You're Safe Now

SCENE opens and a fragile-looking girl (Whitney Wright) nervously shuffles along the walkway to the doorstep of a social worker's house. She is clearly not comfortable, looking a little paranoid as she glances around her as if checking that there's no one laying in wait around the next corner. She's easy to startle, flinching as a car drives by in the background. She lets out a shuddery breath to calm herself, then hugs herself, trying to provide the comfort she's been deprived of for so many days. She steals a moment to brace herself on the steps, telling herself that she can do this. Just as she lifts a hand to knock on the door, the door opens, revealing a man (Derrick Pierce) with a warm smile. Lily jumps with surprise and he apologizes, saying that he saw her through the window. He seems approachable. He says that she must be Lily and invites her in after introducing himself as Aiden Taylor, her social worker. She seems to relax slightly -- only slightly -- with his warm greeting. She steps inside the home, thanking him for seeing her, though hesitantly comments that she was surprised he asked her to come to his house, not his office. Aiden replies that he likes working from home since he finds that people who have trouble trusting others -- like many of his clients, perhaps even like her -- feel more at ease meeting in a comfortable, inviting setting than in a big cold corporate office. He's worked a lot of cases and the home environment seems to work best, especially for teens who are often otherwise distrustful of authority figures. She pauses a moment and responds that she guess she can see that, sure, warming up a little to his attempts at putting her at ease. He sees she is still a little skittish and smiles, reassuring her that she doesn't need to be afraid anymore as he puts a firm hand on her shoulder. Lily tenses and he immediately pulls back with an apologetic look, gesturing instead with that same hand for her to head towards the office. As he does, he promises that she's safe now, but as he closes the door, there's a glimpse of a smile turned sinister. TITLE PLATE Lily and Aiden step into the home office, which is warm and inviting. There are two armchairs in the office facing each other. A desk might be present, but Aiden opts instead not to sit behind it, taking instead one of the two chairs facing each other. Aiden gestures to and pats the other chair across from him, encouraging Aiden to sit, as he sits opposite of her. He keeps a comfortable and standard distance from her of about three feet to promote intimacy. She's nervous as he picks up a notepad and pen. Her posture is closed off, with her shoulders pulled in, her hands fisted tight against her lap. Aiden and Lily begins discussing the case. To start with, he just needs some basic information to make sure everything gets processed correctly. He asks to check the spelling of her name and her birthdate. She gives her name and birthdate to him, and he asks if that means she's 19, which she confirms. He also asks about her family, which makes her shift uncomfortably. She gives the names of her parents, as well as her younger sister, Emily. He asks how old Emily is, seeming intrigued -- she's Lily's YOUNGER sister, right? Emily confirms yes, she just turned 18 this month. Only a few days before they ran away, in fact. Aiden seems pleased with this response. Aiden then uses the tried-and-true method of small talk for easing her into the session. He talks about the weather, and she mentions that the weather was really nice for walking to his place. It felt like she was seeing everything for the first time. Aiden asks her how does she mean seeing everything for the first time? She shrugs, looking a bit sheepish as she admits that the sun is brighter, the wind warmer, the birds more cheerful... Emily was so excited when she saw a florist shop for the first time a couple days ago, Lily adds with a small but fond smile. The flowers were so colorful, like the ones just outside on Aiden's street. 'Father Warren used to say that boastful colors were the devil's palette, so we only had white flowers in our homes.' Aiden then continues, probing more into the situation. He starts by asking how many days she's been in the city? She says it's only been a week? She remarks that it's hard to tell because so much has happened -- it feels like her head is still spinning. He asks her where she's staying, and she says that they're at a local shelter. He asks her how the conditions have been and she admits they aren't great, nothing like how things were at the compound. Aiden assures her that it's normal for her to feel anxiety, but that she's doing fine. He then asks her to discuss the commune. She's still uncertain, looking around nervously while rubbing her arm or biting her bottom lip. Aiden assures her that everything they discuss is strictly between them. He's there to help her. She gazes at him for a few moments, choosing to trust him, then explains how her parents have both been part of the commune since before she was born, they were some of the first members to join. It was the only life she's ever known. She didn't think anything of it until a few months ago when she started hearing rumors. Aiden asks her what rumors she's heard. Lily is quicker to respond now, desperate to be heard as she leans forward in her chair, becoming more animated. She says that she heard that their leader, Father Warren, was taking girls into the barn to... to DO things to them... 'What KIND of things?' Aiden asks, leaning in as if almost perversely wanting to learn more, his warm presence starting to shift to something unsettling. Since she's so desperate to get everything out into the open now, she doesn't catch onto Aiden's change of demeanor. She says she's heard that he takes them back there to have sex with them. 'And why did you feel uncomfortable about the rumors? ...Is it perhaps because you secretly wanted to be one of those girls?' Aiden asks, still in a professional tone, which seems creepier now because of the nature of the questioning and the way he seems even MORE focused on her. His eyes even flicker over her body briefly, which she catches. She closes her body off again, gasping. 'No, of course not! Why would I want that?' she exclaims. Aiden slips back into a practiced smile as he leans back into the chair. He apologizes to her for making her uncomfortable, explaining that he's worked with many troubled teens that developed attraction towards the men that have been exploiting them. He invites her to continue speaking. Lily is a little wary again now, but continues talking, unable to help herself. She NEEDS to be heard! She says that ever since she started hearing the rumors, it was like a fog has been lifted. She noticed other strange things, too, like how everyone seemed TOO happy, but any time she tried to talk to her parents about it, they denied everything. Finally, she decided that she NEEDED to get Emily to safety. She couldn't let Emily be the next one that Father Warren decided to be sinful with. They fled, having no belongings, no money, nowhere to stay... They got a ride to the city and have been staying at the women's shelter for now, but it's not enough. They can't stay there forever. When she asked the homeless shelter volunteers, they referred them to Aiden, so that's why she's there. They said a social worker might be able to help her and her sister get the care and resources she needs to ensure that she and Emily are truly SAFE. She's the big sister -- she HAS to take care of Emily. She can't risk them being sent back to that crazy place now. Aiden says that he think he may be able to get them into a transitional home and goes to the computer to check. However, he's not really looking anything up at all as he instead watches Lily from afar. After a few moments, he approaches her and says that he can help them. But there's a lot of people ahead of them on the waiting lists... Aiden then reveals that he is convinced that Lily and Emily were part of a sex cult. Lily is shocked, but especially when Aiden crouches close and suddenly looks a whole lot creepier. Aiden reflects out loud that if the commune was that strict about sex, Lily is probably still a virgin then... but, he asks, has she ever at least masturbated? Lily is shocked by the change, recoiling away from him. She finally states that she's REALLY uncomfortable about all this and doesn't think he's the right fit for her needs. She makes for the door but Aiden speaks up again in a cold drawl. 'You COULD leave, if you want. I certainly won't stop you. Just know that I'm the ONLY one that can help you get what you need to start a new life. No one else will help you if I exaggerate a few things in my notes here...' Lily exclaims that he can't do that. He counters that he CAN and WILL. She's horrified and torn. 'No, I HAVE to protect Emily... I have to get her AWAY from all this...' Aiden smiles darkly as he undoes his pants and removes his cock. 'If YOU cooperate, I can help make sure you BOTH get the new life you've dreamed of. You can be together and HAPPY for the rest of your lives...' he teases. Lily tries not to stare at the cock, since it's her first time seeing one, shocked by everything that's happening. She backs up as he approaches until her back is against the nearest wall. 'What are you doing?? No, I-I can't do this...' she stammers. He asks if she's REALLY going to let her dear little sister down like that? He said he'd help her and he plans to keep his promise. Now she has a choice to make. She finally reluctantly agrees to have sex with him if it means securing a better future. She nervously drops to her knees and parts her lips while looking up at him. He mockingly says that she's made the right choice and that her sister should be SO PROUD of her for being so brave...