KALI
You’re the one that saw.
(The Teen Captive nods.)
Tell me what you saw.
(Beat.)
It’s all right. You can tell me.
(Beat.)
I am the right hand of the Pan. Tell me what you saw.
TEEN CAPTIVE
They get us out of the truck. Two girls and a boy, they waited ‘til it went down the road, down the hill where nobody could see, then they gave the chains the slip easy as easy can be.
KALI
How’d they do that?
TEEN CAPTIVE
The girl—the bigger one—she has a key. And she does hers and then she does the boy. She does the other girl too, but the other girl has to ask her twice before she does it.
The rest want to go. Some of them are begging and yelling for her to unlock them. Not me.
I’m loyal. But the rest of them. And then they’re gone. Into the woods maybe.
KALI
The three of them.
(The Teen Captive nods.)
With the key.
TEEN CAPTIVE
I guess.
KALI
You guess.
TEEN CAPTIVE
I didn’t see it after that. So I guess they took it with.
KALI
(Beat.)
There was no key.
TEEN CAPTIVE
There was.
KALI
There was no key, because nobody escaped.
TEEN CAPTIVE
But—
KALI
(Pouring water from the pitcher into a glass:)
Thirsty?
TEEN CAPTIVE
Yes. Please.
(Kali holds out the glass of water but yanks it back when the Teen Captive reaches.)
KALI
You made this up.
TEEN CAPTIVE
No. I didn’t make this—
KALI
I think you did.
(Kali pushes the glass of water a few inches in the Teen Captive’s direction.)
Because no one gets away from the Pan, and no one got away this time.
(Beat.)
Can you read and write?
TEEN CAPTIVE
A little.
KALI
Can you sign your name?
(The Teen Captive shakes her head.)
Can you make a mark?
(The Teen Captive nods. Kali pushes the water in front of her and puts a piece of paper and pen alongside it.)
You wanted so badly to show the Pan that you were loyal that you made up the escape. But there were only 14 prisoners on that truck, and every one of them is in the water mines but you.
(Kali holds up the pen to her.)
TEEN CAPTIVE
If I sign the paper…
KALI
You won’t have to go down there.
TEEN CAPTIVE
But Pan. She’ll be mad if I say I lied.
KALI
There are bad lies, and there are good lies.
TEEN CAPTIVE
She’ll punish me.
KALI
This is a good lie.
TEEN CAPTIVE
(Beat.)
So she won’t punish me?
KALI
I promise she won’t.
(The Teen Captive signs. The second she finishes, she grabs the water and drinks as if she doesn’t know if she’ll ever see it again. Kali smiles and pours more water from the pitcher.)
TEEN CAPTIVE
I ain’t had this much water in ever.
(She drinks it up, and Kali smiles and refills. She’s either enjoying watching the Teen Captive revel in the water, or waiting… Something is not right. The Teen Captive starts to choke. She’s been poisoned. She tumbles out of her chair. Clawing for air and Kali:)
You promised…
KALI
It’s not a punishment. More like a favor.
(The Teen Captive collapses, dead.)