Technical Difficulties (A Splatoon Script)

Part 3 - The Truth, Crushes, and Other Things that are Scary

(She stares off in the distance, tears in her eyes.)

Brooke: *sigh* I told you that I don't like to talk about our father. Well, this next part, I really don't like to talk about. I still have nightmares from it, and Coral occasionally does, too. But, maybe you should know about it. Either I'll tell you or Coral will at some point, and I definitely don't want Coral to have to be the one to talk about this. It's pretty hard to talk about it. (She looks down.)

Brooke: Eventually, we came across someone that promised us everything we needed, in exchange for, well, everything. Even though we were given a place to survive, they sure weren't letting us live. We got the bare minimum of what we needed to survive. And the people there always made us do more than we thought we would have to to stay there. (She starts to cry as she tells her story.)

Brooke: The things that they would make us do to keep the deal, it was all horrible! And the people that tricked us were like monsters! I still sometimes see them in my nightmares, and it's like I'm back in that disgusting place again. I wouldn't wish those kinds of nightmares or experiences even on my worst enemy. But, for three long and painful years, they forced us to do what they wanted, manipulating us into horrible things. (Tears run down her face.)

Brooke: A little over five years ago, we weren't taking it anymore. The way we were living, well, it wasn't living! We were nothing more than objects at the time! So, we ran away again. But this time, we helped fifteen other girls in the same boat as we were. And this time, running away was a lot more dangerous. We had heard rumors of a city that was much safer than where we were. The kind of things that were going on in our hometown, they weren't happening in the city. None of us were sure if it was true, but we took our chances. (She tries to wipe her eyes on her shoulders.)

Brooke: When we were leaving, some people spotted us and tried to get us to come back, but we were desperate to escape. We fought them off and ran, hoping that we were heading to a safer place. That night, we all ran so fast from our hometown that we might as well have gained super speed, but we were still hurting. Our feet got cut on rocks, branches would scrape us as we ran, but we didn't slow down. (She looks back up.)

Brooke: When it was almost morning, Coral and I- along with the fifteen girls we had started our escape with- had made it to the city. The rumors were true. We had made it to a much safer place. (She cracks a small smile.)

Brooke: It took lots of time, but we all found our places in the city. Sure, none of us fully recovered- what we've been through was going to stick with us forever- but we found ways for all of us to LIVE! We weren't objects anymore, but we were finally people! We didn't belong to anyone! We finally felt a little bit of happiness and hope! I found it hard to get used to the city, but after a little while, Coral felt at home and started to change. Before then, she had always been so quiet and... distant from the world. But we both were in therapy for a while, and it helped us both see what we could do with our lives. Once Coral found her place in the city, I honestly think a miracle happened in her. She started to find hope and joy in her new life here, and she seemed to brighten up as a person. (Her tears stop flowing.)

Brooke: I tried to be like her, but I was never quite as happy as she was. A year ago, I asked her how she became so happy, and she told me, "We're living new lives, Brooke! We finally have hope! I don't want to live the way I used to when I have every reason to celebrate life. And celebrating life is what this city is best at! You just can't help being happy here!" (She lifts her shoulders.)

Brooke: She says that she knows it's hard to always keep believing that, and really, she still has her struggles. But I believe she really is happy where she is, and, well, I'm pretty happy in the city, too. (She smiles gently.)