SCENE 1
Alyssa’s bedroom, 4 o’clock. There is a cabin bed with a desk underneath and a pile of books, clothes, pens and toys littering the desk. On one wall is a large poster for a film called CubeWorld 2.
The bedroom door bursts open and ALYSSA, aged nine, comes in, wearing her school uniform. She dumps her school bag and shoes on the floor and climbs up to her bed. Under the duvet is her laptop which she boots up. Then she puts on her headphones and settles in.
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Two more characters come into the room. These are FELIX and SEBASTIAN, Alyssa’s twin brothers, aged six.
FELIX Alyssa! Dad says you have to come down and tell him about your day!
ALYSSA [from the bed] Get out of my room! How many times have I told you?
SEBASTIAN The door was open.
ALYSSA Go away. I’m busy.
FELIX But Dad says –ALYSSA Go AWAY!
DAD [from downstairs] Alyssa! Come down, please!
ALYSSA Oh, for goodness’ sake.
FELIX and SEBASTIAN Told you.
The twins turn and exit the room. Alyssa pulls off her headphones in annoyance and climbs down from the bed.
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SCENE 2
Downstairs in the kitchen. DAD is washing out the twins’ lunchboxes. He turns as Alyssa comes in.
DAD Alyssa, where are your shoes?
ALYSSA Upstairs.
DAD Where should they be?
ALYSSA Downstairs.
Dad looks at her pointedly. Alyssa makes a noise of frustration, turns and leaves the room. We hear footsteps thumping up the stairs. A pause. Then footsteps thumping down the stairs. The sound of shoes being dropped on the floor.
Alyssa comes back in.
ALYSSA Happy now?
DAD Please don’t talk to me like that. House rules, remember?
ALYSSA I forgot.
DAD You wanted to get straight onto your laptop.
ALYSSA I’m in the middle of a building project!
DAD I don’t like the amount of time you spend on screens these days. It’s not good for you.
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ALYSSA It makes me happy. At school they said self-care was important. You should do things that make you happy.
DAD You don’t seem very happy right now.
ALYSSA That’s because I’m here talking to you when I want to be back on my laptop!
Dad sighs.
DAD I just wanted to ask about your day.
ALYSSA It was all right. [Pause.] Can I go now?
DAD [sadly] I miss when you used to tell me things.
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