THE UNBELIEVABLE RUTH #10
Adventure. Fantasy. Weird Science. Coming-of-age. Whatever.
CAMILLE FORTUNATO thought the loss of her mother and the stresses of eighth grade was more drama than she could handle, then her super weird cousin RUTH ŽUKAUSKAS showed her a portal to another world. Now, in addition to feeling grief, dealing with social pressures, and hoping her secret crush notices her, she also has to worry about attacks from a dimension hopping freak named Gerald.PAGE ONE
EXT. PUDDING MIDDLE SCHOOL - DAY
Full Page: It’s lunchtime at PMS. Kids are milling around the schoolyard. Some eat their lunch on benches.
Caption: Pudding Middle School.
PAGES TWO & THREE
INT. PUDDING MIDDLE SCHOOL CAFETERIA
Spread: Camille walks her lunch tray (sloppy joe) past a table of band kids. There are also tables with theater kids, pale kids wearing too much eyeliner, brainy kids, skateboarder punks, jocks, etc.
The thing these kids have in common: They're all thumbing their phones. Totally oblivious to everything but the tiny screen in their hand.
Caption: Lunchtime.
PAGE FOUR
Panel 1: BACK TABLE. JULIE GARTH, 13, is sitting in a puke-brown plastic chair against the backdrop of a puke-green concrete wall. She's cute, but these are not flattering colors for her or the food — especially under fluorescent lights.
Camille parks next to Julie. In a puke-blue chair.
JULIE (to Camille): I see you went with the house specialty.
CAMILLE: There was a choice?
Panel 2: Julie leans in to gossip.
JULIE: You hear about the new kid? She's wearing a grass skirt. Some people.
Panel 3: Camille blushes. Eyes fixed on her sloppy joe.
Panel 4: Camille speaks to the reader.
CAMILLE (ASIDE): Heh... yeah... she's weird alright. She's also my cousin.
PAGE FIVE
Panel 1: A silver (robotic/insectoid) SPY BUG skitters out of Julie's sandwich.
NOTE: Another panel could be added here. From the Spy Bug's POV. Computerized, green scope/scanner with data readout and a crosshair target.
Panel 2: The Bug bristles...
BUG: Bzzt!
Panel 3: ... then skitters away.
NEW FROM NANO GATEWAY META-UNIVERSAL CORPORATION — THE SPY BUG! This adorable, skittering insectoid captures up to 30 hours video surveillance. Includes sound enhancing features. Hacks all computers and tele-devices. Copies and decrypts all files. Perfect for downloading malicious malware, tracking apps, viruses, and more.
PAGE SIX
Panel 1: Julie shoves her tray aside.
JULIE: Did you see a bug crawl out of my sandwich? I'm sure I saw a bug.
Panel 2: Camille shoves her tray aside, too.
CAMILLE: Eew!
Panel 3: Julie nudges Camille, points.
JULIE: Check out your boyfriend over there -- the Jock table.
Panel 4: CUT TO JOCK TABLE. Chad is chomping down on a huge, drippy sandwich.
PAGE SEVEN
Panel 1: BACK TABLE. Camille and Julie stare at Chad.
CAMILLE: He's really into that sandwich.
JULIE: Oh, he's all about that sandwich.
Panel 2: Same as panel 1.
CAMILLE: Thing is, even when he's eating bugs, he's cute.
JULIE: That reminds me, how's your old boyfriend?
Panel 3: INSERT. Tight on Mr. Fluff leaning against a pillow in Camille’s bedroom.
CAMILLE (off panel): He’s, you know, stuffed.
INSERT ENDS.
BACK TO SCENE
PAGE EIGHT
Panel 1: Camille and Julie continue to stare at Chad.
JULIE: I mean, how's he doing now that you've forsaken him for Chad?
Panel 2: Repeat.
CAMILLE: Still . . . stuffed.
JULIE: Poor Mr. Fluff. Give the old boy my regards, will ya?
Panel 3: Repeat. Except Camille's eyes have widened. She looks upset.
CAMILLE: Crap. Don't look now, but . . . Mandy's got us in her sights.
PAGE NINE
Panel 1: Camille lowers her head, covers her face. But Julie scans the room.
JULIE: Where?
CAMILLE: By the main entrance. Don't look.
Panel 2: CU of Julie. Aggravated.
JULIE: That girl's like a shark circling a leaky lifeboat. (beat) What have we done wrong now?
PAGE TEN
Panel 1: Camille speaks to the reader.
CAMILLE (ASIDE): Mandy once pushed me in a mud puddle. It was humiliating.
B/W FLASHBACK BEGINS
Panel 2: Laughing KIDS, pointing down at something.
Panel 3: The pointing Kids chant: "Mud Butt! Mud Butt! Mud Butt! Mud Butt!"
FLASHBACK ENDS
BACK TO SCENE
PAGE ELEVEN
INT. PUDDING MIDDLE SCHOOL CAFETERIA - BACK TABLE
Panel 1: Camille's eyes glaze over.
CAMILLE: There's only one reason any of us put up with Mandy. She's pretty. (beat) If she was ordinary, with braces, or if she had a big, bulb-y nose, no one would put up with her put-downs. (beat) She's just a bully with really great skin, perfect hair, and expensive clothes. (beat) Maybe we don't all have her advantages, but does that make her better than us? (beat) The only reason no one calls her out is because we're all scared of what she'll say about us online. (beat) It's crazy!
Panel 2: Julie pats Camille's back.
JULIE: You do realize you said that out loud?
PAGE TWELVE
Panel 1: Camille blushes. Julie rolls her eyes.
CAMILLE: Think anyone heard me?
JULIE: Naaaah.
Panel 2: Camille and Julie get real.
CAMILLE: The worst part -- if Mandy said something nice about me on TikTok or Instagram, I'd be truly grateful. It would be like a dream come true.
JULIE: I know. Right?
Panel 3: JOCK TABLE. Chad chows down on sandwich #2.
CAMILLE (off panel): You think Mandy knows I like her brother?
JULIE (off panel): No good would come from that.
Panel 4: BACK TABLE. Julie, smirking, leans closer to Camille.
JULIE: Though I'm pretty sure Mr. Fluff will always take you back.
PAGE THIRTEEN
INT. PUDDING MIDDLE SCHOOL - HALLWAY
Panel 1: Camille heads for her next class. Kids bustle around her, shuffling through lockers, rushing to their next destination.
Panel 2: Mysterious hands appear out of nowhere and covertly push Camille to the left.
PAGE FOURTEEN
Panels 1: Mysterious hands covertly push Camille to the right.
Panel 2: Camille stumbles near an open door (Girl's Bsthroom), where another mysterious hand...
Panel 3: ... yanks her inside.
PAGE FIFTEEN
INT. PUDDING MIDDLE SCHOOL - GIRL'S BATHROOM
Panel 1: AMANDA 'MANDY' ENDICOTT is waiting. She's radiant, blonde, statuesque, and impeccably dressed. She may be thirteen, but she looks older.
There are sinks and mirrors on one side, a line of stalls on the other. Mandy is standing in front a slick tile wall with a transom window too high to reach.
MANDY: I saw you talking to my brother.
Panel 2: Mandy's squad (The Style Council) -— HOLLY VANDERFORD and LINDA FOUST -— are behind Camille, guarding the only door to the outside world.
THE STYLE COUNCIL (Holly, Mandy and Linda)
PAGE SIXTEEN
Panel 1: Camille talks to reader.
CAMILLE (ASIDE): Mandy and her "Style Council" once cornered a girl for wearing white after Labor Day. That girl will never show her face at this school again.
Panel 2: Mandy, Holly and Linda check themselves in the mirror. Camille just looks terrified.
LINDA: Chad likes her.
CAMILLE: I-I...
MANDY (to Camille): And you like him, right?
CAMILLE (meekly): Everybody likes Chad.
HOLLY: You LIKE-like him.
PAGE SEVENTEEN
Panel 1: Linda tosses her hair.
LINDA: If you plan to be his girlfriend, you'll need new outfits. You can't just wear any old thing.
Panel 2: Mandy examines Camille with a critical eye.
MANDY: I can help, if you let me. (beat) I know my brother better than anybody. We ARE twins. Duh.
Panel 3: Camille talks to the reader.
CAMILLE (ASIDE): This is either the setup for an elaborate practical joke, or I'm about to ascend into the highest level of eighth-grade culture.
PAGE EIGHTEEN
Panel 1: Mandy gives Camille a chilly look.
MANDY: You're probably wondering why I even care. Well, don't get me wrong -— I don't. (beat) I'm just not going to let my brother be seen with some know-nothing nobody.
Panel 2: Mandy offers a quick, insincere smile.
Panel 3: Mandy blankly looks at Camille.
MANDY: No offense.
Panel 4: Camille, nonplussed.
MANDY (off panel): You’ll meet us here before school tomorrow. No excuses.
Panel 5: Holly and Linda lock eyes/hands. Excited.
HOLLY AND LINDA (in unison): Makeover!
PAGE NINETEEN
Panel 1: Mandy waggles fingers in front of Camille.
MANDY: Give me your phone.
Panel 2: Camille reflexively passes her phone over to Mandy.
Panel 3: Mandy enters numbers into Camille's phone.
Panel 4: Mandy returns Camille's phone as the 4th period bell sounds. DRIIIING!
MANDY: Ugh. Fourth period.
PAGE TWENTY
Panel 1: Camille watches the (glamorous) STYLE COUNCIL exit.
Panel 2: A smile stretches across her face.
Panel 3: Camille smile crumbles as she catches a glimpse of the slump-y girl (herself) in the mirror.
Panel 4: Camille talks to the reader.
CAMILLE (ASIDE): Is that me? I look totally grade school. Uck.
PAGE TWENTY-ONE
INT. PUDDING MIDDLE SCHOOL - ENGLISH LIT CLASSROOM
Full page: Camille sits in English Lit, at her desk, daydreaming. Imagining herself as a member of the Style Council.
( A teacher could be talking about the reading assignment. “ ‘Sense and Sensibility’ explores the importance of finding balance between reason and emotion.“)
PAGE TWENTY-TWO
INT. PUDDING MIDDLE SCHOOL - HALLWAY
Panel 1: Camille, in a daze, shuffles down the hallway. Everyone around her is rushing, banging locker doors, and ducking into classrooms.
Caption: Fifth Period.
Panel 2: At her locker, Camille punches in security numbers.
Panel 3: Camille looks inside her open locker. Surprised.
PAGE TWENTY-THREE
Panel 1: Ruth is crammed inside Camille's locker. She's wearing a black spandex cat suit and her trusty trapper hat.
RUTH: Stay frosty, soldier. Don't give away my position.
CAMILLE: Why are you -—
Panel 2: Repeat panel.
RUTH: Keep chill. And listen. I have reason to believe Gerald's infiltrated the school. Copy?
CAMILLE: Not now.
Panel 3: Not much changes in this panel, either.
RUTH: Trouble comes when it comes, cuz. You think I want this? You think I like moving from one catastrophe to the next? I don't want this.
CAMILLE: Please, not now.
PAGE TWENTY-FOUR
Panel 1: CU of Ruth.
RUTH: Shut the locker. Quick. I don't wanna give away my position.
Panel 2: Camille slams her locker door shut. Bam!
B/W FLASHBACK BEGINS
INT. A SHOPPING MALL
Panel 3: - Twelve-year-old Camille and her mother, MARIA, walk past shops. They’re both carrying shopping bags.
CAMILLE: She's sooooo weird.
MARIA: Ruth’s a sweet girl. A little quirky, but she's got a good heart. (beat) It's just a weekend. You can be nice for a weekend.
PAGE TWENTY-FIVE
Panel 1: Camille's annoyed.
CAMILLE: My special weekend? I’m only going to turn thirteen once. Guh!
Panel 2: Maria reflects.
MARIA: I still remember days when your Auntie Carina and I had to pry you two from each other. You'd cry every time you were separated.
Panel 3: Camille scoffs.
CAMILLE: Sure. A zillion years ago.
Panel 4: Maria rolls her eyes.
PAGE TWENTY-SIX
Panel 1: Camille and her mom stop in front of a SHOE STORE display window.
MARIA: You be nice to Ruth for the entire weekend and I'll buy you the shoes you want.
Panel 2: Camille's favorite shoes are displayed in the window.
CAMILLE (off panel): The red wedges? DEAL!
Panel 3: Maria frowns. Grumbles.
MARIA: Don't tell your Father I had to bribe you to be nice.
FLASHBACK ENDS
PAGE TWENTY-SEVEN
EXT. ORCHARD GROVE SUBDIVISION
Panel 1: It's a normal day in the suburbs. A man in shorts mows his lawn. A girl walks her dog. The postman delivers mail. A lady in a floppy hat is gardening. Two boys shoot hoops in a driveway.
EXT. THE FORTUNATO HOUSE
Panel 2: A flurry of birds scatter. A frightened squirrel perched on a tree limb drops a nut. Tension is high because someone (Camille) inside the House is loudly SCREAMING!
SCREAMER (from inside the house): SKKKRREEEE!
PAGE TWENTY-EIGHT
INT. THE FORTUNATO HOUSE - CAMILLE’S BEDROOM
Panel 1: Once again, Camille's bedroom is a disaster area. Camille, on her knees, heartbroken, is tearfully staring down at the limp, ravaged body of Mr. Fluff.
Fluff’s cotton belly and neck is ripped open, stuffing falling out. A button eye loosely dangles, attached by a few threads.
CAMILLE: Nooooo.
RUTH (off panel): Gerald did this.
Panel 2: Ruth scans the room while Camille mourns the loss of her stuffed animal.
RUTH: Remember that jar o' snouts? I placed in the doorway for a purpose. (beat) Snouts ward off unwanted visitors. Sounds weird, right? But it works.
Panel 3: Ruth heads for the closet.
RUTH: Buck up, cuz. We need to check to see if anything’s missing.
PAGE TWENTY-NINE
Panel 1: Camille's precious wedges are by the bed. Beside Ruth's African tribal mask.
Caption: Check!
Panel 2: Pennies have spilled out from an open jar on the bookshelf.
Caption: Check!
Panel 3: Camille's music box is upside-down on the floor. Random jewelry scattered around it.
Caption: Check!
Panel 4: The twine holding together Ruth's bundled collections of the last seven years of "YUCK! MAGAZINE" seems untouched.
Caption: Check!
PAGE THIRTY
Panel 1: Ruth wheels the giant robot head out of the closet.
Panel 2: Inspects it.
RUTH: Well, that's a relief.
Panel 3: The ringing sound coming from Camille’s pink backpack alarms Ruth. Ding-da-dingding-ding-ding-ding!
RUTH: That a bomb?
PAGE THIRTY-ONE
Panel 1: Camille pulls the ringing phone from her backpack. Ding-da-dingding-ding-ding-ding!
CAMILLE: My phone. Silly.
Panel 2: Camille checks to see who's calling.
RUTH (off panel): Kinda early for a ransom call.
Panel 3: Camille stares at the ringing phone.
Panel 4: "MANDY ENDICOTT" is ID'd ON SCREEN.
PAGE THIRTY-TWO
Panel 1: Camille points to the phone. Ding-da-dingding-ding-ding-ding!
CAMILLE: I've got to get this. Don't speak. Don't even move.
Panel 2: Ruth raises hands like she's surrendering to the authorities.
Panel 3: Camille on the phone.
CAMILLE: Hello?
Panel 4: Ear to her phone, Camille just listens.
PAGE THIRTY-THREE
Panel 1: A silver SPY BUG (just like the robotic insectoid in the school cafeteria) crawls over the top of Camille's dresser.
Panel 2: Camille listens on the phone, but she’s got eyes on the Bug. Points at it.
CAMILLE (on phone): Uh-huh.
Panel 3: The Bug scurries down the side of her dresser.
Panel 4: The Bug scurries across the wall. Ruth’s shadow is cast over it.
CAMILLE (off panel): Uh-huh.
PAGE THIRTY-FOUR
Panel 1: WHAM! Ruth smashes the music box against the wall.
Panel 2: Ruth missed the Bug. It skitters toward a wall vent.
Panel 3: Camille tries to be nonchalant over the phone. But she's on edge.
CAMILLE (on phone): Uh-huh.
Panel 4: Ruth excitedly cries out.
RUTH: It’s getting away!!
Panel 5: Camille panics, violently tosses her phone at the wall.
PAGE THIRTY-FIVE
Panel 1: SKAASSSH! Camille's phone crashes/smashes into the Bug.
Panel 2: Camille picks her broken phone up from the floor.
CAMILLE: Oh no.
RUTH (off panel): YAASS!
Panel 3: Camille holds the phone inches from her face. Bits of mechanical Bug fall away from it.
CAMILLE (on phone): Mandy? You still –– (beat) She hung up. This is bad. Really bad.
Panel 4: Ruth motions for Camille to hand over her phone.
RUTH: Lemme see your phone.
Panel 5: Camille, in shock, hands her phone over to Ruth.
CAMILLE: This is a complete disaster. You don't just hang up on Mandy Endicott.
PAGE THIRTY-SIX
Panel 1: Camille talks to the reader.
CAMILLE (ASIDE): One time, Mandy "unfriended" a boy for using a negative emoji. (beat) After she did that, he just disappeared. Like he never existed.
Panel 2: Ruth pokes at the tiny gears, glowing bits, metal shards, chunks, and gunk clinging to Camille's cracked screen.
CAMILLE (off panel): Should I call Mandy back? I should call her. What would I say?
Panel 3: Ruth closely examines one of the glowing bits.
RUTH: Just as I thought. This Bug had a surveillance camera.
PAGE THIRTY-SEVEN
Panel 1: CU of Ruth squinting.
RUTH: Keep an eye out. There might be more.
Panel 2: BIRD’S EYE VIEW FROM CEILING. BUG POV. A Spy Bug’s green screen with scrolling data and a crosshair target aimed at the girls .
CAMILLE: Spy bugs? Why?
RUTH: Good thing you whomped that sucker. It was ALL up in our business.
PAGE THIRTY-EIGHT
Panel 1: ADVERTISEMENT for GRAMMY’S REPULSIVE PICKLED PIG SNOUTS.
Advertisement headline: Nano Gateway Meta-Universal Corporation “The future of techno-magical engineering” — What’s new!
Product Headline: SNOUT EM OUT!
Copy: PICKLED PIG SNOUTS are the perfect repulsor for robotic invaders. Keep those nosy, atomic, molecular, supramolecular, and nanite manipulators from getting all up in your business.
(small type) One 75 gal. jar protects for up to five years.
Panel 2: A MEMORIAL BLURB. Features a framed photo of Mr. Fluff surrounded by a funereal flower arrangement.
Copy: IN MEMORIAM. R.I.P. MR. FLUFF. Six years of dedicated service. He will not be forgotten.
THE UNBELIEVABLE RUTH © Mark Ricketts
ART FOR THE UNBELIEVABLE RUTH © Shane White
So THAT explains the pickled pig snouts. Poor Mr. Fluff...