Here it was, the villain monologue. I had seen them before but never like this.
But this ti, sothing was different. We were not consistently On-Screen as she spoke, and more than that, it felt like her speech was not happening in the mont despite the words coming from Lillians mouth. It reminded of the cutscene that had occurred with the mayor and the ti capsule.
The audience was not seeing the scene as it was happening. Lillian was narrating.
She started to speak, and for the first ti, I saw sothing on the red wallpaper I had only been told about.
The script.
It was like a piece of paper in my head that scrolled as she spoke. The scene was titled SECRET LILLIAN GEIST REVEAL.
The script had instructions that said, Everyone watches as the newly revealed Lillian Geist explains her tornt in Carousel. No one interjects except Dr. Halle if prompted.
Lillians speech started to scroll up, but far from the structured lines of text I had seen in actual scripts, it was an outline with checkmark boxes and sentences like THE MANSION FIRE BACKSTORY.
Most of the monologue didnt appear on the script in any form, and when she spoke, the word Ad lib would appear in bold instead of the checkbox.
Lillian took a deep, troubled breath. She was trembling with rage and trying not to cry. Sohow, she found the strength to calm herself and speak, shaking with every word.
AD LIB.
"Everything that is happening is happening to punish us. I know its true. My cousins and I all talked about it. For as long as I rember, I rember people talking about the Geist Curse," she said. "When I was a girl, I heard servants saying that Geists always get more than they deserve, but in the end, they get exactly what they deserve. Always, little quips like that, and only when I was there to interrupt them. One day, I listened by the door while my nanny talked to her sister on the phone.
FIND CLIP.
BEGIN FLASHBACK.
Suddenly, as she spoke, I saw a movie screen on the red wallpaper. A scene was playing on it. I saw the nanny; I saw a curious little girl sneaking outside of a large, wooden door in what must have been inside one of the Geist Mansions.
They were talking about a casserole recipe, but when I entered the room, she suddenly changed the topic of conversation to us, the Geists. I dont rember what she said, but it was sothing I thought was an. It was like everyone knew what was happening to us, dying off one by one, but no one cared because everything we ever tried succeeded. Every business flourished; every venture was trendous at first.
END FLASHBACK.
FIND CLIPs.
BEGIN FLASHBACK.
The flashback changed. I saw car dealerships filled with custors. I saw movie audiences packed into a theater screaming at one of the Geist horror movies. Then, there were ribbon cuttings, fancy cars, tuxes, and several mansions, all flashing before my eyes.
END FLASHBACK.
I thought they were jealous of us growing up. Now, I wonder if they knew we were just being set up to fall further, that there was a conspiracy of whispers, and everyone was in on it. She broke away for a mont and grabbed her head in frustration. Everyone knew who I was just by looking at . Even as a child, before I was in the tabloids. Even when I disguised myself. How was that possible?"
FIND CLIP.
BEGIN FLASHBACK.
I saw her dressed in full winter gear at a ski resort. Not an inch of skin was showing, yet a chipper young woman asked if she was Lillian Geist.
END FLASHBACK.
"I woke up and found myself walking to the opening of a hospital wing today where no one looked at . They stopped looking at a long ti ago. Where was I before the party started? I don't rember. It's all the fog. Is it the drugs, that damn sedative, or was it the town itself? I swear the town moves from room to room, from party to party, from hopeless situation to hopeless situation without my knowing. I know how this must sound, but I swear its like every mont of my life is a set."
END AD LIB.
THE MANSION FIRE BACKSTORY.
BEGIN FLASHBACK.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringent.
The flashback on the red wallpaper changed. Suddenly, I saw a beautiful woman in her late twenties walking down a large, ornate set of stairs toward what appeared to be a party of so kind. I recognized the woman as Lillian Geist from her picture in Halles office.
"I don't even rember the party where I got the burns. It was a big eventlots of people. For being a family everyone hated, people never failed to attend our parties. I don't know how the event started, and I don't rember getting ready for it. Has my mory rely faded, or was it ever there? I just woke up walking down the stairs. All eyes were on . I was called beautiful no less than a hundred tis."
BEGIN FLASHBACK.
I saw scenes of people greeting Lillian. She looked uncomfortable. As she crossed a room, eyes followed her. People blocked her path wherever she went, greeting her dully.
Then, there were flashes of red and orange.
END FLASHBACK.
"After that, all I rember is the burning. Soone said there was a fire, and everyone looked scared, but no one looked surprised. If my life has taught anything, its the difference between afraid and surprised on a persons face. The townspeople are never surprised, not really. Just like you dont look surprised right now, Howard."
Dr. Halle didnt look surprised. He looked like he was waiting to get things over with.
"Is it insane to say that I think that entire party was for ? For my benefit. For my destruction. Hundreds of eyes watched , waiting to see what was going to happen, and when it did, it was like they always knew. Their words were wooden. Most didnt even try to escape except to block my path."
Lillian must have been trying to cry, but no tears ca. She might not have been able to produce tears.
"By the ti the entire place was ablaze, no one was watching anymore because Lillian Geist was dead in all ways that mattered. No one called Lillian until Doctor Hale found among the wounded. He treated my injuries. He took to the only person I had left alive who cared about , my uncle Jedediah.
THE MANSION FIRE BACKSTORY.
AD LIB.
A nurse called Cecilia once. Then she covered it up like it was a mistake. That was before Dr. Halle suggested the na as my alias. How did she know who I was before I did?"
END AD LIB.
She might have just been a phenonal actor, but her speech felt unrehearsed.
BEGIN FLASHBACK.
The flashback changed to show Lillian with horrible burns covering much of her face and head. She was bandaged up and unrecognizable. Days passed, and she went through multiple surgeries.
BACKSTORY OF CECILIA TRANSFORMATION.
"I never wanted anyone to know what had happened to . I couldn't stand the idea of people looking at without calling beautiful. That was my shield. When the people were staring at my beauty, it was like they weren't looking at . I was hidden, even in a crowd of people. Sohow, I thought once people stared at my scars, it wouldn't feel the sa."
"It took a long ti for the burns to heal. Infection nearly took so many tis, but the town wouldn't let die. Uncle Jed called a survivor, but I don't think that's why I lived. It wasn't my ti to go."
"The pain was like you couldnt imaginechronic, unceasing. Things never changed unless they were getting worse. I turned to the pills to block the pain, both inner and outer, but soon enough, my tolerance grew; the pills never could help anymore."
The flashback changed to show little snake wormscaecilians, wriggling around in a container filled with Halles Ichor.
"Then, Doctor Hale had an idea, a treatnt that he said would take no more than a year. A revolutionary new substance that he had discovered could be used to not only stop the pain but to build a new face. I was overjoyed. A new face. A beautiful face that people could look at instead of looking at . No one would know who I was. But he had to do research, and then he said he needed to examine more patients. He told to pick out what features I wanted. If I could find him soone to study, he would have the data to finish my treatnt.
END FLASHBACK.
BACKSTORY OF CECILIA TRANSFORMATION.
AD LIB.
"For years, Howard, you had breakthrough after breakthrough, but each one only hurt in new ways until, eventually, you put these things on . You said it was a temporary asure, but by then, I knew that you were part of the conspiracy. I had known for a long ti that you weren't trying to help . You were part of my punishnt. Every new thing you tried failed. Success was always a year away."
"I couldn't stand these creatures you sewed onto that you said would bring closer to being finished. I knew it was a mockery. You didn't have to do this, but you did anyway."
END AD LIB.
BACKSTORY OF JED GEIST MURDER.
BEGIN FLASHBACK.
I saw a dark, rainy night. I saw Jed Geists house.
"One night, when you left for an ergency surgery, I started to run low on the sedative. I began to wake up. I rushed to Uncle Jed's house, but when he saw , there was fear again, but still no surprise.
AD LIB.
He must have known what was happening, but he wouldn't say. Why wouldn't he tell why every Geist but him was subjected to such horrifying fates?
END AD LIB.
I saw Lillian in her current state, staring at an older man whom I knew to be Jed.
Anger overtook , and I could feel a dark voice inside my head wake up for the first ti. I took the fire poker, and I beat him with it. The treatnt didn't make beautiful, but it did make strong.
BACKSTORY OF JED GEIST MURDER.
AD LIB.
I had nowhere to go and no allies anywhere. Sohow, I woke up here, back in a painless stupor. I dont rember coming back. How did I get back here? Everything continued as normal. You constantly had breakthroughs and promises, but each one took us in circles. So tell , Howard, are you in on it? Do you know why all these things keep happening to ? Who is putting you up to it?"
The script continued scrolling, and the words, Players react to the reveal and try to survive the incoming horde. If Lillian attacks Halle, go to Scene: DR. HALLE STAIR DEATH. If she does not
The script disappeared. I could see it while it had instructions for (to stay still and not say anything), but it was gone once that was done.
Lillian stepped around the desk toward Halle and asked, So, Howard, are you going to answer , or are you just going to keep up the ruse.
Halle almost rolled his eyes. He simultaneously appeared annoyed and terrified.
CecilLillian, he said. I have devoted my life to helping those with life-altering conditions like yours live normal lives. We are at the forefront of the current technology. The best I can do is make educated guesses about how long your treatnt will take. Lets not forget that you volunteered for this. You chose this.
Lillian was enraged. I didnt choose this, she said, gesturing toward her body. You said it was revolutionary and would heal completely. You said it would take months, and then I could have a new life.
She stepped further toward him. You arent going to tell the truth, are you?
Halle didnt respond. Instead, he took in a breath. He knew what was coming.
After all, he could see the script.
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