down. AKIO I don’t how much of that was regulation. Grace frowns. He’s still not going to let her join. AKIO So, you ready to learn to fight? The fighters clap. Grace resists letting a smile creep out. 41.

INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - DAY Grace sits at the desk, clicking the laptop’s mouse. ON THE LAPTOP Her female Queen avatar, RED_QUEEN, kills off a knight with the name, KING_KILLER in the MEDIEVAL WARRIORS game. BACK TO SCENE She dictates to herself as she types on the laptop. GRACE I bested you, my liege. ON THE LAPTOP A thumbnail photo of KING_KILLER, 14, a dorky boy, pops up in the message section, along with his reply: KING_KILLER: Bite me, bitch. BACK TO SCENE Grace presses DELETE on the keyboard. DING. She picks up her phone and retrieves the message. ON THE PHONE JEREMY: Call me. BACK TO SCENE Grace is about to reply, but then puts the phone down and resumes playing the video game.

INT. AKIO'S MMA GYM - NIGHT Grace and the other fighters work out on the heavy bags. AKIO No, drive from the hip. Akio demonstrates for her and then slaps her in the head. AKIO Focus. She shakes her head, disappointed. She's not used to this; she’s usually the coach’s pet. 42.

LATER Dante wraps Grace up in a triangle choke hold. She tries to pull out and starts to go unconscious. Dante releases her. DANTE Are you okay, Princess? GRACE What did I do wrong, Dante? Akio comes up and slaps her in the head. AKIO You didn’t stack him like I showed you. Akio then slaps Dante’s head. DANTE Yo, what was that for? AKIO She didn’t tap. Next time, choke her ass out.

LATER A ringside BUZZER goes off. Grace and the other fighters, exhausted, sweaty, lower their hands. AKIO (O.S.) Switch partners. One more round. Grace looks for a new partner. The only one left is Carney. His face swollen and bruised. He scowls and stomps up to her. AKIO (O.S.) And begin. Everyone else starts. Carney towers above, peering down at her. She tries not to shrink, but he’s intimidating. CARNEY Go easy on me. He grins and sticks his glove out. They bump gloves. Akio comes up and whacks both their heads. AKIO I said, begin. 43.

LATER Fighters, cleaned up, leave for the night. Akio puts away some equipment. Grace comes up and bows to him. GRACE Sensei Akio? Akio smiles appreciatively and then slaps her head. AKIO Do I look like Mister-fucking- Miyagi? Akio. Just, Akio. GRACE Akio, I was wondering how soon do you think I’ll be ready to fight? AKIO Depends. Who do you plan to fight? Grace steps back stunned: Does he know? AKIO Their skill level? Amateur? Pro? Same weight class? GRACE I just want to hold my own with whoever. AKIO Who knows? How hard do you train? So, I suggest, train harder. Grace gives a determined nod.

INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - DAY Grace eagerly plays the MEDIEVAL WARRIORS game on the laptop.

INT. AKIO’S MMA GYM - NIGHT Grace struggles in various training sessions but never gives in. AKIO (V.O.) When you’re in a fight, that’s when you truly discover who you are. Akio slaps her head several times. 44.

INT. SPORTING GOODS STORE - DAY Grace points at a hunting knife inside a display case. The CLERK demos it for her. AKIO (V.O.) You can pretend, train all you want, but you won’t know until that cage door closes. She nods and points at another knife.

EXT. PARK - DAY Grace sprints across a line of trees. She slows down and holds her side. She didn’t make it to the end. AKIO (V.O.) And you’re locked in there with your opponent. No escape.

INT. GIRLS’ APARTMENT - DAY Grace, in her waitress outfit, bumps into Melissa. Melissa notices Grace’s black eye; she reaches out to caress it. AKIO (V.O.) No one there to help you. You are on your own. Alone. Grace brushes Melissa’s hand away and strides off.

INT. AKIO'S MMA GYM - NIGHT Akio teaches Grace to armbar Dante. AKIO (V.O.) And things might even go good. You might actually be winning. She gets Dante to tap, but she winces, ready for the slap. Akio just moves on.

INT. SPORTING GOODS STORE - DAY A line of five knives sits on the display case. The Clerk, annoyed, waits for Grace to make her decision. 45.

AKIO (V.O.) But that will never last. Things never remain good for long. KCCKWHIP. Grace opens a switchblade knife.

INT. AKIO'S MMA GYM - NIGHT Grace spars with Carney. She’s looking like a legit fighter. AKIO (V.O.) That is when the fear creeps in.

INT. PARK - DAY Grace sprints across the trees. She is almost to the end, but then comes up lame and clutches at her calf. AKIO (V.O.) The doubt rings in your ears like a gong. Can I do this?

INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - NIGHT Grace fights falling asleep as she plays on the laptop. AKIO (V.O.) Am I good enough?

INT. DINER - DAY Grace rubs her aching calf. A SERVICE BELL RINGS. She wearily pushes herself back out onto the main floor. AKIO (V.O.) Why am I even here?

INT. AKIO'S MMA GYM - NIGHT Grace and the fighters loll on the mat after a hard session. They pass a water bottle around, taking swigs off of it. AKIO (V.O.) And in those moments when you find yourself, bloodied and beaten. Carney offers Grace the spit-covered bottle. She hesitates, but then grabs it and drinks from it. She’s one them now. 46.

INT. SPORTING GOODS STORE - DAY Eight various knives, canisters of mace, and handcuffs sit on the display case. The impatient Clerk waits, super annoyed. AKIO (V.O.) Your back against the wall. Seconds from losing all hope. Grace pushes it all forward. The Clerk’s eyes bulge.

EXT. PARK - DAY Grace sprints with a limp across the trees. AKIO (V.O.) That is when you will have to make a choice. She makes it to the end and gives herself a congratulatory fist pump.

INT. AKIO’S MMA GYM - NIGHT Training has just finished. Grace and all the fighters are lined up, listening to Akio’s sermon. AKIO A choice that may haunt you forever. Akio pauses, about to give the big finale, and that’s when Dante lets out the loudest FART ever. The fighters giggle. DANTE Akio, man, I’m sorry. I’ve been holding that in like all night. Akio raises his arms up and walks off. AKIO Why do I even bother? The fighters bust up. The laughter is infectious, but Grace tries to restrain herself. DANTE Yo, I just couldn’t keep my butt cheeks clenched for that long. Grace can’t hold it in. She laughs, and the second she does she fills up with contempt for herself. 47.

INT. DINER - DAY Grace walks with a tray of food. She spots in the back booth, a young TEARY-EYED GIRL, 12, playing with a straw. The girl appears to be waiting out some trouble. Grace slides a cheeseburger in front of the Teary-Eyed Girl. TEARY-EYED GIRL I didn’t order this. GRACE You need it more than he does. Grace nods at a heavy-set man at another table. TEARY-EYED GIRL Thanks. The Teary-Eyed Girl starts to devour the food and then notices that Grace hasn’t left. TEARY-EYED GIRL Thanks, again. Grace continues to eye the Teary-Eyed Girl, who vaguely looks like Hailey with long hair. It’s getting awkward, and then: GRACE My sister hates being alone too. When I was twelve, we finally got the chance to have separate rooms for a year. But she hated it. She would constantly come into my room, bugging me, crawling into bed with me every night. One day, I finally had enough. Screamed my head off at her and she ran off crying. I couldn’t find her anywhere until I went to this local coffee shop. There she was, making swans out the napkins for everyone. She just hates being alone so much. Now the awkwardness is firmly set in place. The Teary-Eyed Girl gapes at Grace until she shakes out of the trance. GRACE Sorry. Enjoy.

INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - DAY Grace plays the MEDIEVAL WARRIORS game. 48.

ON THE LAPTOP A photo of a boy, PRINCE_DRACO, 15, and a message pops up: PRINCE_DRACO: Leave me alone or I’ll report you. BACK TO SCENE A miffed Grace hits DELETE on the laptop.

INT. AKIO'S MMA GYM - NIGHT Dante, Carney, and some other fighters wrap up for practice. They don’t see Grace stroll up next to them. DANTE So, I was online with my girl last night, and she starts doing some freaky stuff, man. CARNEY Like what? DANTE I’m talking, talking dirty. Flashing me this and that, putting the camera right up into -- WHACK! Akio slaps Dante and Carney’s head. DANTE Yo, Akio, what’s up. I know I did nothing -- Dante and Carney discover Grace is next to them. DANTE Damn. I’m sorry, Grace. I didn’t see you there. GRACE It’s okay. Can’t very well get rid of the internet. Can we?

INT. GIRL’S APARTMENT - NIGHT Melissa shuffles to the bathroom in her bathrobe. She stops and sees a light seep out from under Grace’s bedroom door. Melissa opens it and sees Grace asleep at the laptop. The MEDIEVAL WARRIORS game is on its screen. 49.

INT. DINER - DAY Grace carries a tray of food. She angles her head, hoping to see the Teary-Eyed Girl, instead Jeremy waves from the booth. GRACE What are you doing here? JEREMY It’s been over a month, I have been trying to -- why do you have bruises all over body? GRACE Are you going to order some food? JEREMY Grace, I’m worried about -- GRACE Are you ordering food? Yes or no? Grace says it so loud that the Chef and some patrons crane their heads toward them. JEREMY Grace, please. GRACE No, then have a pleasant day. Grace strides off.

INT. MALL - DAY Grace walks with a bag from the sporting good store. Something catches her eye. She stops and peers into: A high-end clothing store where Albie tries on a prom dress. ALBIE’S MOTHER blissfully watches her twirl around. Albie spots Grace and knocks on the glass. ALBIE Hey, Grace. Come in here for a sec. In the glass, Grace sees her reflection fused with the reflection of a gorgeous gown. She looks wistful. ALBIE Grace. Grace? Grace offers Albie a meek wave and slinks off. 50.

INT. GIRLS’ APARTMENT - NIGHT Grace sits, staring at her phone. She adds a new message to the chain between her and Hailey. ON THE PHONE GRACE: Hailey, I beg you. Are you there? BACK TO SCENE Grace hits SEND. She glances up. Hailey’s portrait peers back. Grace’s sadness quickly shifts to one of resentment.

EXT. PARK - DAY Grace runs with a fury. PAIGE, 7, crosses in front. To avoid a collision, Grace sprawls out and tumbles to the grass. Paige is shaken by what she caused. Paige’s sister, MARY, 11, jogs up while Grace picks herself up. MARY Paige, you gotta watch where you’re going. Say, you’re sorry. Paige wriggles, too embarrassed to say it. GRACE It’s okay. I’m fine. MARY Paige, what did Mom and Dad say? I’m in charge. Do it. Mary pushes Paige forward. PAIGE I’m, I’m sorry. GRACE It’s fine. Really. MARY You can be such a pain sometimes. Tag, you’re still it. PAIGE No fair. That was a time out. A gut-wrenching, anguished look spans across Grace’s face as she watches the two sisters run off, giggling. 51.

INT. AKIO'S MMA GYM - NIGHT Grace spars with Carney. She is going all out. He’s going light, trying to remain calm. CARNEY Grace, bring it down a notch. This is just a warm-up. She continues at the same speed. Fed up, Carney jabs her hard in the face. She snarls and swings madly at him.

INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - NIGHT Grace plays on the MEDIEVAL WARRIORS. A VIDEO CHAT request comes from her dad. Grace sighs and clicks the mouse. A video of Peter with a month-old baby emerges. Peter waves the baby’s hand and grins merrily. PETER Gracie, meet your new sister: Elizabeth Hailey Dunn. Grace tries to restrain herself from going postal.

MONTAGE - VARIOUS LOCATIONS - DAY/NIGHT -- Grace rolls too hard with Dante, bloodies his lip. -- The Seedy Customer is back at the diner. -- Grace watches the two sisters play on the playground. -- Carney and Grace go toe-to-toe. Both land hard punches. -- An irritable Grace plays the game on the laptop. -- On the laptop, she receives another rejection: CREEP! -- Grace eyes the two sisters leave the park with their parents. Look, the perfect family. -- Grace returns with the ketchup bottle. The Seedy Customer flashes a smug grin. -- On the laptop, Grace’s Red Queen avatar slashes and kills other avatars with a sword. -- Carney lands a mean right hook, knocking Grace out. -- Grace squirts ketchup all over the Seedy Customer’s face. 52.

-- Grace, incensed, turns off the laptop. -- Grace’s bloody, unconscious face slaps the mat. -- Grace hands her waitress apron over to the Chef. -- In the laptop’s black screen, she stares at her tired, bruised face in the reflection. END MONTAGE

INT. AKIO'S MMA GYM - NIGHT Grace has Dante in an armbar. She seems possessed. She cranks the arm back. He taps. She cranks harder. DANTE I tap. I tap. I tap. POP! Dante screams. Grace snaps out of it and lets go. DANTE I tapped, yo. I tapped. Dante writhes in pain, gripping his elbow. Akio, Carney, and other fighters check on him. CARNEY What the hell is wrong with you? Grace gapes.

LATER Akio comes out of his office in street clothes. The place is empty, dark. He walks to the door and stops. AKIO Dante’s fine, only a sprain. Nothing was torn. Grace steps into some light. GRACE Good. AKIO You know, my father, back in Japan, is a pretty famous geneticist, even won a Nobel Prize. He wanted nothing more than his son to carry on in his work. (MORE) 53. AKIO (CONT'D) Be smart, use his brain for something. But I enjoyed punching people in the face too much. You can’t be anything other than what you were born to be. Akio leaves Grace alone in the dark to ponder. AKIO (O.S.) So are you a princess or are you a fighter?

INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - NIGHT Grace sits at the desk. ON THE LAPTOP Is the MEDIEVAL WARRIORS game with a DIALOG BOX over it that reads: DO YOU WISH TO CANCEL MEMBERSHIP? YES. NO. The cursor hovers over the YES button. BACK TO SCENE Grace’s lip quivers. Her finger trembles on the mouse. She just about to do it, when — A MESSAGE ALERT. ON THE LAPTOP A photo of good-looking teenaged boy, JROCK, pops up in the message section along with a message: JROCK: I have been watching you. You’ve got some pretty slick moves, Red Queen. Or should I say, Grace? BACK TO SCENE Grace’s face grows wide with dismay. ON THE LAPTOP Jrock’s photo dissolves into a picture of Jeremy. JROCK: You’re not fooling anyone. Now, will you speak to me? BACK TO SCENE She sinks, defeated. She types and then smacks the return button. 54.

INT. JEREMY’S BEDROOM - NIGHT The door opens. Jeremy quickly ushers Grace into his makeshift command center: Maps, newspaper clippings, and various photographs plaster his walls. JEREMY Hurry, before my mom tries to sneak in. She’s getting suspicious. He shuts the door behind her. She eyes the lofty collage of material, mesmerized by all of it. GRACE What is all this? JEREMY You’re not the only the one that feels guilty. Grace gawks at him, the weight lifted by their common bond. JEREMY That’s what I wanted to tell you; you’re being foolish. Foolish, in trying to do this all alone. Jeremy reaches to touch her face. She turns back to the maps, the weight returned. GRACE So what’s with the maps? JEREMY All right, hear me out. I checked when I sent you that message from the party. It was at nine-o-four. Jeremy points to some newspaper clippings and photos. JEREMY Now, this Brandon picked Hailey up at ten-thirty-five. By the news I’ve gathered it was a spur of the moment thing, it wasn’t until after you had decided to come... Jeremy notices Grace bow her head in shame and trails off. JEREMY Sorry. So I then calculated how long it would take to reasonably travel to your apartment based on that ninety-minute window. 55.

He rips some maps down, exposing a large state map. A donut circle has been drawn through its topography. JEREMY Most likely he had to come from one of these towns. This Brandon doesn’t seem like a first timer, so I then crossed referenced it with the sex offender list. On one of the maps, Grace scratches at a little circle with red X inside it. JEREMY The X’s mean I have ruled them out through various means. GRACE Ruled them out? How?

LATER ON JEREMY’S DESKTOP COMPUTER Jeremy scrolls through various MESSAGING WEBSITES with long back-and-forth messaging sessions. In each posting appears the thumbnail photo of a girl, 15, with short, black hair, along with photos of various men. JEREMY (V.O.) I started trolling the dark web, you know, the section of the internet where people go so governments can’t track them. BACK TO SCENE Grace looks over Jeremy’s shoulder at the computer. JEREMY The chat room, the one Brandon told Hailey to join, it’s there: the dark web. So I started posting to all these different forums using a fake internet address myself. Met some real interesting people. Grace points to the girl in the thumbnail photo. GRACE And who’s she? 56.

ON JEREMY’S DESKTOP COMPUTER The cursor clicks on the picture and it goes full size. JEREMY (O.S.) I named her Tanya. But really she is no one. I Frakensteined her together with Photoshop from the images of about thirty girls. Along with a big dash of you and Hailey. I figure Brandon has a type. BACK TO SCENE GRACE It looks like you got everything worked out. So why do you need me? Jeremy wheels around and looks her dead in the eye. JEREMY Because I think, I may have found Brandon.

INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - LATER CHIME. The laptop turns on. Jeremy starts typing on it. JEREMY (V.O.) He’s calling himself Drew now. I meet him on this teen blog site. ON THE LAPTOP A picture of DREW 18, apple-pie-handsome, pops on, along with all the different messages he has had with, “Tanya.” JEREMY (V.O.) Most of these guys, once I pressured them to do a video chat, would just back off. They didn’t want to take the chance of getting caught. Not Drew. He was the aggressor. Occasional phrases like: “YOU CAN TELL ME,” “YOUR MOM SOUNDS LIKE A MONSTER,” “YOU ARE BETTER THAN THEM ALL” flash on its screen to support what Jeremy is saying. JEREMY (V.O.) He would try to get Tanya, me, to pour my heart out to him. You know, how my parents mistreat me, kids at school hate me, stuff like that. 57.

BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS Grace stares in the mirror. She flicks her golden hair back. JEREMY (V.O.) Then he would tell me how special I am, how pretty I am, how I deserve to be loved.

GIRLS’ BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS Jeremy cleans up the room, making it presentable. The dresser goes back up, the shredded origami into the trash. JEREMY (V.O.) That’s how these bastards do it. They prey on vulnerable girls and break them down until they are putty in their hands. It’s sick. He vacuums, makes the beds, lights several candles. JEREMY (V.O.) It took a month, but he finally did reveal that the photo of him was a fake, and he is actually a twenty- nine-year-old man, living only one hour away from here. He turns the lights off. Candles flicker all around.

INT. JEREMY’S BEDROOM - NIGHT (FLASHBACK) Jeremy hands Grace a picture of the actual DREW, 36, pudgy, looks mild-mannered. JEREMY I don’t know who he thinks he’s fooling. Twenty-nine, my ass. Still, he wants nothing more in the world than to party with Tanya. A fierce Grace peers up at -- JEREMY’S DESKTOP COMPUTER The picture of Tanya floats on the screen. 58.

INT. APARTMENT - BATHROOM - NIGHT (PRESENT) Grace raises scissors to her blonde locks. SNIP. SNIP. The hair drops in large clumps. SNIP. JEREMY (V.O.) It’s simple; you just get him to confess that he has met other underage girls online and that he has met them in person. SNIP. Golden hair blankets her feet. JEREMY (V.O.) I will be recording the whole conversation on your laptop. Grace rubs black dye all over he scalp. She leans down to wash it out in the sink. JEREMY (V.O.) Hopefully, that will be enough to get the police to put some pressure on this guy. And then who knows maybe we can find Hailey. She comes back up with a towel wrapped around her head. She looks in the mirror, a firm, focused gaze.

GIRL’S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS Jeremy works on the laptop. His back turned to the open door. He hears the bathroom door CREAK open. JEREMY Grace, you still haven’t changed your wi-fi password? I told you -- GRACE Jeremy. Jeremy turns and stands up at the sight of her. In the door frame, she runs her fingers through her short, black mane. JEREMY Wow. You look just like... She turns away, pained. Jeremy, grimaces: Idiot. He tries to break the tension. JEREMY Well, now you know my idea of romance: Creepy Monastery. 59.

GRACE Too bad. I’ve already got a date. Grace slides past him and sits at the laptop. JEREMY Yeah. Too bad. Okay, I’ve got you all set up. It’s midnight now so he should be coming online at anytime. GRACE Anything else I should know? JEREMY Not much. Drew is smart. I can’t hack into his home network, and he doesn’t leave much of a presence on the web. So he -- GRACE Doesn’t leave bread crumbs. Jeremy casts an inquisitive glance at her. DING. ON THE LAPTOP Drew’s young thumbnail photo appears, along with the message: DREW: I am waiting for you, My Lady. Below the message is a link to join a VIDEO CHAT ROOM. BACK TO SCENE GRACE My lady? JEREMY Did you expect this Brandon to use the exact same MO? Now, just remember you are, Tanya. You think Drew is this great older man, who -- GRACE I know. I know. I got it. Go. Shoo. Jeremy takes his sweet time, but finally exits into --

HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS He closes the door behind him. A nervous, bitter look overtakes him: that’s his girl, not Drew’s. 60.

GIRLS’ BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS Grace takes a deep breath and clicks the link on the laptop. The VIDEO CHAT box of Drew emerges on the laptop. He is transmitting from his darkened study. DREW Hello, Tanya. Wow, it looks like you really went all out. Grace shades her face from Drew. GRACE Thanks. It’s nice to meet finally. You know face to face. DREW Absolutely. I’m so glad we are doing this, but I have to say you do look a little bit different than your photo. GRACE It’s an old picture. I haven’t changed it. I’m a little bit older now. I hope you don’t mind? DREW I am the last person that cares about that. Hello, I’m not exactly Mister All-American quarterback here, but I have to do it because most people just don’t understand the joy I get in reaching out to young people, such as yourself. I just want to help you find some happiness, Tanya. GRACE You’re such a good man, Drew. DREW But it’s not that you just look older, it’s something else. GRACE What? You don’t think that I am pretty enough? I should just go. This was a bad idea. Grace acts like she is going to click out of the chat. 61.

DREW No, no, no, God no, that’s not it. Tilt your head up. Tilt it up. She lifts her head. DREW There it is. You were just hiding that beautiful face of yours. You should never do that. Don’t you know how beautiful you are? What should you say when someone compliments you? GRACE Thank you. Grace forces a smile as Drew is clearly becoming aroused. DREW God, you’re absolutely beautiful. I am dying to see more. Can I?

HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS Jeremy leans against the bedroom door, trying to eavesdrop. Melissa shuffles out of her bedroom in her bathrobe. Her sleepy, drugged eyes widen when she spots Jeremy. MELISSA You? JEREMY Oh, shit.

GIRLS’ BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS Grace tries to hide her disgust as she unbuttons her blouse while Drew becomes more excited in his VIDEO CHAT box. DREW I want you to know, Tanya. I have never felt this connected to anyone my entire life. GRACE Me too. Melissa’s SHOUTS kill the mood. 62.

DREW What the hell is that? GRACE That’s just my parents. DREW I thought you said your parents were divorced. GRACE My mom must have got drunk again. Another booty call gone bad.

HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS Jeremy fights through Melissa’s bombardment of slaps, as he attempts to quiet her down. MELISSA What are you doing here?! Get out! JEREMY Shh. Mrs. Dunn. Stop. Shh. MELISSA Because of you! Get out! Jeremy gets a hold of her and gives a stiff shake. She stops. JEREMY Your daughter needs you. Grace needs you to be quiet. Please. Melissa’s nose flares. Jeremy braces for another attack. Instead, she melts into his arms and weeps.

GIRLS’ BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS Some of the WEEPING bleeds through the walls. GRACE The story of my life. DREW Tsk. You poor girl. I wish I could take you away from all that. GRACE Do you mean that? Grace covers herself up. 63.

DREW What are you doing? Don’t do that. GRACE The mood has kind of been ruined. I’m thinking maybe we can meet up in person. DREW Really? But I thought you weren’t ready to party with me. GRACE No, I am more than ready to party with you, Drew.

HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS Melissa leans on Jeremy’s shoulder and cries. JEREMY I know you miss Hailey, but Grace needs you too, Mrs. Dunn. She may not say it, but she needs you. Melissa hears a DOOR OPEN. She lifts her head and sees Grace step out with her new haircut. MELISSA (shaken) My baby? Melissa’s eyes roll up, and she faints. JEREMY Mrs. Dunn? Mrs. Dunn?

MELISSA’S BEDROOM - LATER Grace and Jeremy place a passed out Melissa on her bed. JEREMY So what happened? Did you get Drew to confess? GRACE No, but we have a party to get ready for. 64.

INT. MELISSA’S BEDROOM - DAY Bright afternoon sunlight ruptures the curtains. At first, it looks like it could be Grace’s room, but then Melissa wakes up, her head spinning. She reaches for her pill bottle but stops herself.

LATER After some initial struggles, Melissa manages to find some clothes in the closet and get dressed. The bathrobe goes into the trash.

LIVING ROOM - LATER Melissa sits, holding her phone. A business card twirls in her other hand. She stops the card and gazes at it. ON THE CARD LOST SOULS: A SUPPORT GROUP FOR GRIEVING PARENTS BACK TO SCENE Melissa glances up and sees Hailey’s portrait. She can’t breathe, it hurts, like she is seeing it for the first time. She looks back and forth between the phone and the portrait, trying to drum up the strength... PLIP. PLIP. PLIP.

BATHROOM - LATER Pills plop into the toilet water. A newly, robust Melissa pours the bottle out and flushes them away.

HALLWAY - LATER Melissa comes up to Grace’s door. She loiters for a moment and then gingerly knocks. MELISSA Grace. Could you open the door? GRACE (O.S.) Can you just leave me alone? 65.

MELISSA I want to talk to you. GRACE (O.S.) Take one of your pills, Mom. MELISSA That’s what I want... I had this dream last night about Hailey, and, well, things are going to be different. For me. For us. I am actually going to go to this meeting about families who have lost... I want you to come with me. GRACE (O.S.) I said, leave me alone. Go! GO! Melissa wants to say something else, but the words don’t come.

BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS Grace holds her breath, eyeing the door. Melissa’s departing FOOTFALLS trickle away through the wall. Grace returns to her task of slipping a switchblade knife into a holster concealed in a thigh-high garter. She lets her dress fall to her knees. She sways back and forth, making sure there are no visible bulges. She nods, satisfied. She is ready for battle, but now what... She is about to turn on the laptop, but instead her hands instinctively move to a desk drawer. Various stickers cover the front, including many with Hailey’s name. She opens the drawer. A stack of crystal-white origami paper is inside. She hesitates, like she’s invading Hailey’s personal stash, but can’t resist. She scoops up a sheet. Sits down and starts to craft her first origami. JEREMY (V.O.) We should just call the police.

INT. JEREMY’S CAR - NIGHT Jeremy peers through binoculars while on the phone. JEREMY Just this guy meeting you is enough to get him arrested. Grace? 66.

EXT. PARK - CONTINUOUS Grace turns around on the phone. She sees Jeremy’s car parked way off in the distance. GRACE We’ve talked about this. JEREMY (O.S.) Grace, I just don’t -- GRACE Jeremy. I want to feel alive again. I want to be able to smile and not feel guilty about it. I want to laugh and not feel like I should punch myself in the gut. And I want to kiss you and not feel like I should slit my wrists. And until Hailey is found, I don’t think that will ever be possible. Do you understand?

INT. JEREMY’S CAR - CONTINUOUS Jeremy resigns himself there is no talking her out of it. JEREMY Yeah. But remember to keep your phone on, so I can track you. And once you get him to confess anything about Hailey, you --

EXT. PARK - NIGHT Grace hangs up on Jeremy mid-sentence as a pair of headlights swerve into the parking lot.

INT. JEREMY’S CAR - CONTINUOUS A flustered Jeremy puts the phone in a mount and swipes it. ON THE PHONE A map appears with a flashing red dot.

EXT. PARK - NIGHT The headlights beam in on Grace. She shields her eyes and sees a family mini-van approach. Inside is the joyful Drew. 67.

INT. JEREMY’S CAR - CONTINUOUS Through the binoculars, Jeremy watches Grace climb into the van. He huffs, trying to quell his sickened stomach.

INT. DREW’S VAN - CONTINUOUS Drew gives Grace a clumsy hug as she settles in. DREW My lady, wow, you look amazing. I tell ya, I was counting down the hours today at work. I was just so damn excited to see ya. GRACE I know what you mean. I’ve kind of been a nervous wreck myself. DREW You have nothing to be nervous about; you look stunning. And don’t worry, this being our first date, I want you to know I am not gonna force you to do anything you don’t want to. Okay? Tanya? GRACE Okay. Thanks, Drew. Drew pulls a bottle of peach-flavored beer out from a bag. DREW But I did get some beverages just in case you did want to party. I figure you girls usually like the fruity drinks more. Would you care for one? GRACE What girl can say no to a fruity beer? Drew cracks open the bottle and hands the drink over. DREW Ha ha. That’s my Tanya. Drew peeks in the bag and feigns being disturbed by the salacious contents inside. DREW Oh, my, but, if things do go well. 68.

He laughs heartily at his joke. Grace coyly giggles along. GRACE I can’t wait.

INT. JEREMY’S CAR - NIGHT Jeremy watches through the binoculars. The headlights skew in his direction. The van is heading his way. He fumbles the binoculars and they knock the phone from the mount. He quickly retrieves it. The van’s headlights brighten the cabin. He remounts the phone and ducks just as --

EXT. PARK - CONTINUOUS Drew’s van passes. Through the window, Jeremy’s head turtles back up. He waits a moment and then starts the ignition.

EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT Drew’s van drives across the archway, leaving the sparkling lights of the city in the distance.

INT. DREW’S VAN - NIGHT Drew, with the skill of a seasoned gigolo, slides his hand onto Grace’s knee. DREW Is this okay? GRACE It’s fine. I like it. DREW I like you, Tanya.

EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT Jeremy’s car drives across the same spot.

INT. JEREMY’S CAR - NIGHT Jeremy keeps an eye on Drew’s car several car lengths ahead, and the red dot moving along on the phone’s map. 69.

INT. DREW’S VAN - LATER Drew drives. He slides his hand further up Grace’s thigh. She stops him and puts his hand back on her knee. DREW Sorry. Got a little carried away. GRACE It’s okay. Just not yet.

EXT. COUNTRY HIGHWAY - NIGHT Drew’s car drives past a curvy stretch of lonesome road.

INT. JEREMY’S CAR - NIGHT Jeremy tailgates a logging truck. JEREMY Come on. Come on. The red dot on the map distances itself more and more.

INT. DREW’S VAN - NIGHT Grace plays with her phone while Drew gropes her knee. She glances behind her and sees no other headlights. DREW I love this stretch of road. No one out here but us and mother nature. It’s just so peaceful. Isn’t it? GRACE It is. So, Drew, did you make sure and delete everything off your computer about me. Us? DREW Of course. This isn’t my first party. GRACE You know, I had a feeling. DREW But Tanya, I want you to know those other girls meant nothing to me. 70.

GRACE Nothing? DREW Nothing. Tanya, you’re very special to me. GRACE That’s sweet. You know, I think I am ready to party now, Drew. She presses the off button on her phone.

INT. JEREMY’S CAR - CONTINUOUS The red dot on the phone vanishes. Jeremy taps it. JEREMY No. No. Shit. He steps on the gas.

EXT. COUNTRY HIGHWAY - NIGHT Jeremy’s car darts out past the logging truck --

INT. JEREMY’S CAR - CONTINUOUS HONK! The headlights of oncoming cars scorch his face.

EXT. COUNTRY HIGHWAY - CONTINUOUS He swerves back in time, just missing being clipped by the logging truck.

INT. JEREMY’S CAR - CONTINUOUS Jeremy pants, shaking it off, and searches for Drew’s van. He zips past several more cars, but still no sign of them. Frantic, he slams on the brakes and turns the wheel.

EXT. TURNOFF - CONTINUOUS Jeremy’s car skids to a stop. 71.

INT. JEREMY’S CAR - CONTINUOUS He rips the phone from the mount. He dials nine and then a one, but then stops himself. JEREMY What do I say? Think. Jeremy’s eyes flash with recognition. ON THE PHONE He swipes through all the messages “Tanya” had with Drew. BACK TO SCENE Jeremy mumbles sporadic words as he reads. JEREMY No. Where. My lady. Date. TGIF? No. Picnic. Take you to a secluded lake for a picnic. That could be it. Jeremy swipes the phone and slams it back into the mount. JEREMY I knew I should have forced her to wear that tracking chip. ON THE PHONE Is a map with a small dot of blue amongst all the green. His ENGINE REVS.

EXT. LAKE - LATER Moonlight shimmers on the dark water. Trees stretch tall and wide to hide the small lagoon as the water LAPS against the rocks and the crickets CHIRP. Drew’s van sits on a narrow lane that leads right up to the shore. The doors left open. No one inside. The headlights of Jeremy’s approaching car create a halo around the van. Jeremy’s car rolls up and parks. He jumps out. JEREMY Grace! Grace! From the woods comes a SCREAM. A man’s SCREAM. 72.

EXT. FOREST - NIGHT Jeremy hurtles through the branches. DREW (O.S.) Agghhhh. Please. GRACE (O.S.) Tell me! Jeremy picks up the pace. He pushes through a thick patch of tree limbs and enters:

EXT. CLEARING - CONTINUOUS Jeremy witnesses a horrific scene: Drew drenched in blood, his hands raised over his head, cuffed around a tree branch. Small, thin slices crisscross his face and bare chest. GRACE Where did you bury her? Tell me. Grace takes the jagged edge of the broken beer bottle and swipes it across his chest, adding another wound. DREW Ahhh! God damn it! Please! JEREMY Grace. What the? DREW Oh, Jesus Christ. Thank you. Please, help me. GRACE Shut up. DREW She’s crazy. Help me. JEREMY Grace, what are you doing? DREW Please, I have children. Two girls. GRACE Shut up. He confessed. See. Grace taps her phone and shows Jeremy. 73.

ON THE PHONE Video plays of Drew handcuffed to the tree with only a couple cuts on his face. Grace slices his cheek with the bottle while filming. DREW Ahh. Okay, yes, I did it. I took your sister. It was me. BACK TO SCENE DREW I just said that because you’re a fucking psycho. Help me! GRACE Liar! You took her. Now, tell me. JEREMY Grace, this isn’t what we planned. GRACE What are the police going to do? They don’t care. Nobody cares about Hailey anymore. Jeremy and Grace don’t realize that Drew is covertly jostling the branch back and forth, trying to break free. JEREMY That’s not true. GRACE Yes, it is. She went missing and two days later, who cares? Back to Instagram. The police: sorry we are kind of busy solving other more important crimes. My father: I’ll just replace Hailey with a new daughter. And my mother just drugs herself until she’s numb. No one cares, except for me. JEREMY I care. Grace, I care. Those words strike Grace hard. She backs down. Jeremy approaches with caution and nimbly removes the bottle from her hands. A mortified, spent look floods her eyes -- CRACK. Drew has broken free from the branch. He sprints off. 74.

Grace hikes up her dress, and from the holster extracts her switchblade knife. KCCKWHIP. A stunned Jeremy watches Grace lay chase.

EXT. FOREST - NIGHT Drew, still cuffed, blasts through the branches. A hundred yards back, Grace trails but makes ground up fast.

EXT. LAKE - NIGHT Drew runs out of the woods and up to the van’s trunk. His cuffed hands make it difficult to press the unlock button. He hears the CRUNCH of leaves. He peers up. Grace bounds out of the forest with the knife. He desperately tries to open the trunk. CLINK. He’s got it. She sprints at him while he reaches into the trunk. She’s mere feet from him, about to pounce, when he wheels around and strikes her upper body with a shovel. The knife flies from her hands. She lands on the dirt, dazed. DREW Crazy God damn bitch. Drew raises the shovel high above him, giving Grace the opportunity to kick him in the groin. He drops the shovel. She kicks up back to her feet, but she is too slow. Drew lunges at her and tackles her back down into the leaves. Drew and Grace elbow, punch and kick each other. It’s an ugly, messy fight for survival. She spins her legs around and gets him an armbar. He spots the knife and reaches with his free hand for it. She cranks on the arm but doesn’t have proper position. Jeremy runs out of the woods, just as Drew seizes the knife. JEREMY Grace! Watch out. 75.

Grace sees the silver flash of the knife come at her. She rolls out of the armbar just in time. DREW I’m gonna rip ya apart. Drew slashes at her again. She gets a hold of his wrist. They fight for control of the knife as their intertwined bodies roll down the shore’s steep slope. JEREMY Grace? Jeremy runs up to the shore’s brink. Below, Drew lays on top of Grace. Neither moving. The waves lap against them. JEREMY Grace? Grace. There is a loud gasp, and then Grace pushes Drew’s body up off of her. Jeremy runs up and helps Grace -- Flip Drew’s body over, the knife sticking out from his chest. His eyes already glazed over... dead. Grace tries to seal the blood seeping out of the mortal wound in a desperate attempt to bring him back to life. GRACE No, no, no. Tell me where she is? Please, no, don’t. Tell me. I have to know. Tell me. JEREMY Grace. Grace, it’s too late. Jeremy pulls Grace back. She examines her trembling, bloody hands. The crickets CHIRP once more, now that all the commotion has ceased.

EXT. DREW’S VAN - LATER Drew’s corpse lies in the trunk. The knife handle sticks out from his chest, his broken phone next to him. Jeremy stares at the corpse in a trance. Grace comes around the van’s taillights, wiping fingerprints off with a towel. He nudges her and points at the knife. 76.

Grace drums up the courage and then rips the knife out, causing the Drew’s head to lurch to the side. Jeremy gags. GRACE Don’t puke now. We just got everything cleaned.

INT. DREW’S VAN - CONTINUOUS Beyond Drew’s corpse, Grace uses a towel to shut the trunk.

EXT. LAKE - LATER The shimmering moonlight on the water is ruptured by Drew’s van as it sinks to the bottom. A pensive Jeremy and Grace watch from the shore. JEREMY Now, what? GRACE We lay low for awhile. Make sure we are in the clear before we come back and find Hailey. Who knows how many other girls he buried up here? JEREMY Just go on living a normal life like none of this ever happened? GRACE Yeah, whatever normal is nowadays. Jeremy scoffs, how? GRACE Prom is in a few days. Jeremy can only muster a hushed chuckle as the pair watch the van become swallowed up by the dark, blue water.

INT. GIRL’S BEDROOM - DAY Sunlight coats Grace’s monstrous origami creations. Grace is in a deep sleep. KNOCK. KNOCK. She stirs awake. MELISSA (O.S.) Grace, you’ve been asleep all day. Please, I want to talk to you. 77.

HALLWAY - CONTINUES Melissa knocks, again. MELISSA Grace, if you don’t open up, I’ll kick this door down. Grace. The door unlocks and opens, revealing Grace with her short, black hair and several scrapes across her face. MELISSA Grace, your hair? Why -- what did you do? And don’t tell me nothing. Grace is about to open her mouth. MELISSA Or that it’s fine. GRACE What do you care? Go take your pills, Mom. Grace goes to close the door, but Melissa braces it open. Grace eyeballs Melissa in her scrubs. MELISSA Grace, I -- I have been so consumed about losing Hailey that I almost ended up losing you, too. But, I am putting a stop to that right now. I’m going back to work, I’m going to get better, and so whatever you have been up to, it’s done. I don’t want to know what it is, but it’s done. Do you hear me? It is done. GRACE Yes, it’s done. It’s all done, Mom. Melissa is taken aback by Grace’s concession. MELISSA Good. That’s good. The hospital agreed to let me come back, so are you going to be okay staying home alone for the day? GRACE I’ll try to find something to occupy my time. Melissa wants to hug, but Grace doesn’t reciprocate. 78.

MELISSA All right. I’ll see you later. GRACE Mom? MELISSA Yes. GRACE I hoped you burned that bathrobe. They both cast subtle grins and then Grace turns back into:

GIRLS’ BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS She sits at the laptop. She grabs her phone and types a text. ON THE PHONE Grace: I’ll find you soon enough, Sister. BACK TO SCENE Grace stares at the phone. Her eyes suddenly flare and all these emotions start to bubble to the surface. DING. The sudden noise frazzles her for a moment and then she swipes her phone. ON THE PHONE JEREMY: How r u? BACK TO SCENE Grace looks like she is about to cry. Then, she peers at her deformed origami figurines for a moment and regains her composure. She types a reply.

EXT. BACKYARD - DAY DING. Jeremy reads the text off his phone as his maps and research incinerate inside a fire pit next to him. JEREMY Need time to figure some things out? Figure what out? 79.

INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - MONTAGE - DAY TO NIGHT -- Grace’s bumbling hands crease paper into various shapes. -- Grace attempts various origami figurines, but they mostly come out to look like misshaped triangles and squares. -- She cries, shouts, grins: all the emotional baggage is pouring out of her. -- Waded up balls of paper fill the trash. -- Her creative energy builds as the figurines become more and more distinguishable. -- Her hands start to move with an agile ease. -- Her origami figures start to look like swans, butterflies and dragons as night falls. -- She elegantly folds the last piece of paper, until: END MONTAGE Grace holds up an origami owl, just like the one Hailey made. GRACE Hoot. A peaceful smile spreads across her face. She eyes the laptop computer and snaps it shut.

EXT. HIGH SCHOOL - DAY A BELL RINGS. Students leave for the day, walking past the school’s digital marquee that reads: PROM! TONIGHT!

EXT. FOOTBALL FIELD - DAY Grace sits on the bleachers, folding a piece of paper. A wrapped gift box next to her leg. Students are doing various activities on the field below. No one acknowledges her at all. She’s never looked more content. JEREMY (O.S.) Grace? Jeremy strolls up to her. GRACE Hey. Jeremy. 80.

JEREMY Hey. Just, hey? It’s been four days. I’m kind of freaking out. Jeremy pulls Grace in tighter and shows her his phone. ON THE PHONE Is a picture of DREW’S FAMILY (WIFE, TWO TEENAGE DAUGHTERS) at a press conference, standing by a portrait of Drew. It looks very familiar. JEREMY (O.S.) Look, he wasn’t lying. He did have a family. BACK TO SCENE GRACE That doesn’t make him any less guilty. He was still a child molesting prick. Don’t worry; we covered all our bases. JEREMY Did we? I’m just, did you delete that confession from your phone? GRACE Relax. They haven’t and won’t find anything. A couple more days he will just be another case file. JEREMY I can’t believe you’re being so casual about all this. GRACE Jeremy, I’m finally feeling good, feeling back to normal. Don’t ruin this. Here, I got you this. Grace hands him the gift box. JEREMY What’s this for? GRACE For tonight. The prom. But don’t open it, now. I’ll let you know when. JEREMY The prom? We’re going? 81.

GRACE Were you planning to take someone else? JEREMY No, I’ve been too busy waiting for the police to take me to jail. Grace takes her phone out and positions Jeremy to take a selfie with her. GRACE Smile. ON THE PHONE Grace snaps a selfie of them: She beams while his befuddled gaze makes him look like he’s a prisoner of war. BACK TO SCENE Grace types on her phone. JEREMY What are you doing? GRACE Posting about us going to prom. JEREMY What? Grace gives him a kiss on the check and struts off. GRACE Pick me up at eight, and don’t let that gift leave your side. Jeremy looks down at the gift, dumbfounded.

INT. AKIO’S MMA GYM - DAY Grace hands Akio a gift box. She is more reserved here. AKIO What is this? A going away present? GRACE I don’t know yet. Depends. Just don’t open it until later. Grace gives him an appreciative nod and starts to walk away. 82.

AKIO The choices that haunt us. Grace turns back. AKIO I know who you were. From the moment I saw you at my door that night, I knew. You were on TV, at that press conference for your sister. I saw you holding your mother, and I thought: there’s a girl who only cares about herself, about being popular, who doesn’t have the guts to fight for what was is right. Then, you started training here, and you proved me wrong. You proved us all wrong, including yourself. GRACE What did I really prove? Nothing I do can bring my sister back. AKIO But you see it’s in those very moments, when all is lost, that is when our choices haunt us the most. So what are you going to choose? (off her confused look) Are you a princess, or a fighter? GRACE Why can’t I be both? She breaks out a solemn smile and carries on. Akio chuckles and looks at the gift.

INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - NIGHT Grace, wearing the tight, revealing gown from the mall, snaps a selfie of herself. She dictates as she types a text. GRACE One hour ‘til prom. So excited. She then attempts to zip herself up, but can’t reach. DING. ON HER PHONE JEREMY: No tuxedos anywhere. 83.

BACK TO SCENE She dictates as she types. GRACE Just wear whatever. She hits send and struggles to zip herself up again. DING. ON HER PHONE JEREMY: Like, what? BACK TO SCENE GRACE Anything is fine. She hits send and struggles with the zipper. DING. GRACE Jesus, Jeremy. She peers down and -- ON HER PHONE Is the message chain with Hailey, along with a new reply: GRACE: I’ll find you soon enough, Sister. HAILEY: Do you need help with that? Sister? BACK TO SCENE Grace starts to hyperventilate. She braces herself up against the desk. Her world is spinning. DING. ON HER PHONE HAILEY: Turn on your laptop. BACK TO SCENE It takes a moment for Grace to get her bearings, but she manages to start up the laptop. CHIME. She takes a seat. The laptop finishes booting up and then a computerized male voice speaks: COMPUTERIZED VOICE I’ve been watching you for a long time. 84.

ON THE LAPTOP Screen grabs of Hailey and Grace pop up: Grace pantomiming strangling Hailey, the two asleep in their beds, Grace undressing, Hailey and Grace fighting... BACK TO SCENE Grace watches with bated breath. ON THE LAPTOP The screen grabs pile up faster and faster until it stops on the last image: a frightened, crying Hailey huddled in the corner of a dark, unknown basement. BACK TO SCENE Grace covers her mouth, preventing her wail from escaping. Tears erupt from her eyes. COMPUTERIZED VOICE Do you really want to know what happened to your sister? Grace’s hands waver over the laptop, unsure how to reply. COMPUTERIZED VOICE I can hear you. Just speak. GRACE Yes. Yes, I do. COMPUTERIZED VOICE Then, your chariot to the ball is waiting outside for you, my Queen. Grace eyes the phone in her hands. COMPUTERIZED VOICE Don’t even think about it. ON THE LAPTOP All the screen grabs vanish. COMPUTERIZED VOICE Or you will never know. BACK TO SCENE Grace stands up. She eyes her knives hidden on the dresser. 85.

COMPUTERIZED VOICE And leave the knives at home. In fact, lift your dress up. Grace shimmies her gown up. COMPUTERIZED VOICE Higher. She pulls it up a couple more inches, exposing her underwear. No weapons can be seen. COMPUTERIZED VOICE Good girl. Grace tugs her gown back down. COMPUTERIZED VOICE Now, grab your phone, put on a brave face, and kiss mommy goodnight. Grace grabs her phone. She sops up her tears. She takes a calming breath, and is about to exit, when: COMPUTERIZED VOICE Remember, Grace: I’ll be watching. Grace peers back at the laptop, dread in her eyes. She scans her room one last time and shuts off the lights.

HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS As Grace walks, she looks down at her phone. The small, pinhole camera on the phone leers back.

INT. CAR - CONTINUOUS Someone watches Grace walk from a live stream on a tablet computer.

INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Grace enters. Melissa stands up and takes her in. MELISSA Oh, Gracie, you look gorgeous. GRACE Thanks. 86.

MELISSA Let me get my camera. GRACE I am running kind of late, Mom. Can we do it later? Please? MELISSA Sure. GRACE Can you zip me up? Grace turns, trying to control her quaking body. Melissa comes up behind her and grabs the zipper. MELISSA You’re trembling, Grace. GRACE I’m just nervous. First time being back in a big social setting. MELISSA I get that. Melissa zips her up. Grace faces her mom, fighting the tears, fighting the terror racing through her veins. MELISSA Well, have a good time tonight. Call me if you are going stay out past midnight. Grace opens her mouth to speak. MELISSA I mean it, Gracie. Midnight. Grace gives Melissa a big hug, squeezing her tight. At first, Melissa is stunned, but then nestles into the hug.

INT. CAR - CONTINUOUS Whoever is watching on the tablet is only getting an eyeful of Melissa’s shirt and the sound of SCRATCHING CLOTH.

INT. LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS DING. Grace breaks free from the embrace and races to the front door, pressing the phone up against her chest. 87.

GRACE I’ve got to go. Jeremy is waiting. MELISSA Grace, I -- GRACE I love you, Mom. Good-bye. Grace can’t bear to look back at, for fear of breaking down in tears. She hurtles out the door. A thrown Melissa looks to Hailey’s portrait in the corner.

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Grace walks toward an idling car with tinted windows; it is similar but not the same one as before. DING. ON HER PHONE HAILEY: Go to the Trunk.

EXT. CAR - NIGHT Grace arrives at the trunk. She shakes like a leaf. DING. ON HER PHONE HAILEY: Break your phone. Now! Grace drops the phone and crushes it with her heel.

INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Melissa inches up to Hailey’s portrait. She pulls it back and discovers a small, wrapped gift box.

EXT. CAR - NIGHT CLUNK. The trunk opens by itself using a hydraulic spring. Grace’s shudder deepens. Inside the trunk are handcuffs and a black hood, with a sign that reads: PUT THE HANDCUFFS AND HOOD ON. THEN HOP IN.

INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT A puzzled, Melissa opens the mysterious box. 88.

EXT. CAR - NIGHT HISS. The trunk lowers down on Grace. She pants, terrified, under the black hood. CLUNK. Her tomb shuts.

INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Melissa lifts the box’s flaps and gasps. The box plummets from her hands.

EXT. APARTMENT - NIGHT On the pavement lies Grace’s broken phone as the car’s red brake lights disappear off into the night.

INT. CABIN - KITCHEN - NIGHT Grace’s hood is ripped off her head. She blinks. Her eyes adjust to the blinding, burst of light. She sees a spotlight trained on her, beyond it shadows move in the darkness of the normal, rustic lodge. She sits at a chrome table, her hands cuffed to two eyelets welded to the tabletop. A laptop faces her. She shakes her arms, testing the cuffs, grunting, panicking. NEAL (O.S.) I thought you wanted to know. NEAL, 28, edgy, and ROSS, 29, steely, step into the light. Grace gapes back and forth between the two men. They look almost like twins. Neal does most of the talking, but Ross is still the alpha. NEAL Yes. Brandon is a we. Grace struggles to comprehend it. NEAL She just can’t seem to grasp it. We’re brothers. There’s two of us. Together we united to become the powerful Brandon, abductor of your sweet, little, oddball sister. She is still in a daze. 89.

NEAL God, I told you she was just as stupid as her sister. ROSS I still don’t know. NEAL Why else would she keep the same wi- fi password after what happened? Use the same Red Queen as her sister in that game? Look at her. She can hardly remember to breathe. Ross casts a skeptical shrug. NEAL Would you relax? We are golden. GRACE Wh -- wh -- where is she? NEAL Pa -- pa -- patience. Neal runs his fingers through Grace’s hair. NEAL It’s a shame, though. I did prefer you as a blonde. My brother, Ross here, doesn’t give a fuck. Ross snorts, chomping at the bit. NEAL He does his damage to all colors and creeds. However, we did admire your handy work. Neal hits the space bar on the computer. ON THE LAPTOP Grace’s phone confession video plays. She slashes Drew’s face with the beer bottle. He screams in agony. GRACE (O.S.) Tell me. BACK TO SCENE Neal pauses the video. Graces stares at Drew’s bloody, anguished face on the laptop. 90.

NEAL You stopped filming, so we never got to see the exciting conclusion. Did you kill him? Tell me that you did, please? You did, didn’tcha? Grace’s head drops and she wheezes out some tears. NEAL It’s okay. The first kill is always the hardest. Especially, when they are so innocent. Neal pets Grace’s hair, sarcastically comforting her. GRACE He -- he -- he wasn’t innocent. NEAL Keep telling yourself that. ROSS Get on with it, Neal. Neal groans and vaults into the seat next to Grace. NEAL My brother doesn’t enjoy the foreplay as much as me, but I want to savor every moment of our time together. I just, God, Grace, you’ve bewitched me. I mean, we poached your sister off that game first, but after gaining access to your laptop, and seeing you, I just fell hook, line, and sinker. I was in love. Neal turns the laptop towards himself and types. NEAL But there was no way we were going to get you, so we settled for little sis. However, I just couldn’t stop checking in on you from time to time. You were so determined to find us, to find Hailey, to finally know. I just couldn’t watch you torture yourself anymore. Neal slides the laptop back at Grace and hits the spacebar. 91.

ON THE LAPTOP Plays a video of Hailey, huddled in the basement. She wears a thrift shop dress. Her hair is grown out some. Poorly applied makeup barely covers the bruises and cuts on her face. Neal lifts her up and hands her some sheets of paper. NEAL Hailey. Earth to Hailey. Good. Here’s your script. Take it. BACK TO SCENE Neal and Ross ogle Grace as she cries, watching the video. NEAL (O.S.) Focus, Hailey. Let’s make this the performance of a lifetime. ON THE LAPTOP The video plays on. NEAL Now, you’re going to be playing the role of yourself. And I am going to be playing Brandon, the debonair, older man, with a -- ROSS (O.S.) Neal. NEAL Fine. I’ll start. (mocking heartthrob voice) You really are pissed, my Queen. (regular voice) Hailey, it’s your line. Hailey. HAILEY I fucking hate her. If she isn’t ignoring me, she’s making feel like the biggest loser in the world. Sorry, we all can’t be as cool as you, bitch. Neal speaks in his mocking heartthrob voice throughout. NEAL I don’t know. In some ways maybe she’s right. 92.

Hailey drifts off. Neal rouses her alert with a hard slap. She’s too drained to cry. HAILEY Seriously? NEAL I mean, I like you, you like me, but you never want to meet me in real life. It’s kind of sad really. HAILEY How could you say that to me? NEAL I’m just being honest. I mean, I like messaging with you, but I need something more. HAILEY What are saying? Please, Brandon, don’t break up with me. NEAL Depends on you. Do you want to hook up? Or is your sister right? And you are just this loser, a freak, who will never have a boyfriend. HAILEY How soon can you pick me up? NEAL Be there in about an hour. Neal returns to his regular happy-go-lucky voice. NEAL Then there was some emojis back and forth. The end. Superb job, Hailey. Bravo. Here, take a bow. Wave to your fans. Bravo. Neal forces Hailey to take a degrading bow. NEAL Such a magnificent performance. I really felt it in my soul. Neal’s funny guy act peels off, and he turns sinister. NEAL But it’s been long overdue that we found ourselves a new leading lady. 93.

Neal kisses her forehead while Ross steps out from behind the frame of their camera, carrying a machete. Hailey collapses into Neal’s arms, wailing. HAILEY Oh, God. No. Please. Mommy! Grace! BACK TO SCENE Grace can’t bear to watch. She listens to HAILEY’S SCREAMS, intermixed with the occasional REPULSIVE THUD of the machete. GRACE No. God. Please. Please. Stop. HAILEY’S SCREAMS die down along with the deadly BLOWS. HAILEY (O.S.) Mommy... Mom... GRACE Please, no more. NEAL Wait for it. HAILEY (O.S.) Mom... Gracie... Grace slumps over and weeps. Neal stops the video, grinning with pure joy. She’s been conquered. This is right where they want her. NEAL And just to think we were all set to cut her loose, she was a tough nut to crack; we just couldn’t reel her in... until you. I mean, you drove her right into our arms, gift wrapped with a tiny, little bow. Neal lifts Grace’s sagging head and wipes her tears away. NEAL Why are you so upset? This is what you wanted to know, to find out. Now you know for sure, that yes, you murdered your little sister. What do you got to say? Huh? Grace? She sobs harder. 94.

ROSS Enough, she’s done. Neal and Ross each unlock a handcuff. NEAL Grace, I gotta say you’re kind of a disappointment. I thought you had more fight in you. I guess not. They hoist her up. She barely resists as they haul her off.

BASEMENT - CONTINUOUS Through an open door, a shaft of light from above shines on a flight of stairs. Ross and Neal drag Grace up to the opening. ROSS Strip her here.

KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS Ross holds the flimsy Grace up while Neal traipses around to her back. ROSS I can’t believe I let you talk me into taking all that risk for this chick. Look at her. She’s like a wet noodle. God damn it, Neal. GRACE (meek) I... I... Neal tugs on the zipper. It’s stuck. NEAL I was wrong, what do you want? ROSS An apology to start. GRACE (louder) I... I... NEAL Do you think I am happy about this? Talk about a boner killer. 95.

Neal gets the zipper to jut down a couple more inches, but it gets stuck again. ROSS Because of all this, I get to choose the next couple of girls. NEAL Wonderful. Bring on the fatties and butter faces. You always pick the lowest fruit. GRACE I... I... NEAL You have no imagination. No, je ne sais quoi. ROSS Shut up. She’s yapping about something. Ross lifts up her chin. ROSS What is it? GRACE I... I... Neal gets the zipper all the way down, and on the square of her back is a small piece of black tape. Neal’s face scrunches: Huh? GRACE I am going to... going to... Ross squeezes her cheeks. ROSS Spit it out. Neal rips the tape off, turns it over and finds -- A TRACKING CHIP.

INT. CAR - NIGHT (FLASHBACK) Neal flashes Ross the tablet, trying to impress him. 96.

ON THE TABLET Grace’s cleavage heaves up and down. She sounds upset.

EXT. APARTMENT - NIGHT (FLASHBACK) Grace feigns being upset as she holds the phone up to her chest. And while doing that, she deftly unzips her dress. She then grabs the piece of black tape, hidden underneath a rail, and sticks it on her back. ZIP. The dress is back up. She steps forward, removing the phone from her chest and heads toward their car.

INT. CABIN - KITCHEN (PRESENT) Ross holds Grace’s downtrodden, sniveling face. GRACE I... I am going to make you wish you never reeled this one in. Neal gapes at the chip. It then finally hits him. NEAL Ross! Grace’s face turns savage, and she chomps down on Ross’s finger. He howls. WAP! -- The lights go out. BASEMENT - CONTINUOUS PUNCHES and GRUNTS hail down from the darkness above. A dangling lightbulb (the power remains on in the basement) catches a couple of shadows fighting. Then, Ross tumbles down the stairs, landing hard at the bottom. NEAL (O.S.) Ow. God, damn it. Damn hell! Ross struggles to pick himself up, grasping his ribs. A DOOR OPENS from somewhere upstairs. NEAL (O.S.) Ross? Ross! ROSS Get that bitch. 97.

EXT. CABIN - NIGHT Neal runs out with a kitchen knife, boiling. Blood drips from his broken nose. NEAL You better hope I don’t catch you before the police get here. He runs into the woods.

EXT. FOREST - CONTINUOUS Someone spies Neal darting through the trees from a perch above him, ready to pounce. Neal hears a TWIG SNAP and heads in the opposite direction. Grace slides out of her hiding spot. She is only in her underwear, having slipped out of the gown. JEREMY (O.S.) Grace! Gr -- NEAL (O.S.) Shut up! Oh, Gracie! Grace sprints towards the shouts and enters:

EXT. SMALL CLEARING - CONTINUOUS Grace stops in her tracks the second she sees Neal holding the knife to Jeremy’s chin. Neal excitedly ogles her. NEAL Betcha you thought you were pretty clever, tricking us, flipping the script on us. But then you brought the boyfriend? Instead of the cops? GRACE Let him go. Take me. JEREMY No, Grace. NEAL Oh, I am going to take you. But I am going to make you watch me do him first. 98.

GRACE No. NEAL You really are as stupid as your sister. Neal is just about to gouge the knife into Jeremy when a thick tree branch cracks Neal in the skull. The knife flings from Neal’s hand and Jeremy scampers away. Melissa lines up for another strike with the branch. MELISSA That’s my daughter you’re talking about. Grace scurries to get the knife. Neal ducks Melissa’s blow and dives for the knife. Grace and Neal battle for supremacy, clasping at the knife. Her fingers caress the handle, but then Neal punches her in the liver. She loses the position. She tries to hold him back, but he is too quick, and he gets to the knife. He beckons her back with its blade. The sound of A MAN’S FOOTFALL can be heard approaching. A hopeful glint twinkles in Grace’s eyes. ROSS (O.S.) Did you get her? And that twinkle is gone when Ross arrives with the machete. NEAL Yeah. And look, not just her. Grace looks to Jeremy, but he’s too busy eyeballing the machete. ROSS Perfect. Because I’m really pissed off now. NEAL I told you she was worth it. We get to slaughter the whole stinkin’ family now. And her boy toy. Ross points the machete at Grace. 99.

ROSS I am going to make what I did to your sister look like a picnic. NEAL Is the Daddy here too? Daddy! Melissa huddles closer to Grace. The end is at hand. NEAL Daddy! Daddy are you here? AKIO (O.S.) Not exactly. Out of the darkness steps Akio. Neal and Ross, shuffle back, shocked and confused. Next, Carney steps out from the trees, followed by Dante, then another fighter, then another, until -- All the fighters from the gym encircle the clearing. NEAL What the hell? What is this? ROSS All right. If that’s way it is going to be. Come on. Bring it. Ross romps, ready to fight. Neal looks ready to piss himself. ROSS Bring it. Who wants it first? Come on. Bring it. All the fighters, except for Dante, whip out a gun. DANTE You all brought guns? CARNEY Of course. ROSS All right, pussies, bring -- BAM! Akio fires a round into Ross’ knee. Ross bellows and crumples to the ground. AKIO A gun makes a person tap much quicker. 100.

CARNEY Drop it. Drop it, now. Neal drops the knife. CARNEY Kick the knives over. Do it. While Carney and the others wrangle up Neal and Ross, Akio walks up to Grace and pulls out a crinkly piece of paper. He folds along the lines, recreating a Dragon origami. AKIO You chose... both. He grins and does a formal martial art bow to her.

INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT (FLASHBACK) Melissa’s gift falls to the floor, and out of the box springs an origami owl with the some words on its belly: I’VE GOT HAILEY’S KILLER. CALL JEREMY NOW.

INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - DAY (FLASHBACK) We return to the point where Grace is staring at her phone, and becoming quite emotional. GRACE (V.O.) Jeremy, I was hoping that you were right, and Drew was the one. ON THE PHONE Grace: I’ll find you soon enough, Sister. GRACE (V.O.) But I know now he wasn’t the one who took Hailey. We see in corner of the phone why she is so emotional. In tiny print are the words: READ BY HAILEY. BACK TO SCENE Grace works on the origami. The laptop is closed shut. With a swipe of her elbow, Grace purposely knocks her cell phone off the desk, so it lands face down on the carpet. She grabs a piece of origami paper and starts writing on it. 101.

GRACE (V.O.) I think the real Brandon has been watching me for some time. I don’t know how much access he has, but that’s why I left the passwords the same so I wouldn’t lose him.

INT. JEREMY’S BEDROOM - NIGHT (FLASHBACK) Jeremy rabidly unravels a dog origami. A phone to his ear. GRACE (V.O.) I know if I told you earlier, you would have forced me to go to the police. And once we did that, we would have lost our only chance to lure the bastard out.

INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - DAY (FLASHBACK) Grace folds her hand-written note into the dog origami. GRACE (V.O.) Brandon doesn’t leave bread crumbs, so instead I left out bait: Me. I figure if he sees me living my normal life once again he’ll think I’m harmless, weak, an easy target. If you are reading this, then prom night proved to be too tasty of a treat for him to pass up.

INT. JEREMY’S BEDROOM - NIGHT (FLASHBACK) Jeremy finishes reading the note and dashes out. GRACE (V.O.) I’m sorry for putting you through all this. I know you already think I am crazy, and you’re probably right, but Jeremy, I need you. I need you now more than ever.

INT. GIRL’S BEDROOM - DAY (FLASHBACK) Grace folds a handwritten note into an origami dragon. GRACE (V.O.) Because I know I can’t do this alone. 102.

INT. AKIO’S MMA GYM - DAY (FLASHBACK) Akio sits on the edge of the octagon, unfolding the dragon. GRACE (V.O.) Akio, I understand if you don’t want to help me. What I am asking of you is insane. But I am haunted. I am haunted by the memory of my sister and how I chose to hurt her.

INT. GIRL’S APARTMENT - NIGHT (FLASHBACK) Grace nuzzles her mouth up to Melissa’s ear as they hug while she rubs the phone across her mother’s back. GRACE I left you something, it’s behind Hailey. Open it immediately. Hailey’s portrait watches over them.

INT. CABIN - BASEMENT - NIGHT (PRESENT) Grace lays the three origami figurines (owl, dog and dragon) on Hailey’s grave. Melissa and Jeremy by her side. Several older mounds of dirt encase them. A partition wall blocks the graveyard from the rest of the basement. PUNCHES and HOOTS echo out from that other side. GRACE I’m sorry, Hailey. I’m so sorry. JEREMY She knows that you cared. Jeremy squeezes Grace’s shoulder, but it’s of little comfort. She sucks up her last tear and picks herself up. GRACE No, she will now. The HOOTS grow louder as she rounds the partition. Through the fighters, she sees Neal and Ross with their handcuffed hands, dangling from a ceiling beam. WAP! WHAM! Grace glides through the fighters, coming up on Carney and Akio using the two killers as their personal body bags. GRACE That’s enough. 103.

Neal and Ross raise their bloodied and bruised faces to her. CARNEY We softened them up for you. GRACE Anybody who doesn’t want to see this, I suggest you leave. Grace lifts up the kitchen knife and taunts Neal with it. All the fighters begin to shuffle up the stairs, except Dante. Carney comes back and scoops Dante up. DANTE Carney, I want to watch this shit. Yo, bros, bros! Neal and Ross glance over. Blood drips from their mouths. DANTE Princess is going to merc you, merc you up something bad. Melissa and Jeremy pass by Akio. Akio locks onto Jeremy’s elbow and forces him up the stairs with the rest while Melissa scoops up the machete. JEREMY I should probably stay. AKIO No. You don’t want to see this. Jeremy spots Grace sliding the knife toward Neal’s nether regions. Jeremy goes much easier now. AKIO You know, your directions were terrible. That’s why we were so late. JEREMY I sent you that link from the tracking chip so that you could follow on a map. AKIO Do I look like Bill-fucking-Gates? Akio is the last one out. He reaches for the door. 104.

He stops and watches for a beat as the two helpless killers blubber and whimper, while the two women descend on them. Akio nods and shuts the door. NEAL (O.S.) No, please. The swath of light, that cuts across the stairs, is slowly blotted out by the closing door. ROSS (O.S.) Stay away from me, you bitch. Only a sliver of light is left, and just as the two men are about to expel a torturous SCREAM, there’s -- DARKNESS

INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - NIGHT The lights flick on. Grace stands with Jeremy. She is caked in blood. Melissa, also a bloody mess, passes behind them. MELISSA I’m going to hop in the shower. GRACE Okay. Jeremy checks something on his phone. JEREMY Looks like the police still haven’t found the cabin. GRACE It shouldn’t be that hard for them to find. Jeremy offers an awkward chuckle. JEREMY So, some prom. GRACE I’ll make it up to you, I promise. An uncomfortable beat of silence. The air is thick. GRACE Unless Bieber calls. 105.

Some pressure lifted, a hint of what they use to have. She gives him a kiss and sends him on his way. GRACE You better get home before your parents start to think I am corrupting you. JEREMY If they only knew. He exits. She hears the FRONT DOOR SHUT and turns into:

GIRLS’ BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS She stands, lost in thought over tonight’s events.

EXT. CABIN - NIGHT (FLASHBACK) Grace walks away, resolute.

INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - NIGHT (PRESENT) She runs her fingers along her botched origami figurines.

EXT. CABIN - NIGHT (FLASHBACK) Her fingers skim the top of the bushes as she leaves. Behind her, smoke wafts in the cabin’s windows.

INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - NIGHT (PRESENT) Grace’s attention turns to the laptop. She snarls like she wants to smash into a million pieces.

INT. CABIN - NIGHT (FLASHBACK) On the chrome table, Neal’s laptop melts from the heat.

INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - NIGHT (PRESENT) Grace bristles, about to smash the laptop, but instead her finger stabs the start up button. CHIME. 106.

INT. CABIN BASEMENT - NIGHT (FLASHBACK) The origami figures on Hailey’s grave are engulfed in flames.

INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - NIGHT - (PRESENT) Grace puts her fingers on the keyboard. ON THE LAPTOP Is Tanya’s picture on a chat room thread. A blinking cursor waits for her to type a message.

EXT. CABIN - NIGHT (FLASHBACK) A burning inferno consumes the cabin behind Grace as she walks off into the forest.

INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - NIGHT (PRESENT) Grace dictates as she types a new message. GRACE Who out there wants to party? ON THE LAPTOP The cursor hovers over the SEND BUTTON. BACK TO SCENE Grace has a moment of reluctance, but then a fearsome smirk creeps onto her face and... CLICK. SMASH CUT TO END CREDITS.