Sal Darius vs. The One Kirsten Scott

[TheOne]

{NEHMIAH: Chapter 1}

When it comes to being a human being, everyone shares many of the same qualities of their personality.  Some are positive, some are negative, some are unique to the individual, but the one that cannot be argued that we all suffer from at some point in life, and it could be positive or negative, is naivety.

Many who are considered naive are often considered unintelligent, dumb, or having poor judgment, but the reality is, people are naive in their own ways.  Sometimes naivety comes from a complete lack of experience in a specific scenario, and on the surface, their understanding of the situation may be something completely different.  They may use the logic they have to come up with an answer to a "question" when others are sitting or standing there interpreting the situation completely differently...

Such was the case with the pizza place, and "The Oracle."

In her mind, she was there to order pizza.  She was there to simply order food and enjoy it, just like the rest of the population.  The others, however, began to look around, feel the room, and understand that that it wasn't going to be that easy.  Her naivety didn't stem from her having a lack of intelligence.  Hers stemmed from being locked up, being effectively incarcerated for the majority of her life, and not fully being able to understand the nuances of life outside of that "caged" environment.

But it proved that even those who can look "beneath the surface" of life, and give prophecies the like that have made her, arguably, a real-life fortune teller, even without her realization, we all have a sense of naivety inside of us.

Now when it came to Emma, hers didn't end there, but that moment did open her eyes enough to her own internal sense of naivety.  She started to realize that life wasn't what she thought, or even dreamed of.  It was it's entirely own "Bag" that she was going to have to carry around and slowly unpack, as time went on, depending on the moment.  She also realized she wouldn't be able to just assume that, her wish, her belief, her desire, to only see the good in people, was a reality that would not show her results that could eventually cause her to be disappointed in herself and others.

That's where this chapter, in our lives, however, gets it's reference.

Emma believes in humanity much more than people like myself or Hailey, as we have seen the utmost evil and greed in our own rights.  Instead, Emma sees almost the opposite.  She already sees the destruction around her and believes in the good to rebuild it better than ever.  But while this belief is something she holds tightly to her entire core of beliefs, she doesn't understand where the doom and gloom came from to begin with, especially when it surrounds Hailey, myself, her brother, and deep down, and most importantly, her...

On the outskirts of their hometown, on a small farm rental property, Ethan, Emma, Kirsten and Hailey have taken up residence to begin their full assimilation back into the society they once knew.  For Kirsten especially she wanted to re-acclimate herself to her hometown, but have some actual distance between her and her parents.  The strain put on their relationship from the raid at The Compound is so high, neither side has even made an attempt at contacting the other.  Kirsten is even unaware if her parents have been brought in for use in the case against The Prophets and others, and honestly, she doesn't care.

While the property gives the four people their own space, they have a communal space they spend most of their time, together.  Everyone enjoys one another's company, and on this day they all are in this space, with Ethan watching the television they have, Hailey on her phone scrolling through social media, and Kirsten in the kitchen doing one of the surprising things she finds cathartic, cooking for everyone.  As she is making dinner, Emma slowly slinks her way into the kitchen, worrying she may be interrupting Kirsten in her "happy place," but Kirsten is not oblivious and is quick to welcome The Oracle in.

Kirsten Scott: Hey Emma... What's up?

Emma Taylor: Kirsten... Can I talk to you a bit?

Kirsten Scott: Of course... Always... You OK?

Emma Taylor: Something has been on my mind, and... And I don't want to bug you about it when you're not wanting to talk about things but...

Kirsten slowly turns and looks at Emma with a smile.

Kirsten Scott: Hush...

Emma is a bit stunned, not knowing how to interpret Kirsten's directive.

Kirsten Scott: Emma... You are FREE to talk about anything, anytime, with anyone.  Including me.  I don't care what I am doing.  I don't care where I am.  None of us do.  You are free to speak your mind and, honestly, I could be asleep and you could wake me up and it'd be OK.  That's how we roll here... So seriously... Talk to me...

Emma looks down and smirks.  She realizes that she's not under the "control" of anyone.  It's a fault of hers, stemming from her past, and one that everyone is well aware of and are willing to handle with "kid gloves."

Emma Taylor: You're right... I'm sorry...

Kirsten shakes her head, going back to cooking, while listening.

Kirsten Scott: You have nothing to apologize for, so c'mon in, let's talk... Take a seat up there...

"The One" points at the counter behind her, and Emma, still with her youthful exuberance due to her playing catch-up with her emotional growth, hops up and sits on the counter.

Emma Taylor: Honestly... I want to talk about the other day at AJ's...

Kirsten Scott: Alright... What about it?  Not as good as you were hoping the pizza would be?

Emma Taylor: No... GOD no!  Food wise, I'd go there every day, but it gives Ethan the shits...

From the other room Ethan's voice can be heard bellowing.

Ethan Taylor: NOT MY FAULT I LIKE GARLIC THAT MUCH!

Hailey quickly chimes in.

Hailey Brooks: AAAAAnd let's file that under the TMI category...

Back in the kitchen both Emma dn Kirsten both laugh, as Emma continues.

Emma Taylor: No... What's been keeping me up at night is why everything happened like it did.  Why did the manager come at us so aggressively?  Why was he refusing us service at first?  Why did everyone look at me like I was some kind of "bad guy?"  We were just there to eat some food, and it felt like we had walked into an enemy's home and demanded them to do what we asked...

Kirsten Scott: Honestly, it's kind of complicated, you know...

Emma Taylor: No... I don't... I don't get why we were treated like that...

Kirsten stirs the pan, and tries to explain with her back to Emma.

Kirsten Scott: Emma, you do realize we aren't the most liked people in this area, right?

Emma Taylor: Well I figured people would be annoyed that they couldn't go do what they were doing without being caught, but I didn't figure that was something they'd take out on us.

Kirsten Scott: Emma, it's not that simple.  We brought The Compound down.  We were the ones that caused them to be, effectively, revealed, to the rest of the world as people who would go to a sex club and just fuck whoever they wanted.  That's a world that usually operates with a level of secrecy.  What The Compound turned into was one that had its grip so far deep in the society we live in now, that it isn't just a website of people who want to fuck others.  Instead it was something that was being protected by the police and officials in town.  What we did exposed a lot of people to some major humiliation that will ruin their lives.  And while we know why we did what we did, they don't.  They don't know what made us willing to try and ruin so many lives.  They figure we were given some form of gain from it in a way that makes us dangerous to society, still to this day...

Emma Taylor: I just don't get why people would be so hateful to others, regardless of who they are... It's a damn pizza place, you know?

Kirsten takes a deep breath and turns around to look at Emma.

Kirsten Scott: Sadly it comes down to three people  Your parents, and myself.  And it comes down to what we did to factor into the equation as a whole.  For me, I was the gatekeeper.  I was the one who everyone saw everyday they would go in and out.  I was the "protector" of their identities and their information and I betrayed that.  They don't quite understand the why I did what I did.  But that will come out in the trials and the testimony, and the truth will make people realize I did what I did for you and Ethan's safety.  Well strike that... Hailey and I did what we did...

From the other side of the room Hailey claps back.

Hailey Brooks: Goddamn right you better give me my kudos!

Both Emma and Kirsten smirk.

Kirsten Scott: ... But people think I did everything I did selfishly.  They don't realize I didn't get anything out of it, and none of us really did.  Yeah, I grabbed some of the stashes of cash they had, and I told the feds I did so we could survive.  It was chump change compared to what they were going after the real bad guys for... And sadly, that was your parents.  Your parents did a lot to hurt and scare people in this community far worse than you'll ever probably understand.  And that will be because I will never say everything I know to you.  You were traumatized enough.  They abused you.

People don't know that, though...

All they know is of the "majestic" Oracle, who some think I now captured for my own benefit.  They don't realize what we all did to get us ALL out of that situation, and honestly, I leave it alone.  If they are so hung up on the idea of "The One" kidnapping "The Oracle," let them file some kind of lawsuit, and it be dismissed as fast as they filed it.  Because they truth is, the courts know.

They don't...

So people think I manipulated you and coerced you to come with me for my personal gain.  I'm the bad guy.  I'm the one who everyone sees as "evil" because they don't know what your parents did to them, in order to extort them for money.

Emma Taylor: But... They saw us turn them in, didn't they?

Kirtsen sighs.

Kirsten Scott: Humanity isn't as easy as you'd want to believe, Emma.  PEOPLE, as a whole, aren't as simple as that.  They see things and allow manipulation to drive their belief system.  Be it by religion, money, ideology, whatever.  People let themselves find those who tell them what they want to hear and they follow it.  It's a weakness we all have, including me, including you, including Hailey, and including Ethan.  We are all naive in our own way.

I was naive thinking that if I achieved the goal Hailey set forth, and became "The One," I could make The Compound a place that was less of a cesspool than it was.  And I was wrong.  I was assimilated into it, until I saw what they did to you and I was shocked to the core of what I waa supporting.  These people, they haven't been shocked to that core because they haven't heard everything about you, and about what their scheme was.  To them, it was still just a place for them to be swingers.  It wasn't a place where they were constantly extorted for money in various ways.  But that will come in time.

But with you... You're not like the rest of the world.  And I want you to know that.  You see the positive in those who look at us negatively.  You don't see a manager who is looking at me because he paid his fee to get his rocks off with someone else's wife, while they watched.  You see the manager of a pizza place.  You see the soul of the person that I see the facade of.  And like me, he sees "The One," and not Kirsten Scott, who is there just to eat.

You see past that...

You always see the good...

But one thing you need to understand is that everyone else doesn't have your gift.  They don't have the ability to see the good in everyone.  People tend to believe that everyone is selfish and out for their own gain.  The way politics, religion, and ideological dividing have the world thinking has many at the point they're assuming the worst, and expecting the least.  That's why at first, he wanted us to leave.  He thought I was there on some mission.  He didn't believe I'd be bringing you to a public setting without the desire to use you.  People are simplistic.  He was simplistic.  When he heard you speak, when he heard us all speak, and reiterate that all we wanted was food and no trouble, his view of reality began to change.  When he saw us not cause problems, not be awkward, enjoy our meal, and leave, we changed one person.

We won a battle...

So going forward, we have to think that way because we are going to inevitably be met with resistance.  People are going to want to say "no shoes, no shirt, no service," as a means to kick us out.  But we have to show we respect them, express our desires, and try and hope for the best.  Because the more people we can convince we aren't the "bad guy," the more people will tell their friends, and let me tell you this... The word of mouth is more powerful than the "proof is in the pudding" that we can provide...

Emma smiles, understanding what Kirsten is saying, but without missing a beat, reverts the focus back to what Kirsten has said, reality...

Emma Taylor: Your sauce is burning...

Kirsten turns around quickly.

Kirsten Scott: FUCK!

Everyone begins to chuckle hearing Kirsten's immediate change from "prophet," in her own right, to worried cook about the sauce for the meal she was making her friends/family.  Emma jumps off of the counter and walks up behind the woman she looks upon as the "big sister she always dreamed of" and hugs her.  Kirsten pauses briefly, realizing the moment, and then immediately goes back to trying to save the sauce she had worked on from breaking.  Emma leaves, and everyone goes back to doing their own thing, waiting for dinner to be ready.

In Emma's mind, she now sees things in a new light.  She is starting to understand that people may not view them as the "good guys" until everything comes to light, and she is OK with the waiting game in the process.  For now, though, she is happy that she has a group of people around her who don't hide the world from her and let her realize that everything is not perfect, but instead riddled with questions, concerns, sadness, and anger, allowing her to see things even more clearly than she was in the beginning.