RETRIBUTION
EXT. EMPTY SCRUBLAND – DAWN
A lonely stretch of dry grass and scattered trees. Fog rolls low across the ground.
Six GIRLS lie spread across the clearing as if dropped there.
Birds chirp somewhere far away.
One girl suddenly GASPS awake.
MAYA (13) sits up quickly, breathing hard.
MAYA Hello?
No response.
Nearby, ARIA (13) stirs.
Then TESS (14), LILA (12), KATIE (13) and SOPHIE (12) slowly wake.
Confusion.
Fear.
ARIA Where are we?
SOPHIE
Who are you?
TESS
I don't know any of you.
The girls stand slowly, looking around.
Nothing but empty land.
KATIE
This isn't funny. Is someone filming us?
MAYA
I went to sleep in my bed.
LILA
Me too.
They realise something unsettling.
They truly don’t know each other.
EXT. CLEARING – LATER
The girls sit in a rough circle.
Uneasy silence.
Suddenly Sophie notices something.
Six envelopes lie in the grass.
Each envelope has a name written in black ink
They pick them up slowly.
TESS
Did anyone else see these before?
They shake their heads.
Maya opens hers.
Inside:
A single printed word.
CONFESS
ARIA (confused)
Confess what?
The wind picks up.
The girls exchange nervous glances.
EXT. CLEARING – CONTINUOUS
ARIA suddenly stands.
ARIA
Maybe this is like… punishment.
MAYA
For what?
ARIA hesitates.
ARIA
Maybe for things we've done.
The girls stare.
Nobody speaks.
Then Aria sighs.
ARIA
I'll go first.
FLASHBACK 1 – THE BULLY
INT. SCHOOL GROUND– DAY
Students eat lunch.
ARIA sits with two friends, BREE and CHANTELLE. They laugh and mock a girl who sits near them… Jenna ( 12)
BREE
She’s a real charity case.
CHANTELLE
Do you know here she lives ?
BREE
Mother’s unemployed . CHANTELLE
Well that explains a lot.
BREE
I seriously don’t know why they let people like her come to our school.
CHANTELLE
Standards really have dropped.
ARIA
Hey watch this.
Jenna stands and goes to walk past them. Aria sticks her foot out. Jenna trips.
Everyone erupts in laughter.
Jenna’s eyes fill with tears.
ARIA
Maybe next time watch where you're going.
JENNA
Why did you do that?
ARIA
Because I could.
Later.
EXT. SCHOOLYARD – DAY
Jenna sits alone.
Her phone buzzes.
A social media post.
A photo of her falling.
CHANTELLE and BREE are in hysterics
Caption: "Graceful Jenna strikes again."
Hundreds of laughing emojis.
CHANTELLE
OMG how embarrassing.
Jenna looks devastated.
BACK TO CLEARING
Aria stares at the ground.
ARIA
I posted the video.
The girls shift uncomfortably.
Two weeks later Jenna took her life.
FLASHBACK 2 – THE THIEF
INT. FRIEND'S HOUSE – AFTERNOON
KATIE visits LUCY and Lucy’s older sister EMMA
Lucy shows Katie a small jewellery box.
LUCY
My grandma gave me these before she died.
Inside: a delicate gold bracelet
Katie admires it.
KATIE
It is beautiful. Later.
Lucy leaves the room to answer her mum.
Katie stares at the bracelet.
She slowly takes it.
Slips it into her pocket.
Lucy returns.
LUCY
Where's the bracelet?
Emma searches the room.
Emma looks directly at Lucy.
EMMA
Did you lose it already?
Lucy looks ashamed.
LUCY
I didn’t lose it.
EMMA
Well it’s not here. Hell… it was a family heirloom. How could you be so careless!
Katie pretends to search for it on the carpet.
BACK TO CLEARING
KATIE
Lucy got blamed.
SOPHIE
Did you give it back?
Katie shakes her head.
FLASHBACK 3 – THE LIAR
INT. LOUNGE ROOM– DAY
Three siblings stand around a broken antique. A cricket ball sits on the floor.
The elder brother is furious .
LEO
Who did this?
Silence.
Lila… What happened. Mum is going to go ballistic.! Lila hesitates.
Across the room MARCUS, looks terrified.
MARCUS
Please don’t.
LEO
What was that? Please don’t …. What happened Marcus?
LILA
Marcus did it.
Marcus looks stunned.
MARCUS
I didn’t…. I promise… It was broken when I came in.
LEO
But it’s your ball isn’t it Marcus.
MARCUS
I swear Leo… It wasn’t me. Lila is making it up because she hates me.
LEO
Well you are going to have to pay big time for this Marcus.
Lila gives him an evil smile as Leo leaves the room.
LILA
I do hate you Marcus so now you will have to pay.
BACK TO CLEARING
Lila’s voice shakes.
LILA
Mum was so angry with Marcus that she hit him… so bad he had to go to hospital. All I could think was I was glad it wasn’t me.
Tess frowns.
TESS
Why would you do that to your brother?
LILA
Because I was scared.
FLASHBACK 4 – THE CHEATER
INT. STUDY GROUP – NIGHT
SOPHIE studies with IVY and JOSH
They’re preparing for a scholarship exam.
JOSH
I reckon I am all ready and prepared. How about you Em?
IVY
As ready as I’ll ever be.
JOSH
They’re only giving out 1 scholarship this year. Seems weird that the three of us besties are competing against each other.
IVY
You deserve to get it Josh. Seriously you are just a natural… IVY and I have to work really hard to keep up.
SOPHIE
I don’t think I’m keeping up at all.
JOSH
Dad says if I don’t get the scholarship I’ll probably have to move schools. Money’s tight at the moment since he got put off.
IVY
I don’t think I want to even sit the exam knowing that Josh…. You absolutely deserve it. My family’s fine… I don’t even need this scholarship…. But you do. Hey Soph
SOPHIE
Yeah… you totally deserve to get it.
Later that night.
INT. SCHOOL OFFICE – NIGHT
The building is quiet.
Sophie sneaks inside.
She enters the teacher’s classroom.
She searches drawers.
Finds the exam paper
She photographs it.
Next day.
BACK TO CLEARING
Sophie looks ashamed.
SOPHIE
I knew every answer.
KATIE
And Josh?
SOPHIE
He left school. No one speaks.
FLASHBACK 5 – THE RUNAWAY
INT. MAYA'S HOUSE – NIGHT
Parents argue loudly downstairs.
Maya sits on her bed. Her little sister watches.
SAM
Are you leaving again?
Maya packs a bag.
MAYA
Just for a little while.
SAM
What if they keep fighting? Don’t leave me here Maya. Take me with you.
MAYA
I can’t.
SAM
Last time you left, you promised you’d never go again. You said you’d never leave me behind again.
MAYA
It’s no place for you out there.
Maya hesitates. Gives Sam a kiss on the forehead
But climbs out the window.
The shouting continues. Sam puts her head under the pillow.
Later. .. She grabs a pink backpack looks out the window and climbs out.
BACK TO CLEARING
Maya wipes her eyes.
MAYA
They’ve never found her.
The girls in the clearing look toward TESS.
She hasn’t spoken yet.
Her eyes are fixed on the ground.
MAYA
Everyone else told the truth. A beat.
MAYA Your turn.
Tess breathes slowly.
The screen fades—
EXT. RIVER RESERVE – LATE AFTERNOON
A quiet bush reserve by a wide river.
Cicadas hum.
TESS (13) stands with EMILY (13) Jade ( 14) and Ava ( 13) Emily holds a backpack.
EMILY
I can’t believe you talked me in to skipping school
Tess stares at her coldly.
AVA
You didn’t need much encouragement.
Emily shakes her head.
EMILY
I’ve never done anything like this before.
JADE
Stick with us Em and life is going to get a whole lot more adventurous.
TESS
Tess steps closer.
Look you said you wanted to be part of our group… so that’s why we allowed you to tag along.
AVA
Oh but there’s a few challenges you’ll have to do to prove you are worthy.
Emily looks uneasy
JADE
Don’t worry Emily you don’t have to smoke or anything. We are in to health and nurturing our bodies.
TESS and AVA
Laugh AVA
But you will have to do something…. Won’t she girls…..
EMILY
Look I think I want to go home now.
JADE
But then Mummy will know you were cutting class.
EMILY
I really want to leave now.
TESS
Just one little challenge… I promise. You can swim can’t you.
EMILY
Yes, of course.
TESS
Well, in you get.
EMILY
In the creek?
JADE and AVA
In the creek.
Emily begins takes off her shoes and socks and necklace, places them on the ground and goes into the water.
EMILY
Is that far enough?
TESS
Go under the water. Actually go for a dive!
She picks up Emily’s necklace and throws it into the creek. Emily is horrified. . The necklace is precious to her. She takes a deep breath and goes under the water. She comes up again… another big breath…. And then down again… until…. She doesn’t come up to the surface.
For a moment Tess takes a step forward.
Then stops.
Fear takes over.
Emily slips under the water.
Bubbles.
Silence.
The river moves on.
Tess stands there, shaking.
Finally she and Jade and Ava run.
BACK TO CLEARING
Tess stares ahead.
The girls look horrified.
TESS
They said she drowned.
A pause.
Tess swallows.
TESS
We never told anyone we were there.
Silence fills the clearing.
EXT. CLEARING – SUNSET
The sky grows darker.
The wind begins to rise.
The envelopes suddenly OPEN.
Each one reveals the same word.
ACCOUNTABLE
A distorted voice echoes from nowhere.
VOICE (O.S.)
Every choice has consequences.
The girls spin around.
ARIA
Who's there?!
VOICE (O.S.)
Truth is the first step.
Silence returns.
The girls look at each other.
Six strangers.
But now bound by something deeper.
SOPHIE
What happens now?
MAYA
Maybe…
Maybe we make it right.
The girls slowly stand together.
The fog begins to lift.
For the first time they see a road in the distance.
A way out.
But only if they choose it.
