"MAGPIE - The half-life kid" Part II by JR VILLAR

PASSAGE OF TIME

2012

EXT. CITY DAY

Plans dawn in Lewisham.

INT. ORPHANAGE DORMITORY DAY

SISTER VIRGINIA enters and opens the curtains on the windows. Immediately the sun invades the room.

SISTER VIRGINIA

Good Morning boys... Its half past seven ... Time to wake up.

Kids are starting to wake up, drowsy, rubbing their eyes and sitting up slowly in bed. SISTER VIRGINIA continues to open all the curtains in the ward energetically. Almost all the boys are getting up and leaving the ward. MAGPIE and JAY continue to sleep, wrapped up in their blankets. SISTER VIRGINIA notices they are still in bed so goes over to them and pulls the sheets off of them.

SISTER VIRGINIA

Jay! Magpie! Get up! (Looks at them suspiciously) Did you escape again last night?

JAY

(Sleepy) Escape? Definitely not Sister Virginia. We would never do such a thing.

JAY and MAGPIE exchange a complicit look. SISTER VIRGINIA notices their exchange of glances and stops in front of them.

SISTER VIRGINIA

Jay ... Magpie, if I even dream that you escape during the night, you will be in trouble. Do you understand?

JAY and MAGPIE swallow dryly. SISTER VIRGINIA leaves for the corridor. The two kids laugh at the behind the shut door.

MAGPIE

That ... was close.

JAY

Yeah. Sister Virginia almost picked up on it.

MAGPIE

Maybe it's best to take a break.

JAY

No way. The sisters sleep deeply.

MAGPIE

Me too ... Jeez, I'm knackered. I can hardly open my eyes.

JAY

And? It wasn’t fun?

MAGPIE

We went crazy, bro. The gangs at night are mental...

The conversation is interrupted by the shouting of SISTER VIRGINA from outside.

SISTER VIRGINIA (OFF)

Jay and Magpie! We are all waiting for you!

JAY and MAGPIE turn to see that all the other kids have left the ward for the corridor. They make a pained grimace and run out.

INT. ORPHANAGE CORRIDOR DAY

JAY and MAGPIE enter from the ward. A row of boys are all aligned and looking at the two boys.

MAGPIE

(Whispers to JAY) Can we get some sleep today? I'm counting sheep up the hallway.

SISTER VIRGINIA looks angry towards the end of the line.

SISTER VIRGINIA

Boys ... Do not talk in the line.

LITTLE TOMMY a small boy quietly points his finger at MAGPIE.

LITTLE TOMMY

It was Magpie...

MAGPIE

It wasn’t me, kid...

MAGPIE looks angrily at LITTLE TOMMY.

SISTER VIRGINIA

Enough talking, let's move.

LITTLE TOMMY looks at MAGPIE jokingly. MAGPIE, furious, shoves LITTLE TOMMY who falls to the ground. All the boys unleash a laugh. SISTER VIRGINIA hears the disruption. JAY covers to save MAGPIE.

JAY

Hi LITTLE TOMMY, watch where you put your feet! You’ll end up with no teeth (Looks threateningly to LITTLE TOMMY) won’t you LITTLE TOMMY?

LITTLE TOMMY dares not to resist. He gets up looking at JAY, intimidated he rubs his knees.

SISTER VIRGINIA

Have you finished playing around? Or will I have to remove your cake from breakfast?

LITTLE TOMMY

(Looks at JAY) It's ok Sister... I stumbled...

SISTER VIRGINIA ignores LITTLE TOMMY and gets the group moving to go and get some breakfast.

SISTER VIRGINIA

Let's get going. Not another peep until the end of breakfast please.

The boys follow SISTER VIRGINIA to the canteen. JAY slaps LITTLE TOMMY on the head. LITTLE TOMMY shrinks but does not have the courage to grumble. We can hear other boys laughing.

INT. ORPHANAGE CANTEEN DAY

The boys enter and sit down to eat breakfast. Tables with mugs of milk, dishes with bread and butter and slices of cake. More SISTERS supervise the boys. JAY and MAGPIE sit at a table and start eating straight away. LITTLE TOMMY is sitting near them.

LITTLE TOMMY

I know what you did last night.

MAGPIE

What do you mean by that Little Tommy?

LITTLE TOMMY

I’m not kidding MAGPIE. I know what you two do...

JAY

What’s this Little Tommy? You want to cause trouble?

LITTLE TOMMY

No ... I'm just saying.

MAGPIE

You’re already talking too much.

LITTLE TOMMY

Seriously, I don’t want trouble. But the sisters are already suspicious.

JAY

If you mess with us you’ll be sorry kid.

MAGPIE

Are you messing with us ... Don’t play with fire kid, you could get burned.

LITTLE TOMMY

Wow guys ... I'm just saying.

JAY and MAGPIE look threateningly at LITTLE TOMMY. They fall silent for a moment while eating. LITTLE TOMMY through nerves interrupts the silence.

LITTLE TOMMY

I’d like to go with you...

JAY rests the cake back on the plate and places a mug of milk back on the table. JAY looks at MAGPIE and then back to LITTLE TOMMY.  JAY is suspicious.

JAY

Where do you want to go? I don’t understand.

LITTLE TOMMY

I know that you two are sneaking out overnight.

MAGPIE

Speak quietly kid ... You don’t know anything.

LITTLE TOMMY

Of course I know. You think I haven’t seen you going over the wall the last few nights? You really should be more careful. Sister Virginia is watching you.

MAGPIE and JAY look at SISTER VIRGINIA who is in the background of the canteen talking to other boys.

JAY

How does the Sister know?

LITTLE TOMMY

Sister Virginia asked me if I had seen something.

MAGPIE

What did you say Little Tommy?

LITTLE TOMMY

I didn’t say anything ... I swear on my family...

JAY

Little Tommy... You do not have family!

LITTLE TOMMY

No Jay ... It’s just a saying ... I swear I didn’t say anything.

MAGPIE

You won’t either if you want to continue to smile with all your teeth!

LITTLE TOMMY

I told you ... I just want to go with you.

JAY and MAGPIE look at each other for a moment.

JAY

Okay… let us think about it. You stay silent and we might take you.

LITTLE TOMMY is satisfied. Takes a big bite from the cake, confident, and while chewing looks at JAY and MAGPIE with a huge smile. MAGPIE and JAY look at him worried.

INT. ORPHANAGE CORRIDOR DAY

MAGPIE and JAY come walking into the middle of the other boys from the canteen.

MAGPIE

What do we do about Little Tommy?

JAY

We have no option do we? We have to take him.

MAGPIE

But he will mess about ... And sooner or later he’ll talk to someone.

JAY

If we take him, he will keep his mouth shut ... What if someone else saw us? If Little Tommy saw us then maybe others have seen us too ... Or maybe even the Sisters.

MAGPIE

No way... If the Sisters had seen us then we’d have already taken a beating.

JAY

True... Sister Virginia would be really angry.

MAGPIE

It’s best if we wait a few days before we go again. Little Tommy might forget then ... Shhh

MAGPIE silences JAY as they enter the classroom.