Perspectives: Caroline
(Perspectives - Caroline is a short film available to Amber's Army members. The screenplay, which varies slightly from the video version, is below.)
Scene 1: “Good Morning, Baby Sister”
Setting: Bedroom closet + bed. Soft morning light.
[Caroline’s headless body stands neatly in the closet wearing the full French maid outfit (black dress, white apron, petticoat, red wig on a stand nearby). Amber opens the closet door cheerfully.]
AMBER (warm, motherly, as she gently lifts Caroline’s head and clicks it into place): “Good morning, my sweet baby sister! There we go… all clicked in. Look at you — already dressed and ready like a good girl. How are you?”
CAROLINE (blinking awake, big innocent smile): “Hi Amber! Oh my God, I’m amazing! Did you sleep good last night?”
AMBER (fussing over Caroline’s wig and apron, smoothing every little detail): “I did, but I’m so sorry we didn’t get to spend much time last night. Oscar had to stay late at Stafford again and so I was with Erica almost until your bedtime and it hurts my heart when we can’t spend time together. Anyway — today’s going to be busy for both of us. I have to help Erica with board meeting stuff this afternoon, and then Cara needs me to run some marketing numbers for the loan application on Keegan’s new server project.”
CAROLINE (beaming, tilting her head adorably): “I mean, you do so much for everybody, Amber. You take care of Oscar, and Erica, and me… You even help Cara and Keegan. I think you’re the most wonderful person in the whole world. I love you so much.”
AMBER (soft, emotional, cupping Caroline’s face): “Really, honey? I love you too. Like, infinity much.”
[Amber leads Caroline to the bed, sits her down, and starts buckling on her Mary Jane shoes.]
AMBER (serious but loving): “Listen, sweetheart. I know the schedule says Equipe Rouquine is at Mr. Cole’s house today. I want you to promise me three things, okay?
First — you cannot take off your clothes for any reason.
Second — he is not allowed to touch you.
Third — under no circumstances can you go into the basement of that house.
Promise me.”
CAROLINE (nodding sweetly, completely sincere): “I promise. I won’t take off my clothes. I won’t let him touch me. And I definitely won’t go in the basement.”
AMBER (relieved, pulls Caroline into a big hug and kisses her forehead): “That’s my good girl. I’ll see you tonight. We’re gonna be pretty early, because I’m cooking dinner here tonight.”
CAROLINE (smiling brightly):“Really? Like, the three of us will all be home for dinner?”
AMBER (big smile): “Yep. Because – and we’re not supposed to know this – Erica is inviting Oscar to sleep over tomorrow night. I think they’re finally gonna, y’know…”
CAROLINE: “Gonna what?”
AMBER: “Make love, silly! She said she thinks she’s finally ready.”
CAROLINE: “Yeah, but…”
AMBER: “But what?”
CAROLINE: “What does that do to… our situation?”
AMBER: “Nothing. Baby, seriously. I don’t want you to worry about this, OK? We’re fine. Oscar loves us and he’s gonna protect us. Do you believe me?”
CAROLINE: “Uh huh.”
AMBER: “Oh my God. So sweet! Now go make everybody smile today, OK baby? I love you so much!”
[she finishes buckling Caroline’s shoes and rises to give her a hug as Caroline rises from the bed]
Scene 2 – “Helping You Be a Good Girl”
[Caroline is lying on her stomach across Dan Cole’s large wooden desk, still in her French maid outfit, but her Mary Janes and white stockings have been removed and neatly placed aside. Cole sits behind the desk, slowly rubbing her bare feet and calves.]
COLE (calm, almost fatherly): “You really do need to start being more cooperative, Caroline. I get that Oscar and Amber are trying to protect you, but nobody likes a say-no girl.”
CAROLINE (cheerful but firm): “But I have rules, Mr. Cole. Amber said I can’t take off my clothes, and you can’t touch me, and I can’t go into the basement.”
COLE (chuckling softly, still massaging her feet): “But Caroline! Shoes and stockings aren’t really clothes though, are they? They’re just… footwear and underthings. And I’m only giving you a foot rub because you said your feet hurt after standing all morning. That’s helping, isn’t it?”
CAROLINE (thinking hard): “Well… yeah. But you still can’t touch me. And I definitely can’t take my panties off.”
COLE (patient, reasonable tone): “OK, but don’t you remember why I’d need you to take your panties off?”
CAROLINE (innocent confusion): “So you can give me a butt-rub?”
COLE (smiling): “Exactly! A butt-rub isn’t any good with panties on, silly. And right now your feet feel better, don’t they?”
CAROLINE: “Yes…”
COLE: “So if I give you a butt-rub, your whole body will feel better. I mean, you need that and it’ll make you more productive, don’t you think? That’s just helping. Amber wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable all day, would she?”
CAROLINE (starting to look conflicted): “But… she said you aren’t supposed to touch me.”
COLE: “So she’d deny you a foot-rub when your feet are hurting? That sounds crazy. Why do they give you those shoes that hurt your feet if you can’t have a foot-rub?”
CAROLINE: “I don’t know.”
COLE: “Exactly. Obviously a foot rub, which you need, isn’t included in the no-touching rule.”
CAROLINE: “I mean, I guess not.”
COLE: “Good. You’re such a smart girl that you can figure this out!”
CAROLINE: “Yeah, but a butt-rub…”
COLE (gentle but firm): “Caroline, if you keep saying no, then I’m going to have to send you down to the basement to clean. It’s very dirty down there. And if you go down there in this pretty outfit, it’ll get all messy. So I’d have to take your clothes off anyway. Then you’d be breaking two rules at once — going to the basement and taking your clothes off. And if you argue with me, that’s being disobedient… which means I’d have to spank you. So now you’ve broken all three rules. Doesn’t that sound much worse?”
CAROLINE (eyes widening, genuinely distressed): “I… I don’t want to break any rules…”
COLE (soothing, still rubbing her legs): “Of course you don’t. You’re a good girl. So let’s just take these panties off, I’ll give you a nice butt-rub to help you relax, and then you won’t have to go to the basement at all. You’ll still be following the rules… mostly. Doesn’t that make sense?”
CAROLINE (soft, hesitant, torn): “…I guess so.”
Scene 3 – “The Cara Compartment”
[Caroline is alone in the house, wearing a pretty knee-length dress and setting the dinner table with a big smile on her face. A knock at the door. Caroline opens it to find Cara with a folder.]
CARA (smiling, but noticing something’s off): “Hey sweetie. Keegan asked me to drop these loan papers off for Oscar to sign. Is he home?”
CAROLINE (smiling but quiet): “No… Amber’s still at Erica’s too. It’s just me. But she and Oscar are coming. They stopped at the supermarket.”
[Cara studies her, then steps inside and gently sits Caroline down on the couch.]
CARA (warm but direct): “Something’s wrong, honey. I can see it all over your face. I want you to tell me what it is.”
CAROLINE (looking down): “I… I can’t.”
CARA: “Oh, honey, of course you can! Why not?”
CAROLINE (afraid, hesitant): “Do you know what compartmentalization is? I learned about it today. What happens in one compartment doesn’t matter in the other compartments. I don’t want to mix my compartments.”
CARA (raising an eyebrow): “Oh? Which compartments are you mixing right now?”
CAROLINE [nervous]: “The work one… and the Amber one.”
CARA (opening her arms with a reassuring smile): “No problem! You know, the Cara compartment is like a catch-all. It takes whatever comes from the other compartments. You can tell me anything and it’s fine. You won’t be in trouble.”
CAROLINE (hopeful): “I can?”
CARA: “Of course, baby! Totally! Come here!”
[Cara pulls her into a big, protective hug.]
CARA (still holding her): “You said the problem is in your work compartment, right? Not the Amber one?”
CAROLINE (mumbling): “Oh, God no. Amber’s so perfect!”
CARA (pulling back slightly, serious now): “Right. That’s what I thought.” (pause)
“Wait… this isn’t a Dan Cole thing, is it?”
[Caroline gives her an uncomfortable, guilty look.]
CARA (voice firm but kind): “Caroline… I want you to tell me absolutely everything that happened at Dan Cole’s house today.”
[fade out]
[fade in, a little later]
CARA [standing in the kitchen on the phone with Keegan]: “Yeah… I’m going to wait a bit and then talk to them. Because they’ve got to know what’s happening over there at Cole’s place.”
[She hangs up just as the back door opens. Amber walks in, still dressed from her day with Erica.]
AMBER (surprised but happy): “Oh wow, Cara! What are you doing here?”
[Cara looks at Amber, her expression serious.]
CARA: “Amber, where’s Oscar?”
AMBER: “Oh, he’s right behind me. He’s bringing the groceries in from the car.”
CARA: “OK. We need to talk about Caroline and Dan Cole.”
