Echoes of Room 117
605 Words
FADE IN:
INT. MAYA'S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Rain taps softly against the bedroom window.
Maya closes her bedroom door and locks it.
She reaches into her backpack and carefully removes the thin gray folder she secretly took from Archive B.
Across the front, in bold black letters, it reads:
CONFIDENTIAL
She places it on her desk.
Her hands tremble.
MAYA (whispering) "What are you hiding?"
She slowly opens the folder.
Inside are several photographs.
One shows Noah Reed standing outside Room 214.
Another shows Vice Principal Grant speaking to a man whose face has been blacked out.
The last photograph makes Maya stop breathing.
It's a picture of her.
The date at the bottom reads:
Six months ago.
MAYA "That's impossible..."
She had never attended Westbrook High six months ago.
Yet there she was.
Standing outside the school's front gate.
INT. MAYA'S BEDROOM – CONTINUOUS
Behind the photographs is a typed report.
SUBJECT: MAYA THOMPSON
STATUS: APPROVED
Maya reads the line three more times.
MAYA "Approved for what?"
Before she can continue—
Her phone vibrates.
Unknown Number.
A new message appears.
STOP READING THE FILE.
Maya's heart pounds.
She rushes to the window.
The street outside is empty.
Or so it seems.
Across the road...
A black SUV is parked beneath a streetlight.
Its headlights are off.
Someone is sitting inside.
Watching her house.
INT. WESTBROOK HIGH – NEXT MORNING
Students crowd the hallways.
Emma catches up with Maya.
EMMA "You disappeared yesterday. Jordan wouldn't tell me anything."
Maya forces a smile.
"I just had to get home."
Emma studies Maya's face.
"You look scared."
"I'm just tired."
Emma doesn't look convinced.
As they continue walking, Maya notices Vice Principal Grant standing at the end of the hallway.
He's watching them.
The moment their eyes meet—
He smiles.
Maya immediately remembers the note.
Don't trust the person who smiles first.
INT. LIBRARY – LUNCH
Jordan slides into the chair across from Maya.
"You took something from Archive B."
Maya freezes.
"How did you know?"
"You kept your backpack zipped the entire walk home."
She hesitates.
Then quietly places the folder on the table.
Jordan's eyes widen.
"You actually took a file."
"I didn't want whoever was watching us to know."
Jordan opens the folder.
The first thing he sees is the report labeled:
SUBJECT: MAYA THOMPSON
He frowns.
"They were investigating you before you even came here."
Maya nods.
"But why?"
Jordan turns another page.
His expression changes.
"Maya..."
"What?"
He points to a paragraph near the bottom.
Recommended Transfer Date: August 18
Maya stares at it.
"My family decided to move in September."
Jordan slowly looks up.
"No."
He swallows hard.
"According to this..."
"...someone planned for you to come here before your family ever moved."
INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY – SAME TIME
A hidden security camera silently follows Maya and Jordan as they leave the library.
In another part of the school...
A monitor displays their every movement.
A gloved hand presses a button.
A distorted voice speaks into a microphone.
"They've opened the file."
Another voice replies.
"Activate Phase Two."
INT. CLASSROOM – AFTERNOON
As students settle into class, Maya opens her locker.
A folded white envelope falls onto the floor.
No one else seems to notice.
She opens it.
Inside is a single sentence.
The file is incomplete. Find the missing pages before they do.
Maya looks up sharply.
Someone has just turned the corner at the end of the hallway.
All she catches is the edge of a black hoodie disappearing from sight.
She takes off running.
CUT TO BLACK.
To be continued in Episode 3 – Part 2...
- Writer
