Scene One
Night. A once-grand city house, battered by mortar shells. There are a few bits of furniture half buried under rubble.
A sixteen-year-old girl, ANNA, enters and switches on the unbroken bulbs on the ornate light fitting. She drags in a car battery and fetches plastic bags which she dumps onto the floor.
A boy lurches up from behind a pile of junkâTOMAS. Heâs disoriented, terrified, but full of bravado. His sudden appearance makes ANNA yell out with fright, ready to defend herself.
Anna What are you doing? Get out!
When she sees itâs just a kid, she relaxes a little.
You shouldnât skulk around like that!
TOMAS grabs a hunk of wood as a weapon.
Tomas Donât come near me!
Anna Whoa⊠Iâm not going anywhere near you.
Tomas Who are you? Was I asleep? Mustâve fallen asleep.
Anna Yeah, well, whatever. Get out.
Tomas Is this your house?
Anna No.
Tomas You canât tell me to get out if itâs not your house.
Anna Yeah? Is that what you reckon, you little insect?
She grabs a broken chair.
Get out now or Iâll wrap this round your stupid head.
TOMAS gets ready to defend himself with the hunk of wood.
Tomas Iâll fight you.
ANNA snorts a laugh and drops the chair.
Anna Oh, Iâm too tired. Go back to where you came from.
TOMAS doesnât answer. ANNA scrutinises him.
Ah, youâre a country bumpkin, I bet. A farm boy.
You and your family dig potatoes and push goats around?
Tomas Well, on our farm, weâve gotâ[pigs and fruit trees]
Anna Yeah, whatever. Youâre in the city now, potato-brain. And the point is, this is my spot, so you canât stay here.
Tomas I donât want to stay here anyway.
Anna Excellent. Youâd better get going.
Tomas [peering out the window] Is it night already?
Anna Hey, bring any food with you from the farm? A cabbage? A few carrots?
TOMAS shakes his head. ANNA casts a disdainful eye over himâthatâd be right.
She rummages through the plastic bags to find various items.
She untangles a string of party lights and hooks them up to the car battery.
Tomas Whatâs that for?
Anna Word is the powerâs getting cut off tonight. Iâm going to be ready.
Tomas Thatâs dumb. Theyâre not even proper lights.
Anna These little guys suck up less power. So the batteryâll last longer.
Tomas But theyâll fix the electricity.
Anna You understand nothing, cabbage-head. In this city, weâve been putting up with crap for months now. A thousand different kinds of crap. And I bet we donât even rate thirty seconds on the world news anymore. I betâ
ANNA realises sheâs gone into a rave and confused TOMAS.
Look, the militiaâthe arseholes over there shooting at usâthey cut off the power and water when it suits them.
Tomas You stole that car battery and the party lights.
Anna [laughing] Do you think anyoneâs planning a party tonight?
A mortar exploding in a neighbouring street makes TOMAS jump with fright.
Oh, must be the party fireworks.
Tomas That was a shell. A mortar.
Anna The kidâs a genius.
TOMAS peers anxiously out the window.
How old are you?
Tomas Almost thirteen.
Anna Twelve.
Tomas How old are you?
Anna A hundred and five.
Tomas Iâm not stupid. You canât talk to me like Iâm stupid.
Anna Really? Where are you off to now?
Tomas Wherever youâre supposed to go until they find your parents.
Anna Listen, carrot-boy, donât go out unless you know exactly where youâre going.
Tomas Iâm not a carrot-boy. I have a nameâTomas. And Iâm going.
Anna Thereâs a curfew for a reason. In the day, there are snipers, stray mortars, but at night, itâs way uglier. At night, either side could...