Dull Luminol
By Hailey Hartford
Cover Art by Edgar Degas
Copyright 2014 Hailey Hartford
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Table of Contents:
Title Page
Copyright
Table of Contents
Dull Luminol
About the Author
Dull Luminol
INT. BATHROOM - COUNTER – DAY
The walls are a sickly green. Lights florescent. The carpet is a muddy red. The room is very small and claustrophobic.
CALLAN, 17, a gaunt, mousy girl stands with her head in the sink vomiting loudly.
She pulls her head up slow and looks into the mirror. The Callan in the mirror looks much different from her.
MIRROR CALLAN is much larger. Her face bloated, arms red and chubby, belly sticks out roundly.
Callan grimaces and her breath speeds up.
Sweat beads in the hair on Callan’s forehead, she wipes it away. There are several rows of silver scars on her forearm.
She grabs her bag off the floor and opens the front pocket. She pushes a bag of razors and a toothbrush aside and pulls out a stick of “sugar-free” gum.
She looks back at the mirror, chewing, and takes a deep breath through her nose. She lets it back out with her nose and closes her eyes.
CALLAN
You can do this.
INT. HALLWAY – DAY
Callan walks from the bathroom to the dance studio door. It has a full window in the frame. There is a paper taped to the window next to the water cooler.
INSERT - THE PAPER, which reads:
“Coppelia Solo Auditions TODAY. Franz 11:00-12:00 Aurora and Prayer 11:00-12:00 Swanhilde 12:00-1:00”
INT. DANCE STUDIO – DAY
The room is large, but the same sickly green of the bathroom. There are large bits of white from where the paint has peeled. The floor is grey with rows of tape with stage markings. The mirror shines bright against the window in front of it.
Callan spits the gum into a trashcan. It is filled with wads toe tape, yellowed cotton balls, bloody band-aids, rosin, and energy bar wrappers.
A group of DANCERS with hair pulled back in perfect buns and perfectly pink tights walk into the room. They look at Callan sadly.
Her tights are dirty with runs up the sides, and her bun has sweaty wisps of hair poking out everywhere. She wears a baggy sweater, but her bony frame still sticks out.
Callan looks in the mirror, Mirror Callan stares back at her. The group of dancers in the mirror are different too. The MIRROR DANCERS are longer and thinner, and stare maliciously at Callan.
Callan takes a spot at the bar and stands still, arms across her stomach and back hunched.
The INSTRUCTOR, 39, a woman who walks like a swan, enters. She stands near the piano.
INSTRUCTOR
Good afternoon, girls. I know you are anxious, so we are going to begin with simple pliés at the bar: first, second, fourth, fifth. Demi, demi, grande.
The Instructor waves her hand at the piano.
INSTRUCTOR (CONT’D)
Some Chopin will do fine, Sophie.
SOPHIE, 46, a stocky woman dressed in a felt jacket, nods. A SOMBER TUNE echoes from the piano.
The girls all begin their pliés in first position.
Callan’s arms shake in the air. Her ankles roll off her center during the grande plié. Sweat collects in her eyebrows.
When the Instructor is turned, she wipes her face with her palm quickly.
Her eyes dart between the other girl’s bodies, and her own in the mirror. Her twiggy arm reaches out toward the mirror, and a chubby arm reaches back.
Callan’s breaths are now labored.
The other girls are calmly perform the exercise without breaking a sweat.
The Instructor walks around, and looks at each dancer carefully. She eyes Callan the most frequently.
Callan notices the Instructor.
Her stomach howls, and the girl in front of Callan turns her head. She sees Callan and quickly turns her head back around and continues her pliés.
Callan’s arms and legs shake more.
The MUSIC stops. The girls finish the exercise.
INSTRUCTOR (CONT’D)
Alright, for the second half, you girls will need to put on your pointe shoes, please. If you need any food or water take the time to do so as well. You’ll have fifteen minutes, so use it wisely.
The Instructor looks at Callan.
INSTRUCTOR (CONT’D)
I’d also like you girls to take off any layers, please.
Callan looks around at the other girls. She is the only one with extra clothes on. Callan shifts her weight from one foot to another.
The group of girls begin to chatter. One girl, ELIZA, 17, tall and thin, stands sideways in front of the mirror. She pinches at her stomach and tries to flatten it.
ELIZA
Jesus, I brought some celery sticks but I think I might just skip that.
She laughs and turns her body so the other side faces the mirror.
ELIZA (CONT’D)
It’s not too much, but I don’t need any of it.
Callan looks at Eliza, who still pinches at her skin. Eliza is incredibly thin.
The other girls laugh with Eliza. MARISSA, 17, another thin girl, pulls Eliza’s hands away from her body and toward the door.
MARISSA
Eliza! No, don’t do that to yourself. Come eat with me, I’m starving.
The group all follows the two out the door, all poking Eliza.
Callan starts to walk out behind them slowly.
INSTRUCTOR
You should eat something. It’ll help boost your energy.
Callan stops and turns around.
INSTRUCTOR (CONT’D)
You just look a little tired, I don’t want you to hurt yourself. There’s some vending machines downstairs.
The Instructor smiles weakly, and Callan smiles back.
CALLAN
Thank you, Ma’am.
INSTRUCTOR
I’m here if you need anything, okay?
Callan looks in the mirror. Inside the reflection, the MIRROR INSTRUCTOR looks bored with her.
Callan’s smile fades and she keeps her head down while she walks out of the room.
INT. DOWNSTAIRS – DAY
The walls and floor are bright white, but dirt collects in every corner darkly. The vending machines HUM. The light from inside the machines glow off-white and looks green on Callan’s skin.
Callan unfolds four crumpled bills and flattens them against the machine’s edge.
She pushes the first bill into the machine. It eats the bill, pauses, WHINES, and spits it back out. Callan takes the money, flattens it more and pushes it back in. It eats the bill, pauses, WHINES, and BEEPS.
Callan pushes the remaining bills into the slot.
The buttons CLICK and package after package of food fall with DULL THUDS. She collects the pile sitting in the bottom of the machine.
The wrappers CRINKLE loudly and Callan shoves them into her bag. She puts the bag on her back, and walks away from the machines. The wrappers continue to CRINKLE with each step she takes.
INT. HALLWAY – DAY
The hallway is cramped with girls tying ribbons onto their ankles and eating small portions of food, laughing.
Their legs stick out and block Callan’s path to the bathroom.
Callan steps over their legs, her backpack CRINKLES. The girls stop laughing.
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They eat their food and lace their shoes in silence. Callan opens the bathroom door.
INT. BATHROOM - STALL - DAY
Callan sits on the toilet, and dumps the food onto the floor. The packages of food shine up at her in the dull bathroom lighting.
Callan grabs the first bag and squeezes. It POPS and she reaches inside. She takes out one chip and brings it to her face. She pauses, closes her eyes, and brings it to her mouth.
The bites start out slow but grow fast. Callan shovels chip after chip into her mouth. She tips her head and the bag back.
She crumples the bag and grabs another, and dumps the bag into her mouth. Crumbs fall into her lap and stick to her face. She rubs them off, but leaves trails of grease down the sides of her cheeks and around her mouth.
She peels the wrapper off the next snack and bites into it. Crumbs fall on the floor. Her cheeks are full, crumbs coat her lips. Callan chomps on each bite hard and swallows large bites.
She grabs each individual crumb and eats them one by one.
She closes her eyes and relaxes.
She unwraps the last snack, and her fingers are covered in glaze. She licks her fingers and digs into the snack. Her face is now covered in glaze and she licks it off. She takes the last bite and licks the wrapper.
Callan collects all the empty wrappers and shoves them back into her bag. She slides off of the toilet onto her knees.
She pushes two fingers down her throat up to her knuckles.