(The train is gliding over the tracks, making its way through the beauty of the Japanese countryside. A fifteen year old girl is sitting inside the train, by herself, staring out the window. Her hands are resting on her lap and her face is expressionless. She has dark brown hair tied into two pigtails that sit on her shoulders. Her eyes are sitting behind a thin pair of glasses and she is wearing a pink and black skirt and a white t-shirt. From her stiff posture, she appears to be quite proper. This is quite the contrast from her carefree attire.)
EXT. THE TRAIN-AFTERNOON
(The train comes to a halt and the passengers exit through the sliding doors. The girl slowly steps off the train, carrying two big bags of luggage. She begins walking away from the train, clearly having no trouble carrying the suitcases, despite her short stature and feeble appearance. Many people walk by her, tending to their own business, but one elderly gentleman stops and walks over to her.)
Man: Do you need some help with that, sweetheart?
(The girl stops and looks at the man, a bit surprised.)
Girl: …Uh, No thank you.
Man: Are you sure? That looks like quite a load; you’re not carrying it too far are you?
(The girl slowly shakes her head from side to side.)
Man: Alright… if you say so.
(The man walks off, leaving the girl to her business. She continues walking through the train station, taking in her surroundings. She exits the station and sees a middle-aged man standing directly outside. He has jet black hair and a thick goatee. He is wearing a black vest over a white shirt and jeans. The man puts a piece of gum in his mouth and then smiles at the young woman. However, she doesn’t exactly smile back. He walks over to her and takes one of her suitcases, giving her a brief hug.)
Man: Marina, it’s good to see you’ve made it safely! How was the train ride over?
Marina: Um, okay… I guess.
Man: You probably already saw on your way over…
(The two make their way over to the man’s car.)
Man: But, Japan is quite different from Brazil.
(Marina remains silent, much to the man’s displeasure. He helps her load her luggage into the trunk of his car, before hopping in his car and hitting the road.)
Man: Was there anything you wanted to do, today? Before you start school tomorrow?
Marina: …Like what?
Man: Well… anything really. We could get something to eat, catch a movie…
Marina: A movie?
Man: Yeah… you’ve never been to see a movie?
(Marina looks out the window, a little nervous.)
Man: Hey, it’s alright. We have plenty of time.
INT. THE MAN’S APARTMENT
(The two walk into the apartment. Marina immediately takes her shoes off, but the man does not. He smiles at her and then picks up her luggage, leading her down the nearby hallway. Marina follows him into a small bedroom. Inside are a bed, TV, clock dresser, lamp, closet, fan, and carpet. The man walks to the far side of the room and sets the luggage next to the wall. Marina slowly enters the room and looks around.)
Man: This will be your room while you stay here. Do you like it?
Marina: Yeah… thank you.
Man: So… what do you want for dinner?
Marina: What do you mean?
Man: What do you want to eat?
Marina: …You mean I can pick?
Man: Of course? Didn’t your father ever let you pick what you wanted to eat?
(Marina ignores the question and continues to look around the room.)
Marina: Anything’s fine…
Man: Alright, I’ll get to cooking.
INT. THE KITCHEN-EVENING
(The man is cooking, while Marina sits at the table. She is reading over some school forms and documents.)
Man: You know… your mother was the one who taught me how to cook, actually. When we were kids, she taught me how to make grilled cheese.
(The man begins to laugh, as he stirs the soup on the stove.)
Man: Somehow, I managed to burn down half of our kitchen. Our dad was so pissed.
(The man pours the soup into a bowl and walks over to Marina, setting it down in front of her. He walks back and pours himself a bowl.)
Uncle: I think he was actually angrier at the fact that I wanted to cook than the kitchen actually being burnt to a crisp!
(Marina remains silent, seemingly distant from her Uncle.)
Uncle: …So what do you like to do for fun?
Marina: …I like going for walks.
Uncle: Do you want to go for a walk?
Marina: Maybe another time. I’m kind of tired.
(Marina finishes her soup and then gets up from the table. She puts it in the sink and begins cleaning it. Her uncle quickly gets up and walks toward her.)
Uncle: It’s okay. If you’re tired, you can just head back to bed. I’ll worry about the dishes.
(Her uncle puts his hands on her shoulders and smiles, as she slowly walks away.)
INT. MARINA’S BEDROOM-MIDNIGHT
(Marina is lying in her bed, fast asleep. She breaks out into a cold sweat and begins tossing and turning in her sleep. She is having awful nightmares filled with murder.)
Voice: Get ahold of yourself, Marina! This is what you will be doing for the rest of your life, so you’d better get used to it!
Marina: I’m sorry, I just…
(Marina bolts up into a sitting position, wheezing and crying. She wipes the tears off of her face and looks at the clock, seeing that it is nearly 2:00. She leans against the back of her bed and tries to calm her breathing.)
CHAPTER 1:
A Butterfly in the Ashes
INT. A TRAIN-EARLY AFTERNOON
(The train is gliding over the tracks, making its way through the beauty of the Japanese countryside. A fifteen year old girl is sitting inside the train, by herself, staring out the window. Her hands are resting on her lap and her face is expressionless. She has dark brown hair tied into two pigtails that sit on her shoulders. Her eyes are sitting behind a thin pair of glasses and she is wearing a pink and black skirt and a white t-shirt. From her stiff posture, she appears to be quite proper. This is quite the contrast from her carefree attire.)
EXT. THE TRAIN-AFTERNOON
(The train comes to a halt and the passengers exit through the sliding doors. The girl slowly steps off the train, carrying two big bags of luggage. She begins walking away from the train, clearly having no trouble carrying the suitcases, despite her short stature and feeble appearance. Many people walk by her, tending to their own business, but one elderly gentleman stops and walks over to her.)
Man: Do you need some help with that, sweetheart?
(The girl stops and looks at the man, a bit surprised.)
Girl: …Uh, No thank you.
Man: Are you sure? That looks like quite a load; you’re not carrying it too far are you?
(The girl slowly shakes her head from side to side.)
Man: Alright… if you say so.
(The man walks off, leaving the girl to her business. She continues walking through the train station, taking in her surroundings. She exits the station and sees a middle-aged man standing directly outside. He has jet black hair and a thick goatee. He is wearing a black vest over a white shirt and jeans. The man puts a piece of gum in his mouth and then smiles at the young woman. However, she doesn’t exactly smile back. He walks over to her and takes one of her suitcases, giving her a brief hug.)
Man: Marina, it’s good to see you’ve made it safely! How was the train ride over?
Marina: Um, okay… I guess.
Man: You probably already saw on your way over…
(The two make their way over to the man’s car.)
Man: But, Japan is quite different from Brazil.
(Marina remains silent, much to the man’s displeasure. He helps her load her luggage into the trunk of his car, before hopping in his car and hitting the road.)
Man: Was there anything you wanted to do, today? Before you start school tomorrow?
Marina: …Like what?
Man: Well… anything really. We could get something to eat, catch a movie…
Marina: A movie?
Man: Yeah… you’ve never been to see a movie?
(Marina looks out the window, a little nervous.)
Man: Hey, it’s alright. We have plenty of time.
INT. THE MAN’S APARTMENT
(The two walk into the apartment. Marina immediately takes her shoes off, but the man does not. He smiles at her and then picks up her luggage, leading her down the nearby hallway. Marina follows him into a small bedroom. Inside are a bed, TV, clock dresser, lamp, closet, fan, and carpet. The man walks to the far side of the room and sets the luggage next to the wall. Marina slowly enters the room and looks around.)
Man: This will be your room while you stay here. Do you like it?
Marina: Yeah… thank you.
Man: So… what do you want for dinner?
Marina: What do you mean?
Man: What do you want to eat?
Marina: …You mean I can pick?
Man: Of course? Didn’t your father ever let you pick what you wanted to eat?
(Marina ignores the question and continues to look around the room.)
Marina: Anything’s fine…
Man: Alright, I’ll get to cooking.
INT. THE KITCHEN-EVENING
(The man is cooking, while Marina sits at the table. She is reading over some school forms and documents.)
Man: You know… your mother was the one who taught me how to cook, actually. When we were kids, she taught me how to make grilled cheese.
(The man begins to laugh, as he stirs the soup on the stove.)
Man: Somehow, I managed to burn down half of our kitchen. Our dad was so pissed.
(The man pours the soup into a bowl and walks over to Marina, setting it down in front of her. He walks back and pours himself a bowl.)
Uncle: I think he was actually angrier at the fact that I wanted to cook than the kitchen actually being burnt to a crisp!
(Marina remains silent, seemingly distant from her Uncle.)
Uncle: …So what do you like to do for fun?
Marina: …I like going for walks.
Uncle: Do you want to go for a walk?
Marina: Maybe another time. I’m kind of tired.
(Marina finishes her soup and then gets up from the table. She puts it in the sink and begins cleaning it. Her uncle quickly gets up and walks toward her.)
Uncle: It’s okay. If you’re tired, you can just head back to bed. I’ll worry about the dishes.
(Her uncle puts his hands on her shoulders and smiles, as she slowly walks away.)
INT. MARINA’S BEDROOM-MIDNIGHT
(Marina is lying in her bed, fast asleep. She breaks out into a cold sweat and begins tossing and turning in her sleep. She is having awful nightmares filled with murder.)
Voice: Get ahold of yourself, Marina! This is what you will be doing for the rest of your life, so you’d better get used to it!
Marina: I’m sorry, I just…
(Marina bolts up into a sitting position, wheezing and crying. She wipes the tears off of her face and looks at the clock, seeing that it is nearly 2:00. She leans against the back of her bed and tries to calm her breathing.)