// MARSCAPONE SUMMER HOME //

KEVIN MARSCAPONE, the son of famed sorceress MYRTLE MARSCAPONE, has decided to help his mother train the young woman LUCIA EKSTROM in the ways of magic.

CASSANDRA GOTH has brought her over, dropped her off, but does not come in the house. Her return trip has not been booked; presumably she’ll hear soon.

LUCIA walks up to the sprawling beach house and knocks shyly on the door.

She doesn’t receive an answer for a moment, then takes her phone out of her pocket with the intention of calling someone, anyone, who might be inside the house.

She has just unlocked the cover screen when the door opens.

KEVIN

WELCOME WELCOME. PLEASE COME IN.

KEVIN is tall and thin with a splash of auburn hair. He has an honest face, one that people expect to hide few lies. He is wearing a white t-shirt and khaki pants.

KEVIN

WE JUST MOVED IN ABOUT A WEEK AGO SO PLEASE EXCUSE THE MESS.

But there’s little mess to be had in the wide room. Stairs up and down, located right ahead of the entrance, divide the room in two, with a living area to the right and a dining room to the left. The house has a very faint musty scent, perhaps from the antique furniture that doesn’t all match.

LUCIA

OH PLEASE. IT’S LOVELY.

VINCENT//

'Lovely', huh?

KEVIN is somewhat of a dual personality, though you wouldn’t know it by his polite behavior. His father, VINCENT, a powerful vampire and the Prince of Dream, has taken up residence inside his son’s psyche after his death some odd decade prior.

Except on the ‘Net, VINCENT speaks in a voice that only KEVIN can hear.

KEVIN

SO HOW’D THE SESSION WITH MY MOTHER GO?

LUCIA

WELL ENOUGH.

I HAD HEARD TALE OF HER BEING …

ROUGH ON HER STUDENTS.

BUT SHE’S …

WELL, YEAH. ROUGH.

VINCENT//

Mean.

Evil, some would say.

LUCIA

SHE WANTED TO WORK ON…

HOME ECONOMICS.

KEVIN

I SEE.

Down the stairs comes CEDRIC, who turns toward the dining room and does not acknowledge KEVIN’s student.

But she cannot hide her curiosity and her eyes wander, eyeing the blonde man over KEVIN’s shoulder.

CEDRIC disappears into the kitchen, out of eyeshot of LUCIA.

KEVIN allows a moment of silence, watching LUCIA.

KEVIN

WELL, I HAVE NO SUCH MAID’S WORK PLANNED FOR YOU TODAY.

ALTHOUGH TO TELL THE TRUTH,

I HAVEN’T PLANNED MUCH OF ANYTHING AND JUST WANTED TO SEE WHERE WE GET.

ARE YOU HUNGRY?

LUCIA

NO, NOT TERRIBLY SO.

CASSANDRA AND I STOPPED ON THE WAY IN.

SHE’S NICE.

KEVIN

I’M SORRY THAT BELLA WASN’T ABLE TO TUTOR YOU.

LUCIA

WELL, IT WASN’T ME WHO REALLY KNEW HER.

SHE WAS A FRIEND OF MY MOTHER’S.

BUT SHE ALWAYS IMPRESSED UPON ME THAT I SHOULD DROP IN IF I EVER FOUND MYSELF IN THE STATES.

KEVIN

PITY THAT THE OLD FAMILY TIES ARE…

FRACTURING.

HAVE YOU BEEN TO AMERRKA BEFORE?

LUCIA shakes her head.

LUCIA

NO, NEVER.

KEVIN

I SUPPOSE YOU MAY BE FINDING YOUR MAGICKS ARE HARDER TO ACCESS.

KEVIN crosses his arms, readjusting his posture.

KEVIN

THE LEY-LINES SIT DIFFERENTLY HERE, AND ESPECIALLY ON THE EAST COAST, FEWER AND FAR BETWEEN.

THE ONES THAT ARE HERE, HOWEVER, VARY IN INTENSITY. SO SOMETIMES YOU GET A SPARK THAT YOU’D NEVER EXPECT.

YOU’VE BEEN ABLE TO CREATE LUNAR LIGHT?

LUCIA

IN MY COUNTRY, QUITE EASILY. BUT HERE…

I CAN, BUT I CAN’T CONTROL IT.

I… UH…

HAVE SET SOME SMALL FIRES.

VINCENT//

Excellent.

KEVIN

THAT’S GOOD TO HEAR.

I DO NOT THINK WE WILL HAVE ANY PROBLEM, THEN.

PLEASE, MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME AND WE WILL LIGHT A BONFIRE THIS EVENING.

MY MOTHER PREFERS TO USE LATINATE ESPECIALLY IN THIS CASE, SO PLEASE MEDITATE ON THE WORD.

(carefully) ‘INFERNIATE’.

KEVIN leaves the room abruptly, leaving LUCIA sinking into the oversoft fabric couch.

~

After browsing the books and being struck by twinges of boredom, LUCIA pushes around various fittings in the TV cabinet. She jumps when she hears a voice from behind her that she didn’t know had been watching her.

CEDRIC

YOU LOOKIN’ FOR THE HEX-BOX?

LUCIA

OH JEEZ. YOU SCARED ME.

CEDRIC

SORRY ABOUT THAT.

LUCIA

YEAH… WELL… I SAW THE CONTROLLERS…

CEDRIC

I HAD ONE IN MY OLD PLACE.

JUST PUT THE CONTROLLERS THERE. SEEMED THEY BELONGED.

BUT I HAD AN OLD MODEL.

I SOLD IT.

TO BUY CAT FOOD.

His tone is deliberate and strange. He wears a young man’s clothing and appears in his mid twenties, but carries an air of distance that betrays his appearance.

LUCIA

OH… UH…

I DIDN’T KNOW YOU HAD CATS.

CEDRIC

YEAH, THEY’RE BEING SHY.

THEY’LL COME AROUND.

LUCIA gets a solid look at him after seeing him from afar at a few of her lessons. CEDRIC has a faded scar down the middle of his face.

But it’s not the scar that draws her attention.

LUCIA

YOUR HAIR… YOU HAVE NICE HAIR.

CEDRIC fluffs his short blond hair somewhat awkwardly.

CEDRIC

UH… THANKS?

LUCIA

YOU KNOW IF I MET YOU IN MY COUNTRY, WITH HAIR LIKE THAT –

I’D SAY YOU WERE DESCENDED FROM THE OLD GODS.

ARE YOU BORN HERE?

CEDRIC

BORN AND BRED. AT LEAST THREE GENERATIONS. MORE, PROBABLY.

The conversation hangs. Neither party is sure of the other.

CEDRIC

SO. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PRACTICING?

LUCIA

SINCE AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER.

I HAD A KNACK FOR BREAKING THINGS WHEN I WAS A CHILD.

CEDRIC

WELL THEN I’M REALLY GLAD I SOLD MY TOY.

~

The evening winds on and the sun begins to set. At twilight, early at this time of the year, KEVIN invites them outside to enjoy a bonfire. CEDRIC stands off to the side, somewhat skittish to flying embers. He steps around from time to time but generally remains out of earshot.

KEVIN

CREATING WILDFIRE SHOULD BE EASIER THAN LUNAR CONJURATIONS.

YOU ARE DOING MORE WORK THAN YOU SHOULD.

YOU FEEL THE DISTANCE FROM THE LEYLINES AND THAT CAUSES YOU ANXIETY. FEAR.

IT’S NATURAL TO FEEL THAT WAY BUT I THINK IF YOU PUSH YOURSELF, YOU CAN EASILY LEARN TO CONTROL THE FLAME.

WATCH IT DANCE.

LUCIA

YOU ARE FROM HERE, TOO?

KEVIN

I’VE BEEN A NEW YORKER ALL MY LIFE.

LUCIA

THEN IT’S EASIER FOR YOU.

KEVIN

DON’T LET YOURSELF BE CLOUDED WITH PERCEPTIONS OF RELATIVE DIFFICULTY.

THE STRUGGLES OF OTHERS IS AN ETERNAL UNKNOWN.

A TRUE UNKNOWN.

FOCUS ON WHAT YOU NEED TO DO.

The fire crackles and burns.

KEVIN

FOCUS ON TODAY, ON NOW, BUT ALSO HEAT, AND WARMTH.

LOVE AND HATRED, TWO SIDES OF THE SAME PASSION.

I ALWAYS FEEL WATCHING NATURE, THE MOTHER, WORK HER MAGIC EFFORTLESSLY –

He gestures to the fire.

HELPS REMIND US THAT ALL THINGS TURN TO ASH IN TIME.

They are silent until CEDRIC disappears inside the house. LUCIA sees her opportunity and grabs it.

LUCIA

WERE YOU REALLY A VAMPIRE? BEFORE?

VINCENT//

Whoo-ee this girl wastes no time.

KEVIN

I SUPPOSE YOU READ ABOUT THAT ON THE ‘NET.

LUCIA

YEAH, I DID. I HACKED ON TO THE ‘NET A FEW YEARS BACK.

I READ ABOUT YOU AND YOUR MOTHER THERE.

KEVIN

I DOUBT MOST OF IT WAS TRUE.

THE OLD POSTS ARE FULL OF HALF-TRUTHS AND EXAGGERATIONS.

SECURITY’S A LOT TIGHTER THESE DAYS.

LUCIA

BUT… YOU DID TAKE THE CURE WILLINGLY?

KEVIN

I DID. WITH THE HELP OF MY FATHER AND HIS FRIENDS.

THE PROMISE OF ETERNAL LIFE MEANT THE SUFFERING OF OTHERS.

AND I LONGED TO AGAIN…

KEVIN draws his hands together and pulls them apart to reveal a burning ember, oranger and yet bluer than the one from the campfire.

FEEL WARM.