Angel

SCENE 1

LAURA is reading to herself, and the class behind her is filing out. Some are patting her on the back, saying 'it's ok' and other comforting things. Laura smiles at them, but it is evident that she has been crying, as her eyes are red. When the class has left, LAURA reads aloud from her book.

LAURA: "Here’s a lunatic; yet, perhaps only truth survives; for, where are your words?
This is one more question: evil truth; are humans a thing of God’s words…?"

HAL has been dawdling behind the class and now moves up to LAURA.

HAL: Hey, how's it been? It's pretty hard on you huh?

LAURA: She didn't tell me... I didn't have any idea Angel would leave. And what hurts most is that I really looked up to her! And she still left me without any notice!

HAL: I know... You used to follow Angel around everywhere. No one figured you were sisters, you were like best friends. I worry about her heaps, you know, cause she's not the best goody two shoes student, and I expect her to... (LAURA starts crying) oh, I'm sorry, You know me... Um...

LAURA: You insensitive bastard! (She laughs in spite of herself) Yeah, it's OK, I'll get used to it soon. It's odd, you know, I don't feel as bad as I thought I would. I thought I would, like, suicide or something!

HAL: Laura, if you kill yourself I'll kill you. Haha, at least you aren't so torn up about it. (HAL holds his hand out to LAURA) Coming to lunch?

LAURA: Oh, yeah, thanks Hal, I'll be right out. No, go on ahead, I'll come in a sec. I just need to pack up, and get everything straight. You don't expect me to go out with these red eyes? (she takes out a bottle of foundation and waves it in HAL's face)

HAL: Laura, you know you don't need that stuff!!! You're gorgeous... (LAURA sticks her tongue out and HAL laughs) Hahaha, you're hilarious Laura! I love you...

LAURA: Yeah, yeah, I know. Go have lunch, I'll be right out.

HAL leaves. LAURA begins to pack up, when ANGEL appears.

ANGEL: Hey Laura, that picture is really good. What's it for, art?

LAURA turns around slowly, and realizes ANGEL is behind her. She screams and drops the paintbrush she was holding.

LAURA: Angel!! What the Hell are you doing here!!! What's happened? Are you OK? Has Mum seen you?? ANGEL ANSWER!!!!

ANGEL looks at LAURA and laughs. She walks around the desks and sits right next to LAURA's painting. She touches it and moves her finger down the painting.

ANGEL: Not happy to see me... I thought you would be, so that's why I came to see you. Hmm... I haven't been to see Mum, because I don't want to see her, I'm perfectly fine and I'll tell you what happened later. There, happy? Now please answer my question - what's this painting for? It's really very lovely.

LAURA: Oh... It's for an art assignment. The topic is disturbia, and I thought hearing voices was pretty disturbing, so I tried to make something out of that.

ANGEL: Disturbia... Sounds interesting. You're going out to lunch right? I'm not coming. I'll leave you be while you hang out with... Hal, that was his name right? I thought I'd taught you better than that. That guy's  a nerd, what were you thinking?

LAURA: Hal's not bad, he's really sweet. Angel, will I get to see you again? Will I talk to you? I want you to stay Angel. You're my sister, I can't live without you! Please Angel... You're my whole life.

ANGEL gives LAURA a chain. It's really long, and is tied round ANGEL's arm. LAURA takes the chain, and looks questioningly at ANGEL. ANGEL laughs.

ANGEL: Tie it round your arm, like me. You won't know it's there, but I'll stay with you. Don't tell mum about me though, or anyone else. Not even Hal. I'll see you later OK? Remember me for now, I'll be back soon.

LAURA: Yeah... Thanks Angel. Really, thanks a lot.

LAURA finishes packing up and walks to the back of the room. She turns around to face the back of the room and HAL walks in. He taps LAURA on the shoulder and they come in to the front of the room as if they had just come in from lunch.

HAL: ...And then Mari hugged Kai, and us spies laughed our heads off. If you ever follow a couple on their first date, those two are the best to follow. Those two were hilarious.

LAURA is doubled over laughing, and HAL and LAURA fall on to the desk, laughing. LAURA is still wearing the chain. ANGEL is still sitting on the desk, touching the painting. LAURA hasn't seen her yet.

LAURA: Ah man... Thanks for taking my mind off everything. I love being able to laugh again.

ANGEL: You can only laugh again cause you know I'm here. That dork couldn't make anyone laugh, unless they were laughing at him

LAURA Turns sharply to face ANGEL. HAL notices, but can't see or hear ANGEL.

HAL: What is it? Did you see something Laura?

LAURA: Can't you see... Hear... She's right there (points at ANGEL)! Angel, she's right there!

HAL's eyes widen and he looks around for her.

HAL: She's not here Laura... What are you talking about?

ANGEL: I told you Laura, don't tell anyone about me. I don't want to see them at all, so don't talk to anyone about me seeing you, OK?

LAURA: Yeah, sure. Sorry Angel.

HAL: Umm... Laura? Who are you talking to?

LAURA: Aah! Sorry! Just talking to myself, don't listen to me!

ANGEL: The dork is daft. He can't even see his girls sister. He's a blind, daft dork.

HAL: Yeah sure. What are you doing for the art assignment? It's hard to work with disturbia, right? I thought it would be easy, but it's pretty difficult to work with.

LAURA: I'm doing schizophrenia. I think it's the most disturbing, to hear voices. You'd go crazy, imagine hearing someone telling you to do some crazy things! I've looked it up, the voices in peoples heads have 'told' them to kill themselves, and threatened them, and they obey. They really do. So I thought it might be interesting to paint. Here, take a look at this, I've started.

HAL: Wow, it's really good. It's pretty disturbing already, so I think you should maybe...

ANGEL: Daft dork! Don't you dare tell her what to do. Do you think she's yours? I reckon you'd be better off not hearing this idiot at all. You should break up with him. He's not worth your time.

LAURA: Angel, that's not fair. You've barely seen him before, you can't pass judgment already.

HAL: Err, Laura? You're doing it again.

LAURA: What?

HAL: You're talking about Angel again. She's not here.

ANGEL: That's what you know.

LAURA: Angel!

HAL: Laura!

LAURA: Hal!

Pause. Everyone is looking at each other, bewildered. Hal coughs, and starts again.

HAL: OK, this is ridiculous. Laura, you’re really confusing me now, so will you just tell me what’s going on?

LAURA: Nothing is going on. The whole problem is... You. Because you’re just a... A... Daft Dork!

ANGEL: Atta girl, you tell that idiot what you really think of him!

LAURA: You always talk as though you know everything! How do you know Angel’s not there? Just because you can’t see it, does it mean that it’s not there? She’s right there in front of us, and because you’re so stupid, you don’t know what’s going on!

HAL: Laura, where did this come from?

ANGEL: Idiot! You provoked her! Because you’re always telling her what to do, she’s sick of it!

LAURA: I’m sick of it Hal!

HAL: Fine! I have no idea what I did wrong, but if you’re going to randomly have a go at me, then I’ll leave you alone to sort yourself out. If you don’t need me, then I’m outta here. I’ve got better things to do.

HAL storms out of the room, and LAURA realizes what she has done. She sinks onto the table.

LAURA: What have I done?

ANGEL: The right thing. You didn’t need that guy... I’m here now. See? (she lifts up the chain)

LAURA: OK. Thanks Angel.

END SCENE.






SCENE 2
LAURA is pacing at the back of the room and ANGEL is standing on an upturned block in the middle of the stage.

ANGEL: ...And you can’t put your hand up so much in class – you look like a complete nerd. If you sit at the back of the class, guys will notice you much more –

LAURA: But Hal said that girls that sit at the back of the class appear really unattractive.

ANGEL: Yeah, to guys like Hal. You don’t want another disaster like that idiot, do you? You want people who’ll be loyal to you, and really love you. And you only get guys like that by sitting at the back of the class.

LAURA: Well... All right...

ANGEL: You know, you don’t have to listen to me... You don’t have to be like me if you don’t want to.

LAURA: No, I’ll do what you say. It’s only advice, right? I’m still my own person –
Lights go out. Only a small light is left, something like a spotlight, and LAURA steps into it. ANGEL is pacing around her, but not going in front of her. After every sentence ANGEL echoes in a whisper.

LAURA: Or am I? Is everyone really controlling me, like a puppet? First Angel was telling me what to do before she ran away, and then I managed to pick up Hal, so he’d push me in the right direction like Angel did. Now Angel’s back and she’s doing it again! Maybe that’s what I’m looking for... Someone who’ll put show me how I should be. I don’t care what it is, as long as someone is telling me what to do. (These last lines now are yelled, with ANGEL yelling them at the same time as Laura)IS THAT HOW I WANT TO BE? CAN I CHANGE? CAN I BECOME ME?
The light fades out.

END SCENE!!








SCENE 3
Lights up on LAURA and HAL sitting on either side of the block, not looking at each other. ANGEL is sitting on the floor away from LAURA and HAL, but she is looking intently at them. SUOH walks in with a file under his arm. He walks to the side of the block that ANGEL is not sitting on, and he opens his file.

SUOH: Laura!

LAURA: Here!

SUOH: Hal!

HAL: Here!

SUOH: And that’s everyone. Now, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kyoya Suoh. You shall address me as either Mr. Suoh or Sir.

HAL, LAURA and ANGEL snigger at SUOH’s pompous manner. SUOH glares at the class, and they stop laughing. He clears his throat and continues.

SUOH: Mr Sohma is away on holiday at the moment, and will return to teach you next term, but for the time being, I shall be your art teacher. Now, as I understand, the topic at the moment is ‘disturbia.’ You have been asked to give a representation of this word through a painting. To each of you, disturbia means something different. Can we get an example of what disturbia may mean to them... Perhaps Laura can show us her painting?

LAURA: Oh... Um, sure.  My painting is about schizophrenia. See the person here, and the ‘voices’ around her. It’s quite hard to see what’s going on, because it’s not finished yet, but that’s the general idea. When I looked schizophrenia up, the voices would usually tell the victim to do things, like hurt themselves or others, things that anyone wouldn’t even dream of doing usually. But since the topic’s disturbia, I thought it might be better to warp that idea slightly, so that the victim thinks that the voice is an actual person, but still telling them what to do.

SUOH: Well done Laura, you have done very well so far. Now, can you all please get along with your paintings for the moment? Hal, if you could please step aside so I could speak to you for a moment, that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

HAL: OK sir.

HAL steps over to where SUOH is standing.

SUOH: I’m sorry to pull you away from your work, Hal, but I must ask you; have you noticed any... Shall we say...? Differences in Laura’s behaviour lately.

HAL: Yes sir, she’s been acting very strangely since her sister ran away from home. She’s been pretending that Angel – that’s her sisters name, sir – was there next to her all the time, and I think she might have been ‘telling’ Laura to do things, because I was pretty roughly pushed away when I asked about it.

SUOH: I take it that Laura and Angel were close?

HAL: Yes, they were like twins.

SUOH: Hal, I think that you know as well as I do that Laura is suffering from something quite similar to what she is
painting. I don’t know Laura very well, but her painting and this article that came up in the paper led me to believe that Laura needed a little... Help in getting over her sisters disappearance.

HAL: Article?

SUOH: Here.

SUOH hands HAL a paper that he pulls out of his file. HAL reads the title, gasps, and then continues to read the paper out loud. His voice is soft and shaky.

HAL: ‘Angel Honda, fifteen years old, has just been found dead at the black lake, which is located right near Ouran High School, which was the school she attended. It is said that she hanged herself...’ No. I can’t read more. Poor Laura, she’ll never believe this!

SUOH: Hal, it might interest you to know that as well as being a teacher; I am also a qualified psychiatrist. I have the ability to prescribe medication to anyone that needs it, whether they come to me for help or not. I know of a very powerful drug that could help Laura stop seeing Angel. If you could only convince her that she needed it Hal, I would be very glad to be able to give it to her.

HAL: I’ll do what I can, sir. Thank you very much.

A bell rings. LAURA begins to leave, but HAL grabs her arm. ANGEL yells ‘Hey!’ And LAURA glares bewildered over her shoulder at HAL.

LAURA: What do you think you’re doing? I don’t want to talk to an idiot like you.

HAL: I need to tell you something Laura. Sit down, just for a minute, please. It won’t take long, then you can ignore me as much as you like.

LAURA: Well, OK, but make it short!

HAL: Right. Laura, read this.

HAL gives LAURA the newspaper article. LAURA reads it, and screams. She looks over at ANGEL, who knows perfectly well what the article says.

ANGEL: But... I’m right here, aren’t I? Look, the chain’s still here, I haven’t left you!

LAURA: Angel, how could you? You lied to me! Hal – I’m so sorry for treating you like I did... I can see now that my sister, my Angel, is nothing but a... A... A lying little cheat! You used me! You wanted so much for me to be like you, and you just wanted yourself to be reincarnated again! Angel, I don’t want to be like you! I want to be MYSELF!

ANGEL: Well, you didn’t have to listen to me! I told you that you didn’t/ have to.

HAL: Wait, wait, Laura, what’s happening? What’s she saying now? Laura, be reasonable, Angel/isn’t there!

ANGEL: Don’t listen to that idiot Laura, listen to me! You know me, I don’t want to hurt you, why would I/ use you?

HAL: She’s using you, she’s in your brain, and I can help you, sir has some sort of/ medication.

ANGEL: If you take that crap he wants you to take, it’ll get rid of me. Is that what you want? If so, you’d be playing/ right into his hands.

HAL: This stuff will make her stop bugging you –

Through this exchange LAURA has been looking frantically at HAL, then ANGEL, then HAL, etc.

LAURA: SHUT UP!!! THE BOTH OF YOU!!! I can’t tell who’s real or not, you’re both as bad as the other! I just said that I want to be my own person, and you two are STILL telling me what to do! I’ll do what I need to do to get to be my own person, because I refuse to be your puppet anymore!

ANGEL: Please Laura, whatever you do, don’t get rid of me. I’m the only one who understands you-

LAURA: I understand me, and that’s enough for now. We were close Angel, but now it’s over. This is my life, and my decision, from now on.

LAURA walks out of the room. She is tired, scared and distraught about ANGEL’s death. At the door, she turns around, to see ANGEL and HAL wearing the exact same expression of concern on their faces. She turns around and walks out of the room. Lights out

END SCENE.












SCENE 4
Lights up. LAURA is talking to SUOH, who is writing in his file. ANGEL is next to LAURA, looking worried.
SUOH: I’ll just pop down to office now to get you the medication. Laura, I’m proud of you. You’ve made the right choice.

SUOH leaves the room.

ANGEL: Listen... Laura, if you take this stuff Suoh’s going to give you now, I’ll be gone... Forever. I’m dead, remember? The only thing that stopped you crying about my death was because I was still here. You can keep me by your side, Laura. I promise not to tell you what to do anymore. We’re sisters, don’t you want me close?

LAURA: No. My sister is dead. You aren’t my sister, just some crazy voice telling me what to do. My sister was never like you are. I can’t believe I’ve mistaken you for her. Besides, if you weren’t telling me what to do, then what would be your point here? You’re a voice, nothing more. And you need to be gotten rid of before you really get to my head.

ANGEL: When you take that stuff, you’ll kill me. I’ll be dead at your hands. Do you really want to know that you’ve killed someone? That’s not something you want on your conscience, believe me.

LAURA: I... I won’t be killing anyone, will I? No, you’re telling me stupid things again, I can’t listen to you...

ANGEL: You’ll be killing your sister with your own hands...

LAURA: No...

ANGEL: I’ll be gone... There’s no one else that understands you like I do... That’s right Laura, come towards me. I’ll
help you...

LAURA: No, Angel, stop it, you’re scaring me.

ANGEL: DO YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHY I KILLED MYSELF IN THE FIRST PLACE? BECAUSE OF YOU! EVERYONE LOOOOVES LAURA! YOU’VE KILLED ME ONCE; DO YOU WANT TO KILL ME AGAIN? WHY DO YOU WANT ME DEAD LAURA?

LAURA: STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SUOH walks in. In his hand he has a little tub of cream. LAURA snatches it off him and opens the top.

SUOH: Wait Laura, we have to go through all the paperwork –

LAURA: It can wait. How do you use this stuff?

SUOH: You rub it on your wrist. But Laura –

LAURA has already put her finger into the tub and is smearing cream onto the chain. The knot becomes loose;

LAURA unties it and throws it at ANGEL.

LAURA: I’m me now. No matter what you say Angel, you can’t control me by scaring me. Goodbye Angel.

ANGEL pulls the chain towards her. Once she has wound it up, she walks off stage. LAURA slumps forwards on the block and SUOH puts his hand on her back. LAURA, shaking, looks up with tears in her eyes.

LAURA:  "Here’s a lunatic; yet, perhaps only truth survives; for, where are your words?
This is one more question: evil truth; are humans a thing of God’s words…?"

THE END!!!!!!!!!!!!