What would the life of a telepath be like?

Synopsis: JESSICA PARK lives alone in a log cabin well outside any otherwise populated city, where she spends her days following a mundane routine that begins with simple gardening and ends with her passionately practicing the cello for her ears alone. She also reads. She reads a lot. A borderline agoraphobic, she loathes social contact and trusts no one.

What other life can be expected for a telepath, who can see into the hearts and minds of others? To her a person’s thoughts, hidden agendas and secret fetishes, and  are as clear to her as their spoken word. Every lie, every hidden motive, every twisted scheme…Jessica can read them all.

During her childhood years Jessica had been the subject of study of the unnamed Company, forced to perform unspeakable tasks with her telepathic ability. Now an adult she is content to live out the rest of her life in seclusion in her Company-allocated home, on Company-owned land, with only her own thoughts to entertain. No family…no romance…no friends.

Until…spirited, 13 year old SHANNON CARTER appears on her doorstep, having crashed her bicycle nearby. Having just moved into the house at the top of the hill with her “auntie” Diane, she eagerly awaits the arrival of her parents, who are “tying up loose ends” at their previous city of residence. Once Jessica treats the girl’s minor injuries, her life is never the same, as she both distrusts and is compelled by Shannon, whose thoughts, Jessica discovers, she cannot “read” as easily as others. Even so, the compelling Shannon insinuates herself into Jessica’s life, and Jessica inexplicably finds herself trusting this young girl more than she ants to.

As Jessica’s unlikely friendship with Shannon grows, so does a sense of angst,  which suggests that Jessica’s disturbing past, and those who have defined it, may not be as far behind her as she wants to think. In fact, through a series of increasingly disturbing revelations, Jessica discovers that nothing—her safety, her solitary life free of the Company, even Shannon herself—is what it seems. And Jessica Park may be forced to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the first person she could ever care about.

Above: Actress KATHERINE LEE

is

AND

Co-star: SAMANTHA MURPHY

A portion of the original screenplay by Kevin M. Kraft!

(Please forgive formatting difficulties!)

FADE IN:

INT. JESSICA PARK'S HOME – EVENING

A quaint log house, eclectic in design, cluttered…yet in its own way neat and orderly. This is the home of a collector, specifically, a collector of books.

The living room. The walls are replete with bookshelves, tightly stocked with all kinds of literature. The house almost looks like a used bookstore. A cello rests against loveseat next to a music stand with a lead sheet on it.

A television, a 19-inch, flat screen model, sits in the corner, coated with dust.

On the wall is a framed work of needlepoint with a biblical passage...Proverbs 23:7: “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he...”

As the slow tour of the home continues, we hear the phone in another room RING once, twice, three times, four. Finally, it is ANSWERED.

JESSICA PARK (OS)

     Hello, Vivian. (pause) I know.

     I thought I'd at least say hel-

     lo this time, as a courtesy.

     You tend to freak out when I

     just answer, “Vivian?” (pause)

     Not bad. Shall I ask how you

     are? (pause) That was a joke,

     actually.

We enter the small dining room where a small, antique table waits, with enough space for one, maybe two. A single white candle, half-used, sits in the center. One place setting with a half-eaten dinner.

JESSICA (OS)

          (continues)

     Tired. (pause) Yeah, speaking

     of which, I need you to refill

     my meds. I'm down to about twen-

     ty caps. (pause) sorry. I meant

(MORE)
JESSICA (C0NTD)

     to call sooner. I—I know. It's

a headache. (pause) Do I really

have to come in? You used to just

mail them—(pause) Well, you make

the rules, right? (pause) Fine.

(listens) Yes. I'm going on a

CompuDate. (pause) Tomorrow for

lunch.(pause) Why? (pause)

Thank you.

Finally, we enter the single, small bedroom. Again more books take up any available space.

Lying on her back on top of the bedspread on a queen-size canopy bed, with an open book resting on her chest, talking on a cordless telephone from the nightstand, lays JESSICA PARK, late-20s, a slender Asian-American, attractive, although she does little to accentuate it. She wears a bathrobe and her hair is wet.

JESSICA

          (into phone)

     No, I won't stand him up. I

     hate these things, though.

     I becoming pathetic? Am I an

     old maid? (listens) Ha! I'll

let you know how it goes, okay?

Can't believe I let you talk me

     into this! Hey, by the way, some-

     one's moved into the house at the

     top of the hill. I thought the

     Company owned--(listens) I see.

     (listens) Fine. I mean, they can

     do what they want with their pro-

     perty, right? (listens) Hopefully,

     they'll keep to themselves.

     (listens) I'm not being paranoid.

INT. THE LIVING ROOM - LATER

Jessica PLAYS THE CELLO on the loveseat, a stirring piece by BRAHMS. She plays expertly but almost angrily. It looks as though something, either her fingers, the cello or the bow will break. But she never misses a note or beat.

Suddenly, she stops playing, freezes. Gradually, her breathing becomes slightly labored, and her lovely face, first stern with concentration, starts to soften. Her eyes brim with tears.

INT. BEDROOM- NIGHT

Jessica reads in bed, a single lamp on a stand illuminating her room.

She closes the book, looks about her empty room, sets the book on the nightstand and turns off the light.

LATER

In the dead of night, Jessica awakens. She sits up and peers into the darkness at nothing. After a moment, she lies back down and closes her eyes once again.

EXT. - JESSICA'S HOUSE – BACKYARD – MORNING

The sun beams on a beautiful, immaculately manicured backyard in a splendid wooded area.

Jessica, dressed in shorts and a tank top, pots plants at the edge of her expansive vegetable garden. She looks serene, contemplative.

Suddenly, she pauses, looks into space then around, as though she hears something. Her face sours and she puts her axe down.

INT. – JESSICA'S HOUSE – FRONT DOOR – A MOMENT LATER

Jessica removes her work gloves then opens the door, just as there is a KNOCK.

Just outside on the front porch, in mid-knock, is SHANNON CARTER, 12-14, wide-eyed and full of spunk, dressed in a hoodie and shorts, stands with her ten-speed bicycle. She bounces unevenly on her right leg, while she holds the left up.

SHANNON

     I'm sorry. Could you help me?

     PLEASE?

Jessica hesitates.

JESSICA

Come in. You can leave your bike

outside. It’ll be safe.

Shannon sucks her breath in through her teeth due to pain, as she limps inside. She leans against the closet just inside, while Jessica closes the door.

SHANNON

     I'm sorry. I was coming down

the hill and hit a patch of

gravel. Wiped out. My knee.

Jessica kneels to inspect the favored leg, sees a badly bruised and skinned knee.

SHANNON

     My Auntie's gonna kill me.

JESSICA

     Well, we certainly don't want

you bleeding out before your

aunt gets the opportunity to

kill you, do we?

Jessica rises. Shannon smiles sheepishly.

JESSICA

     I'll get the first aid kit. Why

     don't you sit down, Shannon.

     Take some weight off your knee.

Shannon looks surprised. At the same time, Jessica looks suddenly annoyed with herself, as she goes into the

BATHROOM

where she leans up against the doorframe and silently chastises herself.

IN THE LIVING ROOM

Shannon sits on the sofa, examining her hurt knee.

SHANNON

     Do I know you?

JESSICA (OS)

     Sorry?

SHANNON

     I don't remember telling you

my name.

Jessica re-enters with a first aid kit, and she joins Shannon on the sofa.

JESSICA

     You told me when you came in.

SHANNON

     I did?

Jessica opens the case and removes some antiseptic wipes and bandages. The two talk as she starts to treat Shannon's injuries.

JESSICA

     You don't remember? I'm going

to clean your wound. It may

sting a bit.

SHANNON

     Not as much as the fall did.

          (beat)

     I don't remember if you told

     me your name.

Jessica doesn't answer for a time, tending to Shannon's knee.

JESSICA

     Jessica.

SHANNON

     Nice to meet you. Wish it were

under  better circumstances—OW!

JESSICA

     Warned ya.

SHANNON

     We just moved into the house

     at the top of the hill. Right

     above you.

JESSICA

     So that was you. I thought the…

     government owned that house.

SHANNON

     We're from Florida. My parents'

job moved us here. They're still

tying things up there. They should

be back in a couple weeks.

JESSICA

     That's good.

SHANNON

     Maybe.

          (looks around)

     Real logs. Cool.

Shannon spots the cello across the floor.

SHANNON

     Viola, right?

JESSICA

     Cello.

SHANNON

     Any good?

JESSICA

     I've played with symphony or-

     chestras in the studio.

SHANNON

     Yeah, but are you any good? Can

     you play something for me?

JESSICA

     You like it out here, don't you?

     It's a long way from Pensacola,

     but then you don't have the

     trouble the city has.

SHANNON

     Yeah…

JESSICA

     And you'll finally get to see

     snow.

Shannon brightens.

SHANNON

     You must be a psychic!

JESSICA

     No. I'm not a psychic.

SHANNON

     Snow! I've always wanted to

     see snow!

Jessica carefully applies a bandage.

SHANNON

     I sorta miss my friends, though.

     The beach, having other kids

     around, you know.

JESSICA

     Yeah, but were they really your

     friends? You don't sound like

     you miss them much at all.

SHANNON

     Have you been speaking to my

     parents?

JESSICA

     What? How could I have? You

just moved in. Welcome to the

neighborhood, by the way.

(MORE)
JESSICA (CONTD)

          (finishes with SHANNON's

          knee)

     There. All done.

SHANNON

     Thanks, Miss Jessica.

JESSICA

Just Jessica is fine. I'm  sure

your auntie must wondering

where you are.

SHANNON

     Not really. I just left the

     house a few minutes ago…before

     I crashed.

Shannon tries to stand, but the pain causes her to favor her sore knee.

SHANNON

     Ow! I guess pedaling is out of

     the question. Don't suppose you

     have a car—

JESSICA

     No. I don't. I'm sorry.

SHANNON

     Okay. Well…fine.

EXT. ROAD – MINUTES LATER

Shannon painfully pushes her battered bicycle up the hill above Jessica's home. She isn't happy and fumes gently.

SHANNON

          (to herself)

     So uncool. That…cow! Knows I'm

     hurt…makes me push my way back

home. Nice! Real friendly freak-

ing people here!

A Mazda pickup truck approaches from behind her, HONKS ITS HORN. Shannon stops and watches as it slows to a stop beside her.

Inside, Jessica beckons her. Shannon peers inside.

JESSICA

     Hop in.

SHANNON

     You sure?

JESSICA

     Wouldn't want you to think I'm

     some cow or something.