Imani's Opening Scene, Draft One

INT. IMANI’S BEDROOM – AFTERNOON
A small brown bird sits helplessly in a traditional bronze-stained cage, staring out at a wide wall of glass block windows. Nothing of value can be seen outside the windows but the swift, milling movement of rain slipping from the glass on the other side. The bird hops about curiously, chirping once in a while, until she hears the door creak behind her. She looks toward the door.
IMANI (O.S.)
Whipple, my love.
The door to the bird cage opens. IMANI FLAMANT cups her hands around the tiny bird, takes her out, places her on her shoulder. The bird hops anxiously, then settles as IMANI gracefully turns back towards the door.
There is little furniture in the room, but what is there is ornate: a long mahogany vanity dresser with brushed bronze handles, dozens of small statues of tiny animals made of various precious metals, a full-sized bed with dull pink bedsheets. Shelf after shelf is lined with media: DVDs, CDs, books… Her stereo plays a soft, lyricless piano melody. IMANI idly spins across the thick violet rug, watches the bird as it hops, attempting to keep its balance.
IMANI stops at the decorative vanity dresser. On top of it, right next to the wide mirror, is what looks like a statue of a tiny white bird, round and pudgy like Whipple. It’s a model, and its wings look unfinished. Their skeletal structure can be seen underneath translucent white fabric. She picks up the fake bird, puts it on her other shoulder, presses a button on its little head. The bird’s eyes glow green. It chirps at Whipple. Whipple chirps back.
Imani’s MOTHER quickly walks past the open door to Imani’s room with her cell phone to her ear.
MOTHER
My daughter is brilliant, sir, and I have the admission fee in cash, plus the tuition in full, but we can’t…
IMANI hums to the song on the radio and plays with her birds.
INT. FLAMANT ESTATE LIVING ROOM – AFTERNOON
MOTHER walks down the stairs into the living room, talking busily.
MOTHER
I am a scientist, sir. The best in the region and you know this! And my daughter, she takes after me. She builds animals. It’s amazing. You’d think they were real! She builds birds at seventeen. I sent you her portfolio. Yes. And I’m rich, and I want her in this school. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose. All I ask is that we arrange for her to take online courses, or the instructors can come to her…Yes, I know…I know how much the equipment costs…
MOTHER slumps down on a luxurious Chesterfield sofa, toying slightly with one of her long brown dreadlocks.
MOTHER
She can’t. She can’t come in. No. I can put her on the phone, if you’d like. Video phone. Conference? Sir, I will pay the extra…I, I…Listen.
INT. IMANI’S BEDROOM – AFTERNOON
A gold-trimmed pitcher of fruit juice sits on Imani’s nightstand. She pours herself a glass, quietly and happily, surrounded by her two chirping friends.
MOTHER (O.S.)
My daughter, sir…she’s very…very shy.
IMANI puts the glass to her lips, gazes out the window.
MOTHER (O.S.)
She never leaves the house. She looks…different from most people. No, sir, No, I know what coddling is. I’m not coddling. That’s not what I’m doing, you see, she…she…she’s loved science and birds since she was just a girl, and she…
INT. FLAMANT ESTATE LIVING ROOM – AFTERNOON
MOTHER pauses for a moment. Her eyes begin to water. The holds her forehead in her hand, cringing as she speaks.
MOTHER
…And she…I…
Slowly, she composes herself. She sits up straight, takes a deep breath.
MOTHER
She wanted so badly to fly…so I…
INT. IMANI’S BEDROOM – AFTERNOON
IMANI looks in the mirror. Her smile is bittersweet.
She unfolds her wide, white wings from behind her. A gust of wind shakes the room and alerts the two birds. The wings are ornate and golden, with finessed white fabric covering its structure.
MOTHER
I gave my baby wings.
IMANI cheerfully turns on her heels towards the door and leaves. PAN left from the mirror to the wall of block glass windows. A large, long, short figure stops in front of it, waits. It slowly lopes away.
CUT TO:
EXT. FLAMANT ESTATE BACKYARD GARDEN – LATE AFTERNOON
IMANI’S wings drag lightly on the soft, rich ground as she approaches the small stream in her backyard. The yard is completely surrounded by a tall stone fence. The nearest neighbor is 300 yards away. This is the only outdoor place where she feels safe.
IMANI
(narrating)
My name is Imani Flamant. I am seventeen.
The rain has stopped. IMANI slips off her garden boots, sets a towel on the grass. The bottoms are muddy and the laces are worn, but the rest of the shoes look brand-new. She isn’t wearing socks. Wrapping her wings around her, she sits by the stream and puts her feet in the water.
IMANI
(narrating)
I haven’t left my home in thirteen years.
She looks to the koi pond on her right. It’s so ornately decorated it’s almost tacky. She splashes her feet. Whipple is back in her room, only the cybernetic bird remains on her shoulder. She tickles it, and it chirps at her.
MOTHER stands on the patio, just outside of the sliding doors. She looks worried.
IMANI sighs a little.
IMANI
Stanton wouldn’t take me either?
MOTHER
They wanted to, baby. They couldn’t.
IMANI
(turning around)
Do you think I…?
MOTHER
(interrupting)
You’re going to college. You deserve to go to college. I don’t care if we have to relocate across the sea, you are going to college, don’t you worry.
IMANI
Ma…
MOTHER has a furious grip on her cell phone as she heads back towards the door, gesturing to her daughter busily.
MOTHER
You have been accepted into five of the world’s most prestigious technology institutes without ever showing your face. Five. I’ll be damned if not one of them will let you attend remotely. Excuse me, baby.
She leaves, dialing up a number to another school.
Turning back around, IMANI sighs again. She splashes her feet in the stream.
Suddenly, in the bushes far beyond the stream, a commotion occurs. IMANI looks up in fear. She starts to get up almost instantly.
A small black cat runs through, chasing a butterfly. IMANI sits back down and smiles.
IMANI
(narrating)
I’m afraid to be seen. By anyone. But there’s always a moment in time, where you have to face your fears…
Ambient sounds of birds, water, and rushing wind calm her. She closes her eyes, takes a deep, deep breath, opens them again. She balks.
Out of the bushes comes a full-grown male lion. It looks at her.
IMANI flails in shock, attempts to scramble to her feet and fails.
IMANI
YAH!!!
Unable to properly stand, she tries to scoot backwards to get away instead but only manages to get her feet out of the stream and into the mud. She attempts to keep silent, in case that would help her situation at all.
The LION looks somewhat unamused. It turns away, takes a couple steps forward, pauses, looks at her again.
IMANI shivers uncontrollably. Her voice has shriveled to a peep.
IMANI
M-Ma…Mama?
The LION takes a step into the stream, stares into it vacantly, as if looking for fish. The koi pond is directly between him and Imani. Imani’s shivering begins to slow, but her breathing hasn’t calmed at all. The LION looks at her again, but promptly looks away. Imani is starting to get confused; the lion’s trying awfully hard to look disinterested.
IMANI shakes and shivers to her feet.
IMANI
(quietly, to herself)
L-Lions…don’t live…don’t even live here!
The LION looks stunned. Her heard her. It’s almost as if he is shocked to discover he doesn’t belong here.