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AWAY FROM ME An Original Screenplay By Catherine McManus

Catherine McManus, (c) 2012

Catherine McManus 2210 Whitaker Street Savannah, GA 31401 508.0826.1844 catherinemcmanus@me.com

The screen is black. CATE (V.O.) Hey, youve reached Cate. If you want, leave me a message, and Ill get back to you. Then a BEEP. EXT. DRIVEWAY - DAY CATE, 22, grabs her suitcase out of the trunk of her car and slams it shut. In the background, her sister MAGGIEs voice can be heard through voicemail. MAGGIE (V.O.) Cate... its Maggie. I need you call me back as soon as you get this... Its important. CUT TO: EXT. CATES HOUSE - DAY Cate stands outside of her house for a moment, not moving. She studies it with her eyes - almost looking for something that may seem out of place. Another BEEP. MAGGIE (V.O.) Its me again. I never call you unless its important. So please, call me back. She takes a deep breath and decides to finally make her way in. CUT TO: INT. CATES HOUSE - DAY With her suitcase in hand, Cate makes her way up a flight of stairs and down a hallway until she finally comes to a door. Another BEEP.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

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MAGGIE (V.O.) (distraught, crying) Cate, please, pick up. I need you to. Please. I cant - I cant do this on the phone. Just call me. Please. CUT TO: INT. CATES ROOM - DAY From the doorway, she takes a glance at her room. As far as she can tell, everything looks in its place, neat, and with no change. Another BEEP. MAGGIE (V.O.) (hysterically crying) You wont call me back and I dont know how else to tell you. A beat. MAGGIE (V.O.)(CONT.) Its dad. He had a heart attack a couple of days ago, and he was hanging on, but he... Mom and I need you to come home... Cate, dads dead. She walks across the room, tosses her bag, and finally takes a seat on her bed and begins to cry. CUT TO: INT. CATES ROOM - DAY - LATER Its not clear how much time has passed. It could have been an hour; it could have been a whole day. Cate wakes up in the clothes she fell asleep in. Her eyes are swollen. She lays in bed for a moment before finally deciding to get up slowly. She makes her way from her bedroom and... CUT TO:

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INT. KITCHEN - DAY Into a kitchen. She grabs a cup from the cabinet and walks over to the sink where she fills the majority of the glass up. Cate takes a sip of it. Then another. Finally she looks at the mostly filled cup and dumps its contents into the sink. She leans over the sink, her head hanging. She looks across the room and through a doorway to see her sister, MAGGIE, 19, sitting on a couch. Cate hovers by the sink for a moment longer, mustering up the courage to talk to her sister. Finally, she begins to walk across the room. INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY Slowly, Cate moves toward her sister. With every step that brings them closer, she becomes more careful. When shes close enough, she stops and then looks at Maggie before she speaks. CATE Hey. Maggie doesnt even glance at Cate. MAGGIE Hi. CATE How are you holding MAGGIE Im fine. CATE Thats good. Neither of them say anything. Cate inches closer to the couch and finally sits down. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: Maggie still doesnt look at her. CATE (CONT.) Its just -

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Maggie finally looks in Cates direction. Its hard, stern, and full of resentment. MAGGIE Where have you been? CATE It took me a while to get here... I dont live too close. A beat. MAGGIE No Cate. I mean, where have you been? Cate doesnt answer. She sits there and plays with her fingers nervously. MAGGIE (CONT.) Five years, Cate, and you wont even tell me. Why didnt you even come back? Just once? More silence. MAGGIE (CONT.) You know, the whole not responding thing works a lot better when youre not here, so why dont you just leave, and save me some time. It would make things a lot easier. Cate looks in Maggies direction, studying her up close. Then her eyes finally rest on something. Quickly, she looks away and takes a deep breath to compose herself. Then she looks in her sisters direction. CATE Where did you get that bruise on your arm? For the first time, Maggie is at a loss of words. She brings her arm toward her to hide it.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

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CATE (CONT.) You cant hide that from me. Maybe from the rest of the world, but not me. A beat. Maggie doesnt even look at Cate, she cant. Maggies body starts to close in on itself. CATE (CONT.) You were only twelve when I left, and as far as I knew, he never touched you. For some reason, it was just me. The only thing that made it worth while, if thats what you can even call it, was that he was too busy with me to lay a hand on you. (a beat) You probably dont remember, but I got it bad. Almost everyday. And mom never did anything about it. Not a single thing except drown her sorrows away. (a beat) So, the day I finished high school, I left and never thought twice about it. Silence. MAGGIE You know, I hated you for a long time. I didnt have anyone. I waited for you to come back, but you never did. Not once. CATE Im sorry. MAGGIE I know, but it doesnt change anything. A beat. CATE And now?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: MAGGIE What about it? CATE How do you feel about now? MAGGIE I dont feel anything... except maybe regret. I prayed everyday that it would stop. That he would stop. And then it did. (a beat) He was laying on that hospital bed like a weak little child helpless, defenseless. And I felt nothing but regret. An emotional Cate reaches for her hand. CATE Maggie Maggie pulls her hand away from Cates touch. MAGGIE No! You know what I thought when they told me he died? I thought, I wish I had the courage to do that a long time ago. And I remember sitting in that room consoling mom and crying. Not because I was sad that my dad died, but because I was happy it was over. Tears begin to roll down Maggies face.

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Cate doesnt say anything as she waits for her sister to speak. Maggie tries to hold back her tears as she begins to talk. MAGGIE (CONT.) Cate? Cate looks over at Maggie. CATE Yeah? MAGGIE Is it weird that I miss him? Cate continues to cry.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

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CATE No. He was our Dad. Its okay. Maggies head falls on Cates shoulders, and the two embrace, and reconcile, if only for a moment. FADE TO BLACK. - THE END -

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