Keep At All Costs/Transcript

**Andy and April are in the living room, doing a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Andy seems bored.**

Andy: I still think we should have done the Picasso one...

**Andy picks up the picture they were supposed to make (it’s six well-dressed dogs smoking cigars and playing poker)**

April: Eh, I like this one more. It shows us that no matter how we dress up, we are all wild animals inside. And I love dogs so you can’t argue with that.

**Andy tries to hide something behind his back but April notices**

April: **serial killer tone** What are you hiding?

Andy: Don’t freak out,  it’s just a broken puzzle piece and-

**April throws a pillow at Andy.**

Andy: \*sound resembling the mixture between a scream and a grunt

**Andy dodges and flees upstairs. (The second floor looks like a T with Andy’s room on one end and April’s on the other). Andy runs to his room and locks the door behind him**

Andy **lying on his bed**: Ugh, stupid April and her dumb obsession.

**He drifts into a light slumber..**

**Cut to Andy’s alarm clock ringing.**

**It’s an hour later. Andy wakes up and gets out of his room. No sign of April. He searches the living room and finds the puzzle pieces exactly where they were when he left.**

Andy: April, where are you?

**Andy goes upstairs again. He checks the other end of the second floor, April’s room.**

Andy: April, are you in there? Can you come out? I wuv you! (Long pause) I’m sorry… **Defeated tone** please don’t bite me again. **Spaces out as if having a flashback**

**When Andy doesn’t hear anything, he opens the door. Cut to Andy’s face. We see a green light appear on his face. Andy rapidly closes the door and steps back.**

**A hand appears and pulls Andy inside.**

***THEME SONG***

**We open to a shot of a dense forest with Andy laying on the ground, coughing his guts out and trying hard to breath. A shadow appears in front of him**

April: Isn’t this great? It’s like a whole different universe!

**Andy keeps gasping, hand placed on his chest.**

April looks down at her brother and sighs: Yeah this happens when you cross the door for the first time. You’ll be fine.

**Andy gets up, still gasping loudly**

Andy: What... the Hell… did you... do?

April: **Scowls, crosses arms** *I* didn’t do anything, you idiot. I just opened my door and BAM. **Jazz hands** A gateway to another dimension.

Andy **freaking out**: We gotta get outta here.

**As Andy tries to run to get to the door, it closes and disappears**

April **irritated**: Crap. I should’ve known, this ALWAYS happens in the movies. What do we do now?

Andy: Are you seriously asking that? We try to do the classic ‘Hero in the magic realm’ stuff. We find another way, preferably before mom realizes we’re gone.

April: **Slightly dejected** Mom’s on another one of her business trips. She won’t realize we’re gone until she gets back, and knowing her, that could be days. Weeks even. We might be stranded here forever. **She says the lastline with utter enthusiasm**

Andy: Stop making me anxious you little...

**They hear a rustling up in the trees behind them and turn back immediately.**

**They see a crow perched on a branch, his gleaming eyes set onto our two protagonists.** **A staredown ensues, fear and wonder in Andy’s eyes, curiosity in April’s and a black abyss in the crow’s.**

The crow: Just get here??

**Andy and April jump back in surprise.**

Andy: You can talk?!

The crow: What were you expecting? Of course I can talk.

**Andy and April gasp**

The crow: **whispers** Idiots. **Normal volume** So you’re *definitely new*

April **whispering to Andy**: Don’t you worry bro. I got this **Winks**

April **stepping closer to the tree the large bird is on**: Hello dear... omnipotent being. We have traveled from a place far away, and we need to find a way back home. Could you help us with our noble quest?

**The crow stares at her for a moment, then begins laughing hysterically.**

The crow: What is this D&D nonsense? What the hell are you talking about? Omnipotent!? Hahahaha!!!

**April looks puzzled**

The Crow: Look, I can’t help you. That portal’s long gone. But I can hang out and show you around if you want.

**Andy looks dejected and scared.**

April: I’m sure we can find another way out of this place. We just need to look! Anyway, hi, I’m April. What’s your name?  Do you have a cool bird name like Raven?

Crow: **Makes a gagging noise** Ew, no. Raven is *so* cliche. I am Crow, just Crow. Nothing more, and nothing less.

Andy: So where are we exactly,  Mr. Crow?

Crow: *Just* Crow. And I’ll tell you while we’re on our way!

April: On our way to where exactly?

Crow: Somewhere fun. (ominous music plays for a second) Now, if you would please follow me, Miss. Non-Omnipotent being. Ha!

April: You don’t deserve any sincere respect, Crow

Crow: Meh

**They reach a place where the trees are cut down, making a big field**

**There are a bit more than a hundred people there.**

Andy(whispering): Crow took us to a trap, April. We *need* to get out of here!

April: Oh my god don’t be so dramatic, Crow can’t kill us, he’s just a little bird

Andy:You don’t know that. He might be satan dressed up as a bird, waiting to drink our flesh and eat our blood.

April: DRINK your flesh? You're not making any sense right now. D’You forget how to talk or something? Relax. I don’t think Satan would even fit in a bird costume. **Shakes head**

Andy: you know what I meant, we have to get out of here. See all those people? This is some kind of purge April, we *have* to go.

April: **Moans**. OK fine. We’ll find a way.

**Crow is still flying and doesn’t notice Andy and April silently running away.**

**Crow reaches the field and turns around to address the group.**

Crow: Alright people, welcome to the…

**Crow then notices that Andy and April are missing.**

Crow: **Rolls eyes, sighs**, This *always* happens. Why can’t people just behave themselves?

**Crow flies as fast as he can, breaking the sound barrier multiple times, trying to reach Andy and April**

**Crow appears in front of them and April and Andy come to a dead stop.**

Crow: What. Is. Wrong. With. You? Why are you trying to escape your only possible way home?

Andy: **Mumbles** Because you’re trying to kill us...

Crow: What makes you think I would have any intentions of murdering some teenagers!?

Andy: Because...you’re not...normal.

April stares at Andy (whispers): Shut up!

Crow: Ok, let’s do this the abnormal way.

April (worried): What?

Crow: You know, I’m not omnipotent, but I’m more powerful than you’ll ever be.

**April and Andy float on the air. Andy starts screaming for help and April stays quiet in silent amazement.**

Crow: Shut up. You made me do this. They’ll *kill* you if they realize you’re running away.

Andy turns to Crow: Won’t they just kill us anyway?

Crow: What? No they won’t. Other contestants will try, but don’t worry. They do this every six years. **Mumbles** I can't believe I got involved with this crap.

**Crow begins flying back towards the clearing, the kids levitating behind him**

**As they float closer to the crowd, they see many others who are scared and confused. Most of them with the same confused look as April and Andy. Some look fierce and ready for action. One is just staring blankly into the distance**

April: Crow if you could put us down, I'd really appr-

Andy (interrupting): Look, *Crow*, I’m gonna need an explanation, so start talking. And PUT US DOWN! You can’t hold us here forever...

**They reach the edge of the crowd. Crow lands on a nearby tree.**

Crow: As you wish.

**Andy falls on his head while April slowly descends in an elegant manner**

Andy: What the hell was that for?

Crow (mocking innocent tone): What? I just did what you asked.

**(April is trying to hide a smile)**

Andy: **Rolls eyes**. You still have to tell us what's happening.

Crow: No. I don't normally get involved in this act of kidnapping, so he’ll explain everything.

**Crow points dramatically to a tree stump at the front of the crowd.**

April: Uh... There's...no one there.

Crow: Give it a sec

**They wait for a few more seconds.**

Crow: **Matter of fact** Of course he's late when I'm trying to be dramatic.

April: Sorry, I'm confused. Who’s late?

**Loud bang. Some people scream. Most crouch down and put their hand over their ears. The kid with the blank stare from before does not react.**

Crow: Ah, there he is.

April and Andy: Who?

**They look to the front of the crowd again. On the stump there is a microphone. There is a stool nearly as tall as it right behind. A big brutish humanoid creature steps on the stump, carrying what seems to be a severed head. The crowd goes dead silent.**

**The creature walks to the stool and puts the head upon it, and then walks off the stump. The seemingly dead head sits there until people start to whisper.**

**Then it suddenly yells "hello" and most of the crowd screams. The girl seems to still be in a trance.**

**The head laughs hysterically**

Head: Ah, yes, the old "pretending you're dead", gets them every time. Welcome! I must apologize for being brief, but I am on a very tight schedule and am already running late. You can call me Mr. Asra. I’m the head of the Mystic Academy. You have all been selected to take an exam that will determine the rest of your life. 23 people will pass the exam,and everyone else will not. If you pass the exam, you will be brought to Mystic Academy.  A place of honor and abilities where you can make the MA proud, blah blah blah. There’s danger, losing teeth, uhh, there’s the possibility of becoming a carrot and all that. And now let’s get to the important rules.

1- You will not kill each other

2- You participate, I don’t accept someone who’s just “chilling” somewhere out there in my school

3- You do not enter the forbidden areas

4- You do not enter the wooden cottage at the end of this forest, it is unlikely you end up there, but if you do, don’t enter.

5- You have three missions and you can join groups in order to fulfill them, but remember that at the end, there will only be 23 people, so in the final mission you’re not together anymore. Everyone for themselves.

And finally,

6- Those of you who are not trained and are looking confused, you will have a one-hour head start to understand what you are supposed to do.

NOW, if you break the rules or consort with a creature who looks like a pirate, there is a tragic fate awaiting you. If you disobey the school council, the same fate awaits you. All of you will memorize these rules by the back of your hands.

**Silence; The creature from earlier returns to the stage and pauses only to move Mr. Asra’s head in a nodding motion before hurrying offstage.**

Andy: What? What is this? Crow, you told us we’d go home!

Crow: No, I said your only possible way back home. If you do anything else, you’re dead, doomed, destroyed, gone forever-

April: Fine, we get it. So the only way to go back home is to be, what, warriors? It’s like saying the only way to escape quicksand is to dive into it.

Crow: That’s the only way! Geez, I thought you both would love it here! People would kill each other to study in this school. It’s the best of its kind.

Andy **Making his way to the crowd** : We have family back home. I’m going to try talking to that Asra guy and see if we can do anything.

April **Panicked**: Andy you’re glowing!

**April looks down. Her legs are also glowing**

April **Still Panicked**: I’m glowing!

Crow: Listen, you’re gonna go somewhere else. The first thing you should do is find one another. I’ll find you later. **Shakes head, muttering** I can’t believe I got involved in this thing.

**The glow goes higher to each sibling’s waist**

April: W-what’s happening?

Crow: Guys, listen. Take care of each other and try to stay alive. Like I said, people will kill to get to this school. Literally. Stay away from the crowd. Do not get involved with the elites.

**The glow reaches the neck**

Andy: I didn’t sign up for this. **Shakes head (or what’s left of it)**

Crow: See you on the other side, kid.

**The glow covers them, and they disappear with a pop of Ozone.**

***SCREEN GOES BLACK THEN COMES BACK TO ANDY, WHO IS IN A DENSE FOREST THAT USED TO SURROUND HIM. APRIL AND CROW ARE NOWHERE IN SIGHT.***

**He gets up and looks around. He finds a small slip of parchment and reads it.**

It reads :

1- The cliff and the bridge

2- The lady of the leaves

3- The judge of the mind

**~KEEP AT ALL COSTS~**

**Andy puts the paper in his pocket and begins pacing, brow furrowed**

Andy: What did Crow say? Find each other. How can I find April?

**The scene changes to April, she wakes up, but before she can do anything a hunting knife appears, Cutting her neck**

?: I have 3 questions, and if you want to keep your head connected to your shoulders, you better answer them. Who are you? Where are we? And what the hell just happened?

**April gasps**

Varvana: Oh. You need air. **(Loosens hold on April)**

April : **shaky voice** I-Im April. I know that we are in a magic realm, s-somewhere in a forest. **Slightly more confident** I know that I was talking to Crow and my brother Andy, and I started glowing. Crow told me to find Andy, and then Crow would find us. He also told me that there would be people trying to kill me, and I guess he was right. Now I'm here with a knife to my throat. That's all I know, I swear.

Varvana **(puts down knife**): Okay, I believe you. I think I might even be able to tolerate you. But I don’t **trust** you. I'm Varvana.

April: Thanks?

**April turns around to see her assailant and realizes it was the expressionless odd girl from before.**

April: Hey, weren't you the one who looked like you were paralized?

Varvana: (**snorts**) You know what, you may not be a burden after all. And I wasn't paralyzed, I was just trying to make sense of what's happening. I have a tendency to seemingly shut down when my brain just can’t make sense of what’s happening.

April: Like one of those fainting goats?

**(Varvana gives April a harsh glare)**

April: To be honest, I still haven't quite fully processed everything yet either.

**April uses a napkin from her crossbody bag to stop the bleeding on her neck.**

Varvana sighs.

April: Anyway, my turn for questions. How did you get to me so quickly? Why did you attack me? And how did you end up in this weird realm?

Varvana: Well, we landed closer to each other, so I assumed that I wasn't the first to appear and wouldn't be the last. About five minutes after I popped up, a crazy guy came running at me and tried to take my eyes out. I had a knife and he only had a stick. Now he is running around eye-lessly. **Grins**

**Varvana taps her pocket knowingly, and April turns green and scoots a little farther away.**

Varvana: I then waited for you to pop up, and immobilized you in case you had gone insane like the last guy. As for your last question, I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. There was a green glow coming from the doorway. I opened the door with my eyes closed, I was so tired. I stepped forward, fell 5 feet, the door was gone, and I was at the end of a trail. I couldn’t breathe for a slight second. I thought I was dying, but then I got up and realized I was in a forest. I thought I was in heaven, but I found it odd that I was in heaven, then I heard a voice.

April: Ha, I bet that woke you up.

Varvana: Quite the contrary; I thought I was still dreaming. I still think I might be hallucinating you. Anyways, I followed the trail to the clearing, heard the speech and everything, and then popped up here. The weird thing is, most of us disappeared at the same time, according to the glow on their bodies, but people are showing up every 5ish minutes.

April: Damn, you don't miss a beat, do you?

Varvana: **Smirks** I try not to, but sometimes there are just too many drums.

April: Okie dokie then. Should we stay here, or wait for the next person to pop up?

Varvana: I think so, in case they know more than we do. Here you go, kid.

**Varvana takes a Swiss Army knife from her pocket and tosses it to April. As she does so, the same note Andy got fell from her pocket. April doesn't notice, since she is busy opening and closing each tool on the knife. Varvana notices, and picks it up.**

Varvana: The cliff and the bridge. The lady of the leaves. The judge and the mind. Keep at all costs?

**April looks up as she finally finds the blade.**

April: What?

Varvana: I don't know. It fell out of my pocket as I was handing you the knife.

**April checks her crossbody bag and takes out her note.**

April: I have one too. Maybe everyone got one. \*gasps\* That must mean Andy has one too! Wherever this is leading us, Andy and Crow will be there!

Varvana: Let’s find your brother, kid.

April: We’re... the same age.

Varvana: Whatever, kid

**Varvana and April trek through the forest, hoping not to run into any other people, unfortunately, their plan was thwarted when a girl popped out of the bushes near the two.**

?: Hi! My name is Amaya! How’d you get here?! Isn’t this place awesome! Who are you?!

April: Gah!

Varvana **Sarcastically**: Oh no, it’s the intolerable one… There’s always one in every single group.

Amaya **Semi-spiteful**: I’m right *here*. And I have a feeling I can control myself better than *you.*

April: Don’t kill us! This is Varvana and I’m April.

Amaya: Kill you? Why would I want to kill you?

Varvana: Ugh. Can we just use the knife instead.

April: No, she seems… not serial-killery.

Amaya: Ok, can I help you on your mysterious quest into the unknown to find your friends?!

April: How’d you know about that?

Amaya **Shrugs**: Basically every game, movie, series and book follows the same storyline, it’s kinda a big cliche, honestly.

April: Well, You can join us. The more the merrier?

Amaya: **Smiles in a very excited way, practically jumping up and down**

Varvana **Snarls**: I will *gut* you April, I’ll *end* you and then *I’ll get rid of* the *dumb* brunette.

Amaya: I’m not that bad, you know *Varvs*?

Varvana: **Scowls**

April: Have you seen a boy and a crow by chance?

Amaya: No, but I have seen a rat with a beard fighting with a crow using a stick and a dagger. I can show you the spot if you’re interested?

April: Ok, if that was out of context, it would be a notably weird quote.

Varvana **Grabs April's arm and whispers**: We’re leaving her behind.

April: Why? She seems fine.

Varvana **Louder**: She’ll only *weigh* us down and get us *killed*.

Amaya **Sadly**: Heard that….

Varvana **Matter of fact**: You were supposed to.

Amaya: Well, you might not know it now, but I can be incredibly useful! I have a great knowledge of this sort of thing due to my nerdiness! **Mumbles** Finally became useful… usually just got me bullied among other things… **Normal volume** But still! You should be *begging* me to join you guys and-

Varvana **Groaning**: Stop. Talking!

Amaya **Frowns**: Yeesh, how pessimistic can you be?

Varvana: There's a difference between pessimism and realism. You just have idiotic amounts of optimism.

Amaya: Bad attitudes are dangerous! Believe me, I know… **Frowns** but hey, idealism isn’t *that* bad. You know when you have that gut feeling…

April: CAN WE STOP TALKING ABOUT PHILOSOPHY?!

Amaya: Philosophy is actually quite interesting.

Varvana: Not to me.

April: Hey, stop! I *need* to find my brother. **To Amaya** Take us to where you saw Crow.

Varvana: Huh, sorry about that.

Amaya: Gladly!

**They walk to the place**

Amaya: Here we are! Kinda sketchy if you think about it…

**Varvana leans down and examines the dirt, looking for any sign of life.**

Varvana: Nothing.

April: Then where are Andy and Crow!?

**April sees a shadow duck into some bushes.**

April: Hey, come out here!

Beard Rat: **Under his breath** Dammit. **Normal** I've killed before and you would be foolish to think I would hesitate to do so again!

**A 1 foot tall rat with a large beard stalks out of the bushes, hands behind his back.**

Amaya: Oh, it's you! Have you seen that crow?

Beard Rat: Yuck, children. Has it been six years already? Hmm… **Thinks for a moment. Then snaps:** Why would I tell you? Wait! Stand still! Don’t move a muscle…

**Beard rat closes his eyes, takes out his sword, slashes three times, and a perfect outline of April's head appears on the tree was leaning against**

Beard Rat: Duck.

**He takes out his Bowie knife and throws it dead center in the outline of April's head. (With his eyes still closed)**

April: H-how… wow.

Amaya: I saw him do that a while ago! Except it was to the crow, and he didn’t say duck.

**Beard Rat opens his eyes, and pulls his knife out of the tree. He sheathes both of his weapons, showing off a tad bit.**

Beard Rat **Places leg on log in a dramatic manor**: I have been trained as a warrior all my life. I was born on a pirate ship, and was a pirate for an amount of time longer than the lifespan of any average beast. One day, I saved Lady Chinchilla from other pirates, in hopes of kidnapping her myself. Alas, before I could carry out the deed, the rodents called me a hero, but I showed them what I am. Now none of them are alive to call me a hero again. I want them all dead,  especially that insufferable Crow and his flock of pigeons.

April **Wide eyes**: What did Crow and his flock of pigeons do?

Varvana: No one asked for a backstory.

Amaya: Are you kidding me?! Nice backstory! You would make a great avatar in a video game.

Beared Rat: Thank you, weird stranger I’ve never met. At least ***YOU*** appreciate me. And for your information, purple-haired child, I don’t know where that filthy satan went, and I refuse to disclose as to why I hate him so.

Amaya: So… our only clue of getting out of here is gone? I might as well go near the bridge I first woke up on, and dive in the darkness that surrounds it.

Varvana **Smiles**: Pessimism. Now we’re talking, girl.

April: Wait, what did you say?

Varvana: I rewarded the nerd for-

April: No, not that, shut up.

**Varvana furrowed her eyebrows and pretended to look offended.**

Varvana: The last person who said that to me didn’t wake up the next day.

April **trying to ignore Varvana**: Did you say bridge?

Amaya: Yes..?

April: That’s the first thing on our lists!

**April reaches her crossbody Bag and takes out the paper and shows it to Amaya**

Amaya: Ooooo, you have a quest list too? If it’s just like mine, that means everyone got the same slip?

April: So… this means Andy has one. He’s got to be going to the first quest, “The Bridge And the Cliff”.

Varvana: So we’ll find your stupid brother...

April: Pretty much.

Varvana: Then let’s go find him and win the first challenge.

Beard Rat: Well then, I’ll be awaiting that damn feathered hellspawn to catch him once and for all and be rid of him.

April: Alright, Beardy Boy.

Beard Rat **irritated**: Don’t you ever call me that, foolish mortal. Now leave.

Amaya: Awww, you huwt his feewings. Poor thing.

Beard Rat: Don’t patronize me or I’ll end your life in the bloodiest way possible

Amaya **Confused**: *Why* does everyone want to kill me!?

Varvana **Laughs**: Hey don’t worry, I wouldn’t end you with *that* much blood.

Amaya: Thanks?

Varvana: Alright, let’s go people. If everyone got the same paper, then they’ll all be there.

**April pursed her lips**

April: Then we might need the help of an expert. Beard Rat, can you…

**Beard Rat is gone.**

April: Welp, that just happened, anyone see where he scampered off to? Let’s check in the bushes! He seems to like hiding in them...

Varvana: Nope. Not gonna happen, I’m *not* wasting my time to look for some random pirate-rat-thingy or whatever.

**Amaya sighs**

Amaya: I miss him already, and we didn’t even leave the spot.

April: Maybe we’ll find him later. This thing is our only way back home, so we should hurry.

**They start walking**

Varvana: Well, this Crow seems sketchy as hell. I mean Beard Rat called him a satan and a feathered hellspawn. Neither of those are good adjectives, April.

April: Yeah, my brother also said the same thing, but I didn’t listen to him either.

Amaya **Nerd Voice**: I don’t know. In stories, there are characters like Crow, you’ll never figure out if they’re evil or good. Sometimes they help people out, sometimes they just watch. They don’t have a side in the fight. It’s just them. They do everything their own way. We call those “chaotic neutral”

Varvana: THIS IS NOT SOME FANDOM COMMUNITY KID NOW MOVE.

**Amaya frowns in frustration.**

April: Yeah, this is not a video game, or some crazy TV show. I trust Crow. He saved us and told us how to get home. I mean, Varvana wanted to kill me the second she saw me, So Crow outranks her right now.

Varvana: Fair enough.

Amaya: I remember this path, I remember the weird leaves! Come on, guys, we’re near the bridge!

Varvana: Wait, I don’t get it. Nothing makes sense.

April: What do you mean?

Varvana: ...

Amaya: Are you okay?

**Varvana snaps back randomly**

Varvana **Cold**: Listen, this is dumb. If you’re right then Crow said that going to this school is our only way home, but then what happens to the rest of us? There were a lot  of people back there. We’re just blindly going to a place without knowing what’s in there just because a dumb paper told…

**Someone screams**

Amaya: What the hell was that?!

Varvana: I know that sound. **Takes out knife**

**They sprint to find the spot where the scream came from.**

April: Who was that?

**They’re on the spot and they find two guys. One of them was covering his face with his hands, and the other was Andy.**

Andy **Sighs**: Come on dude, you know I didn’t mean it.

?: So you made me fall down and you didn’t mean it?

Andy: I was falling down myself. Come on, man.

April: Andy?

Andy **mocking**: Do my eyes deceive me? Tis my loyal sister, April! No matter how far I may throw her away, she seems to always come back, like an annoying boomerang.

April hugs Andy, then she looks at the other guy

April: Who’s your friend?

Andy: He lives here and is a local contestant. The locals here are...different. They’re weird. So when he woke up, he did his best to protect himself. He's kinda good at it, but some crazed lunatic took his eyes out and of course, without his eyes, he can’t see anything.

?: All my other senses are blooming in the absence of my sight, I can hear with my hands!

Amaya: That’s...not how you hear.

Andy: I don't know if he ate the wrong mushrooms or something, but I am not responsible for the hand-hearing thing. He was like that before I found him.

April: Varvana, this has you written all over it. What have you done?

Varvana: Come on, April, he attacked me. **Mocking** I was a scared little girl, so I had to protect myself. And when he woke up, he reattached his severed hand to his body so I was rightfully freaked out.

?: Do you have my eyes? Did you take it as a reminder or something? Give them back, please. Don't take them as a way to satisfy your sadistic needs. **Sighs** Not again.

Andy: Again!?

Varvana: What do you think I am? A psycho? Hehe, I am. But you have to earn your eyes back, buddy.

?: I’ll do anything to get my eyes back.

Varvana: Ok so you have to help us be one of  those 23 people admitted into that academy, and no betrayal is accepted. I *will* have my trustworthy blade with me.

?: This is my first time participating in the exam, but I’ll do my best. I know what’s going on. You need me, little girl

Varvana: We’re the same age.

April: See how irritating it is?

Varvana: Shut up kid

April **sighs**: What the hell is wrong with you, Varvana?

Amaya: I have some theories, if you wanna hear.

Varvana: What? He’s cute, and knows not to mess with me. So we’re good. I’m giving him one eye back.

Andy: April, who are these people? Why did that girl take out Atlas’ eyes?

April: Long story. Varvana, give him his eyes back.

**Varvana begins a rant**

Varvana: Hell no! The last time I met him he tried to steal *my* eyes! *My* body parts don't reattach. How do I know he won't try to take mine again? *Or if he will even help us?*

**Varvana takes out one eyeball and puts it in Atlas's previously severed hand, which still has some flesh showing.**

Varvana: This is all I'm giving you for now, so you'll be able to see as you help us. I'll give you the other eye when you *earn* it.

**Atlas puts his eye in its proper place and starts blinking rapidly.**

Atlas: Thank you for your kindness, Varvana. You had every right to keep them from me.

...

I forgot how amazing seeing is.

Amaya: As awesome as that just was, we're still missing someone. Where is this "Crow" I've heard of?

Andy: I don't know. I was hoping he'd be with you.

April: If Crow wanted to find us, I doubt he would spend the time to search every inch of this place.

Varvana: Which means, he'll probably be at the first clue!

Andy: Speaking of which, **turns to April** Where is that?

Amaya: I think I know, follow me!

Andy: So April, who are *your* new friends?

**Amaya cuts in front of April and enthusiastically shakes Andy’s hand, talking a million miles a minute.**

Amaya: Pleasure to make your acquaintance! I’m Amaya. I like anime, comics, and video games! **super enthusiastic** I also like emotions, enthusiasm, socializing, and anything supernatural! Oh, and my species is human. **chuckles** Anyways, I’ll shut up now.

Andy: Cool?

Varvana: I am myself, there is no broader explanation.

Andy: Uh- okay…? Cool. **sarcasm and awkward laughter**

Amaya: We’re her! What do you think?

**The five competitors looked around the area they were in currently.**

April: Wow, I don't know why, but I never expected this.

**The others nodded in agreement**

Andy **glancing around clearing**: Why is nobody else here?

Amaya: No one else spawned here like I did! HA! Do you still regret bringing me along, Varvs? **Mockingly**

Varvana **Rolls eyes**: I guess not, but DON’T let this go to your head! AND DON'T CALL ME VARVS!!!

**Amaya smiles and walks up to the bridge**

Atlas: WAIT! It-It could be a trap...

Amaya: Of course it’s a trap. What do you expect from an evaluation that involves a bridge and a cliff? That’s what always happens, and the best way to succeed in the exam is to embrace the danger of the trap and do something genius or brave to survive, that’s what evaluation means, dummy.

Andy: Yeah, but maybe we shouldn’t? **Andy looks skeptically at the arched bridge**

April: Don't be a buzzkill, Andy! If you think about it, the worst that can happen is the bridge deciding we are too heavy and we take an unexpected trip down the lazy river. It might give us some clue of what we are supposed to be doing!

Andy: Or it might kill us.

Varvana **Nods**: We need to find out *what* we are supposed to be doing rather than going around on a wild goose chase. I vote we go. All in favor?

**Varvana, April, Amaya, and Atlas raise their hands.**

Andy: I hate democracy. **Sighs** To the bridge.

**The group makes their way to the bridge as the screen fades.**