Hotel Brasil, West 31 Street, New York, New York.
The window of this hotel looks out over a neon sign, which lights up the night. A young teenage girl sits up in the bed and hugs the sheet to her covering up her torso. She has long straight hair. A guy gets out of the bed and slides into his pants. He tells her she is great as usual. He tells her that her talents should take her far in this huge city. He removes a money clip from his pants pockets and states matter of factly "Same as always?". The girl gives no answer as he throws a wad of money onto the bed and tells her that it is no easy for him to find a girl with her unique talents. He tells her that she is the best at what she does as far as he is concerned. As he stands with his back to the bed to put on his shirt, multiple scratch marks are visible slicing the skin in all directions. It is very clear that she has drawn blood and he has enjoyed himself.
East 25th Street, New York
Kiden is sitting in the blood soaked bathroom of her former teacher as paramedics load her pale body onto a stretcher. The cop tells Kiden that she has lost a lot of blood and she has taken a lot of vicodin so there is no way for them to know if she will be ok or not. The cop asks if she called it in. Kiden only says "huh?" and then "yeah". The cop then asks how they know each other and Kiden claims that her former teacher is her friend. The cop wants to know if Kiden had been called for help to which she replies a quiet, embarrassed no. The cop then asks if Kiden lives there and she also says no. The cop then asks if she just stopped by but this time he gets no reply from Kiden. He reminds her that she was asked a question, but Kiden only asks the cop if she can ride in the ambulance.
34 Street and Park Avenue
A small girl stands by the streetlight in the middle of the night. She is wearing a short skirt, fishnet stockings and a low cut vest for a blouse. She has put on a fur lined jacked that is open to the front as a way to keep warm. She is wearing a choker with a red pendant on her neck and her hair is very straight. On closer examination, it is plain to see this is the same girl from the fleabag hotel earlier. The pavement is shiny as if from a recent rain and the wind is blowing. A yellow pimp car pulls up in front of the girl and a window rolls down. The man in the back seat of the car gives her a sarcastic "Sorry I'm late".
NYU Hospital
Kiden is seated backwards on a chair beside the hospital bed of her former teacher. Ms. Palmer is laying pale and silent in the bed. Beside her bed is the IV machine she is hooked up too. Kiden observes the blood and other fluids running into Ms. Palmer and looks, wide-eyed, at the heart monitor that is also attached to the IV pole. This is the only indication that Ms. Palmer is still among the living. There is another tube coming from Ms. Palmers left nostril and it is hooked up to a suction machine that works noisily.
A tear begins to fall from Kidens eye so she lies her head down on her hands to have herself a silent cry at the state her former teacher is in.
A movement happens in the bed and Ms. Palmer moves her head in Kidens direction and says a simple word: "hey". At first, Kiden responds with a tentative reply and then suddenly looks up and smiles at her former teacher with a much more excited response.
The Flatiron District.
In a crowded downtown strip club a man sits at a table snorting white powder up his nose through a straw. Beside him sits the girl we have seen in the hotel and on the street. She sits and stares past her surroundings. The man is referring to himself as her "Zebra Daddy" and he complements her on keeping her "high-roller jobs" pleased. When the customers are happy, daddy is happy and very inclined to keep her happy. He tells the girl that her current living arrangements beat living on the streets and someday she should at least say thank you to him for giving her this chance. Suddenly he grabs her arm and demands to know what she has been doing to his property? He is referring to the peculiar scratch marks present on her left forearm. He is in the middle of demanding that she hand over whatever she is using to cut herself with when his phone rings. It is obvious to the girl that her pimp is making a business deal over the phone. He requests fancy diplomat plates in addition to the usual price. He assures the client that they only use the best homes and hangs up. He tells another girl to get her fat behind in gear and come over to him.
A young teenager with purple hair dressed in strapless low-cut, short, leather dress approaches him. She is eating chips. He gives her a slip of paper and tells her to get to the job quickly. She looks at the slip of paper with a shocked expression. She claims that this is the john that put her in the hospital last time she met him. The pimp apologizes to her saying that he would never put her in harm's way. She thanks her daddy. Suddenly, he slaps the chip bag out of her hands and asks her if he looks like he is running a charity organization. He grabs her by the throat, and tells her to never question him, and to always go where he sends her, the threat is heavily implied. He asks the scared teenager, who is now on the floor, if she has anything else to say because the customers are waiting. She replies no and picks herself up off the floor and leaves to do as she is told.
The darkhaired girl just sits on the couch and observes this rough treatment that her pimp hands out to another girl. She makes no attempt to help the girl as a look of horror slowly creeps across her face. Instead of slash marks as before, her forearm is now covered with X's.
East 25th Street, New York
Cameron Palmer’s kitchen. Much cleaner than it has been weeks. Kiden and her former teacher are eating chicken noodle soup at the table. Cameron tells Kiden that they need to talk. She tells Kiden that she appreciates her life being saved and Kiden staying until she is fully recovered, but soon she will be well and Kiden will have to go home. After all, her mother must be worried and the police must be searching for her. Kiden replies that she has just been away and its no big deal anyway. Cameron tells her she has been gone for over six months. Kiden tells Ms. Palmer that things are more complicated than they appear. Ms. Palmer states she is not the first teenager to ever run away from home. There is nothing she can say that she won’t understand. So, Kiden simply blurts out the truth and confides in Ms. Palmer that she is a mutant. Kiden looks serious and for a minute so does Ms. Palmer. The Ms. Palmer grabs her sides and bursts out laughing as if this is the first good joke she has heard in ages. Seeing Kiden's upset looks she apologizes and says that Kiden has been through a lot but it doesn't necessarily mean that she is a mutant. Kiden makes another attempt to explain herself and that she has been gone longer than six months. Ms. Palmer tells Kiden that she wants the truth and not a childish fantasy. Kiden reminds Ms. Palmer that she got shot because of her power. Ms. Palmer turns and tells her to never joke about that in a serious voice. Kiden tries to tell her former teacher that the bullet she took was meant for Kiden so it is Kiden's fault that her life fell apart. Kiden states that she showed up because she was told to get Ms. Palmer. Ms. Palmer angrily turns to Kiden to ask who told her? The only thing Kiden can tell her is that he told her to come to this address. This is too much for Ms. Palmer to take in one day; she runs into the bedroom and slams the door in Kidens face. Through the door, she asks Ms. Palmer how she thinks Kiden showed up at her front door?
Ms. Palmer takes a minute to compose herself before she opens the door. When she does, she wears a serious look on her face that stops Kiden short. Ms. Palmer tells Kiden that she is thankful but Kiden needs to give up the childish fantasies and return to her normal life right now. Kiden tries to explain that she can't but Ms. Palmer threatens to call Child Services and tell them where Kiden is. Kiden asks if this can wait till morning, Ms. Palmer tells her that the call can wait till morning but not any longer than that.
Hotel Brasil, 12:33 AM
Neon lights shine in the darkness through the motel window. They are reflected back in the pupil of a young teenage girl. The darkhaired teenager undresses herself slowly in front of the large mirror in the hotel room. She is in the middle of removing her bra when the man she was with before enters and tells her to keep it on for tonight. He claims that he missed her and wants to try something a little different tonight. He takes off his shirt revealing the healing scratch marks. In the small of his back, in the waistband of his pants, he reaches for, and pulls out, a knife. He tells her more than asks her that she does not mind at all. A look of horror crosses her face as realization of what he is about to do dawns on her.
East 25th Street, New York
Kiden is nestled comfortable on Ms. Palmers couch with a pillow and blanket. In her sleep she calls out the word "Daddy" over and over again. In her dream, her father is covered with blood from the gunshot wound that he has received; he sits up and tells her Hotel Brasil 202. She wakes screaming and then says "oh god, not again" to herself in a terror stricken tone of voice. She hears Ms. Palmer call her name as she hastily scribbles the address down using a felt tip marker and a note pad. Kiden does not reply to Ms. Palmers repeated questions, instead, she tears off the notepaper with the address written on it and leaves through the front door. Ms. Palmer arrives in the front room only to find Kiden is gone. She sits on the couch, formerly Kidens bed, and observes the bleed through onto the next sheet of paper from the felt tip pen. She can still faintly see the address that Kiden so hastily wrote only seconds before.
Hotel Brasil
Kiden rushes down the street and confirms the address by the glow of the neon lights. She brushes past a girl going in the opposite direction as she rushes up the stairs to the second floor. Kiden sees the hotel room door slightly ajar a goes to investigate as a cab drives up in the street below. Kiden does not see Ms. Palmer exit the cab and rush up the stairs behind her. Kiden is still standing at the door in shock at the scene of carnage before her as Ms. Palmer approaches and calls her name. Kiden does not respond, only points and Ms, Palmer steps closer until she can see the scene for herself.
The body immediately in front of them is of the man and is covered with blood. The bed is also soaked in blood. Still on the bed in bra, panties and fishnets, sits the darkhaired. A slightly shocked look on her face, two metal claws extended from her left hand. The metal claws are poised over fresh slash marks on her right forearm. All she says to her newly arrived visitors is the word "hi".
