(Voiceover- Eve): When I was twelve, I got a rabbit for Christmas, white like a dove. Dove and I were best friends for nine months, as long as she lived, until she was found with a twisted little body, in a pool of her own blood.
(Fade from black to Lucy’s face (before voiceover starts), extreme CU. Camera floats around her features. Focus is soft. Warm sunlight behind Lucy catches her hair (which is down) and gives her a halo effect. Slightly slow-motion. Soft ambient sound, music, female laughter. Long take. She is wearing a dark red top and a red necklace. We are outside, in what looks like a garden.)
Boy: (harsh sounding – non-diegetic sound stops) Eve, you ready to go?
(The lighting becomes more realistic and grey. Eve and Lucy are sitting cross-legged, talking to each other with their heads close together. Boy’s POV, down on them. Should be somewhat jarring- looks real and not idealised CU. Eve is in white. Boy standing above them, looking at Eve. Eve is now looking at Boy, in a relaxed, happy mood. Boy is wearing a green T shirt and jeans. Lucy is giving Boy a death stare.)
(Eve stands up energetically)
Eve: Yep. (Turns around) Bye, babe. I’ll see you tomorrow?
L: Mhmm.
T: Bye Lucy (pointed)
(L stares at him)
E: (Turns away from L, oblivious, and pecks Tommy) Where have you been all day?
(He puts his arm around her, and they start walking away.)
B: Well, you know. My dad wanted me to help him with the shed so… (voice fades away)
(Extreme CU on Lucy’s hand shows her digging her nails into her skin)
TITLE
(Red Dove)
(Eve and Lucy are on Eve’s bed, talking, each bent down on their knees. Their tone is excited and good-natured. Eve is in pastel, Lucy in dark warm colour. The camera starts in LS and very slowly dollies in)
L: Did you see that yellow dress Julie wore last weekend?
(Lucy holds up her phone to Eve, giggling. Eve raises her eyebrows and tries not to laugh.)
Eve: (humorously) Stop!
L: I’m not saying anything… (both burst into laughter)
L: (stops laughing) Hey- (puts her hand up to Eve’s face and strokes her lips with her thumb. Eve is having a nosebleed.)
(Evie puts her hands to her face)
E: This is so weird. (Looks at her bloody hands) I never get nosebleeds.
(L passes her a tissue box with her non-bloodied hand)
L: Don’t worry babe, it makes you look hot.
(Both giggle. Some blood is on Eve’s shirt.)
(E puts tissues to her face. L watches her. Camera cuts to an MS of L. Without warning, L brings her thumb to her mouth and starts sucking the blood off of it. Eve meets her gaze and gives her a puzzled look. L shrugs her shoulders and smiles, nonchalant.)
(Grey lighting. From around a wall, Eve looks at Lucy and Boy- POV shot which gets closer. Lucy is wearing pastel. Boyfriend wears a red hoodie. They do not see her. Boy is leaning against the wall, Lucy is opposite to him. They are not touching but are close to it. They are evidently talking but most of it is too far away to hear – ‘Hey, do you have a new cologne? You smell really good.’- L laughs and touches B’s shoulder. B smiles sheepishly and says something. L gets closer to him so that she is almost leaning up against him and starts whispering in his ear. B pushes her, lightly and playfully, she laughs more.)
(Eve pulls behind the wall quickly. She is wearing pink. She looks up and tightens her jaw, as if she is trying not to cry. She breathes deeply, fiddles with red necklace.)
(E looks round again and now only L is there, looking straight at her. Music note. L locks eyes with her and walks towards her. Her expression is initially annoyed, frightening, but transitions to a friendly smile as she is walking. Big acting moment)
CUTAWAY- sound bridge
(L is tipsy but E is very drunk, blubbering, is leaning on L for support. L is laughing.)
L: Can you walk up these stairs for me babe? Come on- (starts half-dragging her.)
(Bedroom door opens. Rectangle of light spills into dark bedroom, their shadows are long in it.)
(Lilly puts her on the bed.)
L: Arms up.
(E obliges. L takes her shirt off and puts it to the side. L pulls an oversized shirt over her torso. E’s trousers are pulled off her ankles. L opens the covers and E goes underneath them. L starts getting changed, E looks at her, glassy-eyed.)
E: Will you stay? (Touches L’s arm.)
L: Always. You’re my girl. (Smiles and kisses her forehead.)
(E appears to fall asleep. Sweet-sounding score. L gets into bed. L wraps her arms around her and falls asleep. Fairy lights give them a halo of warmth and illuminate the polaroid photos on the wall. These photos show Eve and Lucy or (young) Eve and Dove.)
CUTBACK
Eve: (quiet) You’re being weird.
L: What are you talking about? God, you’re so paranoid all the time. It’s exhausting to be around.
E: Really? Because it looked like you –
L: I thought you wanted us to get along? Jesus. Since when are you so boy crazy?
(silence)
L: (light-hearted) You know I love you. You’re my girl. (holds her face)
(Eve smiles)
(Eve drops her smile and leans in quickly for a brief kiss on the lips. L tilts her head to the side and continues smiling)
(shallow to deep focus shows Julie in the background, behind Eve’s (who is now smiling) shoulder, looking at them.)
(L looks at Eve, suddenly takes her hands away and pushes E away from her)
(L runs past her towards Julie.)
L: Oh my god Julie, did you see that… (voice fades)
(Both girls talk and laugh in Eve’s direction. Score comes in so their conversation is inaudible. Julie puts on a red cardigan over her (non-red top) and they walk away, talking closely and looking back.)
(Getting ready for Halloween. Warm lighting. In a teenage girl’s room (not the one we see previously) Lucy in front of a mirror, doing her make up. Eve walks into the room (pictured in mirror) and sees Lucy, looks surprised to see L and as if she might turn around but Lucy speaks to her before she can.)
(Eve is in a dark red devil costume.)
L: (Judgemental. Doesn’t turn around) Didn’t you wear that two years ago? To Jason’s?
E: Yeah.
L: You should’ve been Alice for me. (Lucy is dressed as a white rabbit)
(E stares at her. L picks up some fake blood.)
L: Come, let me put some blood on you. (warmer)
E: Devil’s don’t drink blood.
(L rolls her eyes. E goes to her anyway and bends down. L goes to put blood on her lips by tube malfunctions- top won’t come off. L struggles with it, tries to bite it open- L: Ah fuck- explodes in her mouth.)
L: Oh my god, ew.
(It is also all over her hands)
(E stares at her. The lighting is grey. E lifts her hands to L’s face and strokes the blood. End shot- side profile of Eve, standing, putting her hand to L’s face, L looking up at her, her expression intense but inscrutable, as a white, bloodied rabbit)
