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THE AFTERMATH.

INT. BEDROOM – MIDNIGHT, BEGINNING OF AUTUMN.

In the middle of the night, a dark bedroom. Mess spread across the floor, piles and piles of
clothes, plastic water bottles and wrappers everywhere. The walls are covered in post-it notes
full of scribbled words, photos and posters. The bedroom has a brown bookshelf full of
books, a desk with a chair, an unmade bed, a guitar on its stand and a beanbag.

The sky is full of stars, twinkling in the navy/black sky.

A silhouette is sat on the window seat, window open and curtains flying in the cold breeze.
The silhouette is wearing long blue pj trousers and a grey long sleeved pj top. They’re sat
with their knees to their chest and head in between their knees, staring out the window.

The shot is a pan around the whole room, not seeing the silhouette until the final moment. We
then zoom over the shoulder to see the sky before fading into a flash back.

All speaking that isn’t a flashback is internal monologue, OCTAVIA doesn’t speak
physically.

FLASHBACK EXT. PARK – MIDDAY IN SUMMER.

OCTAVIA AND SELENE are sat on a picnic blanket under a willow tree by a river. A
woven basket, fancy wine glasses that have been used to eat cake with plastic containers full
of a variety of fruit, a few handpicked daisies are thrown astray amongst the two flower
crowns fit for the head of the two.

SELENE and OCTAVIA wears dresses, bikes laying near them.

The camera has them on the right side and the left side of the frame, the centre has their
hands almost touching. As they speak, we get over the shoulder shots. As they lay down we
get a birds eye view with the camera, zooming in on their hands once they touch and their
faces.

OCTAVIA
(looks over at SELENE, then down at their almost touching hands)
And what is so special about this place, miss moon?

SELENE
This is more of a personal special place. I thought it would be a great ending
to our tremendous journey. Something close to the heart. (lays down on the
blanket, head looking up through the leaves of the tree). And I thought I told
you not to call me that. (rolls eyes and chuckles)

OCTAVIA
(giggles and lays beside Selene)
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Are to share that memory? And I know you said not to but it’s so cute,
especially since your name means moon in Greek, It’s so cool.
SELENE
(holds OCTAVIA hand and sighs)
Well, your name might mean eight, but you’re a ten in my eyes. (winks) And
to answer your question, it’s the last place my whole family spent together
before the divorce. It’s bittersweet because I get to sit and remember how
perfect everything was, we swam in that lake, we had our own little picnic,
and we managed to carve our names into this willow tree. I want you to do the
same with me.

OCTAVIA
(rolls eyes but laughs)
Cheesy. (nods as Selene speaks) that sounds so lovely, I’m sorry about your
parents.

SELENE
(shrugs. Gets up and grabs a knife)
What happened, happened. But enough sad talk. Lets get to carving.

SELENE and OCTAVIA gets up from their seats and walks to the willow tree. They carve
their names on the tree, next to Selene’s family’s name but their names are in a heart.
The camera stays behind the two of them as they walk over and as they carve their names. It
is in-between their two shoulders before zooming in on the carvings.

Scene cuts back to the silhouette, camera is sat opposite her, facing OCTAVIA the pans to
outside the window.

OCTAVIA.
(a monologue from the silhouette, voice hoarse but soft)
That was the last time I saw them before they went quiet. No answering their
texts, no calling me back, no turning up to school. Nothing. Every night I sit
and I wish on every shooting star, I beg the moon for one more chance, one
more chance to save them.

INT. SAME BEDROOM AS BEFORE – STILL NIGHT.

OCTAVIA moves from their seat near the window, slowly stretching as they slowly walk
towards their desk, cluttered with letters from SELENE, polaroid photos laying around with
small trinkets from SELENE.

The camera follows from behind OCTAVIA, when she sits at her desk, the camera sits on top
of the desk, facing up towards her. A POV shot, her hands moving all the letters aside and
picking up one before cutting to an over the shoulder shot.

OCTAVIA.
(removes a letter from an envelope delicately. They unfold the letter and out falls pressed
flowers.)
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I always loved flowers and their meanings. And

Selene knew that. Which is why those butterfly weed meant a lot to me. I
know they are right when the butterfly weed tell me too move on. It is also
why I put pink carnations on their grave every week. It’s not healthy I know,
but I can’t forget them, even if I do need to let them go. I just can’t.

OCTAVIA continues to read the letter. The camera zooms into the signed name at the
bottom, there in green ink is the Selene’s signature, then slowly pans up to the top of the
letter. As SELENE reads, we watch from the letter’s perspective of OCTAVIA’s face for a
few seconds before cutting to see SELENE.

INT. SELENE WRITES A LETTER – MONTAGE

SELENE
Dear Octavia (deep sigh) If you’re reading this it means I couldn’t keep
running. I needed to end the chase. And I’m sorry. I tried, I really did, after
you came into my life it gave me a reason to keep going. (another deep
breathes). And I’m sorry for coming into your life and then leaving. I know
what its like and the pain it can cause and I never wanted anyone to feel that
pain that I did when my dad left, but here I am, doing it to everyone I could
ever love and care about.

But I am so thankful that you came into my life. You became this light out of
the cave, and I managed to crawl back out for a bit, I got to see the outside
world and it felt like I got to experience colour for the first time in my life
before I got dragged back into my world in the cave of darkness. Now we both
know I don’t do emotions, which is probably what had us end up in this
position of the first place.

But you, miss ten out of ten will be just fine without me. You began to live;
you began to flourish, and everyone saw it. I hope this doesn’t deteriorate your
progress. Keep going.

I love you, Octavia Sinclair.

Sincerely,
Selene Hassan.

OCTAVIA drops the letter, slumping back into their chair, they turn side to side for a
moment before getting up again. They drop into the bed, lazily reach up and drag their school
project, wonders of the world journal and drop it on their chest.

--SELENE writes their letters. Close ups of their hand writing and over the shoulder shots of
them as they write.
-- SELENE packs them away in a bag and leaves it on the kitchen counter with another letter
attached to the bag.
-- SELENE is running.
-- SELENE reaches a lake and stands at the rock, facing down the lake.

OCTAVIA
(mumbling)
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Selene wrote in this journal last. It seems wrong to disrupt that.

OCTAVIA
(opens the book to the first page, reading over the words with a small smile, tears filling their
eyes. Whispers.)
God. I miss this.

OCTAVIA eventually manages to doze off, book held close to their chest as they have curled
up into a ball on the bed.
We zoom out of the shot from OCTAVIA’s face and to the window, watching the sky now
change from MIDNIGHT TO SUNRISE.

EXT. AN ALLYWAY NEXT TO A BRICK WALL - SUNRISE

The screen goes hazy, rippling into a white screen before that fades into a brick wall, spray
painted black with white chalk that reads ‘BEFORE I DIE...’ with colourful chalk answers
splashed onto the surrounding areas.
OCTAVIA appears, stood on the right side of the frame, looking down the bottom left corner.
And there, sat with a book on their lap, sat cross legged is SELENE. They’re dressed in dull
colours, skin pale and they look tired.
We get an arc shot of OCTAVIA face. OCTAVIA is shocked, in disbelief.

SELENE
(chuckles and looks up, a small smile on their face)
Took you long enough.

OCTAVIA
(shock, eyes wide, mouth agape)
W-what? What do you mean? This can’t be real… I saw your body. I watched
the ambulance drag your body out of the lake. I saw the news where they
announce to the world that you had died. (now annoyed) You died on me,
Selene. You left me.

SELENE
(smile drops, upset, looks down ashamed)
I know, Octavia, I know. I just, you got the letter right? I couldn’t keep
running, I was getting tired. But that time I had with you I was able to stand
still, ok? This was in no way your fault, Tavia. I was able to sit still with you, I
didn’t have to run.

OCTAVIA
(angry, frustrated with tears in her eyes)
I could’ve helped you! I was here for you! Why didn’t you let me help you?

SELENE
(gets up and places their hands on OCTAVIAS)
I know, I know. And I’m sorry. I will never have any words to describe how
sorry I am for doing this to you. But I don’t have long here, and neither do
you. I’m sure you don’t want to spend it crying and yelling at me.

OCTAVIA
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(sighs and nods)

Yeah. Yeah your right. (mumbles) I hate you.

SELENE
(chuckles)
Yeah sure. I’m sure you do hate me. That’s why your still holding my hands
right?

OCTAVIA
Shut up.

SELENE and OCTAVIA laughs and sits down against the wall. They chat and the camera
has them centred before we zoom into Selene’s face.

SELENE
(sad smile)
I have to go now. But promise me you won’t keep living in your cave of a
room. Please go speak to the people who care about you. You can’t hide
forever again. Not this time, you’ve come to far.

OCTAVIA
(frowns and hugs Selene)
I don’t want you to go. Please stay with me. I can’t loose you again.

SELENE
(sighs and hugs Octavia back)
I miss you too, but we have to go. You have a life you have to get back to.
And there are people who miss you dearly, Tavia. You can’t leave your life for
me. Promise that to me, promise that you’ll live for me.

SELENE fades away, leaving Octavia hugging herself and crying.

OCTAVIA
(sniffs)
I promise Selene. I will.

INT. OCTAVIA’S BEDROOM – MORNING

OCTAVIA wakes up. They look around, shock at the room they are in. Sad to remember it
was only a dream. Sits up and grabs the journal of their wanderings. Gets out of bed and to
the mirror on the wall, looking at their reflection.

OCTAVIA
(sighs)
I have to do this. For Selene.

INT/EXT. OCTAVIA GETS READY FOR THEIR FIRST DAY BACK AT SCHOOL –
MONTAGE.
MUSIC PLAYS, NO WORDS BY CURRENT JOYS
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--OCTAVIA sits at her desk and brushes her hair.

--OCTAVIA opens the journal up and grabs some post it notes. She writes on the post its
before she sticks them on pages in the journal.
-- OCTAVIA packs her bag for school.
-- OCTAVIA walks down the stairs to her parents sat at the table, glum. They light up when
they see her and gives her hugs.
-- OCTAVIA then appears at school, slowly walking down the corridors. People turns and
stares at her, sympathetic.

INT. CLASSROOM – MIDDAY

OCTAVIA is stood at the front of her class, each person is sat at their desk, staring up at the
girl. The teacher waits patiently, a reassuring smile on his face as OCTAVIA takes a deep
breathe and begins to talk. MUSIC STOPS

OCTAVIA
(reading from the wander journal)
A week ago, I lost someone very important to me, someone I wouldn’t have
imagined speaking to. But I am grateful for the persistence of Selene. (breathy
laugh). Me and Selene wandered around our own town, finding places that
meant a lot to us, and a lot to the community.

The music continues and the camera zooms out of the classroom. Then zooms out of the
school and to the sky to reveal the credits.