The OA (2016–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Homecoming - full transcript
After 7 years missing, a blind girl, Prairie, is found and can now see. She also says her name is The OA, and a lot more mysteries surround her.
Mom, Mom! That lady--
She's fine. See? She's okay.
- She's going to the other side.
- No, no. God!
Don't! Oh--
- Don't look!
- She let go.
Blink twice if you can hear me.
-How long have I been out?
-Three days.
Did I flatline?
No, sweetheart.
You're gonna be all right.
Are you sure?
Did you read the ambulance record?
I did not, but it's in your chart.
You have severe hypothermia
and you're in shock.
If you didn't hit feet first,
you would have smashed up your insides
like hitting concrete.
You got lucky.
What's your name?
Do you have family in the area?
We need to contact them ASAP.
Do you want these--
No, no, no, don't touch. No touching.
Okay. No touching.
Can you tell me...
how you got those scars?
At least tell me your name.
Who are you?
I'm Alice, honey.
I'm a nurse at St. Louis Hospital.
What's your name?
I'm the OA.
Really? That's funny.
Uh, Ron...
My cell is ringing.
Just... hold on a second.
Eat before it gets cold.
Hello? Hello?
Oh, uh, Erica,
I'm just talking to my brother.
-Can I--
-Nancy, you gotta get on YouTube.
-Okay? Can you do that?
-Yeah, of course I know YouTube.
What...
Well, what makes you think that?
Uh...
Okay, I sent you an email with a link.
- Nance?
You got it?
Abel!
- Mom, Mom!
- She's fine.
- Abel!
- She's okay.
- She's going to the other side.
- Oh-- Don't look!
-As her legal guardian--
-Yeah, I understand. I understand.
I talked to the hospital lawyers.
She simply isn't responding
to the name you gave.
Well, we know what she looks like.
I should warn you,
she's in a very fractured mental state.
Agitated.
Kept trying to get to
the computers in the ICU.
If she is, in fact, who you think she is,
you should know...
she has very unusual scarring on her back.
The nurse said it's difficult to look at.
She won't talk to anyone,
including the police, about what happened.
It's our professional opinion
that she be committed to in-patient care.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
Can we just see our daughter, please?
Who are these people?
Mom?
Prairie?
Prairie?
Prairie?
I don't understand.
She's our daughter, Prairie,
but she's never seen us before.
Seven years ago,
when she went missing...
she was blind.
- Is this it?
- It is.
You're home.
All these cars...
I guess someone's having a party.
Oh, dear God.
How did they...
Well, let's get inside.
I should reverse.
You can't...
You can't reverse now.
Don't worry, sweetheart,
they're-they're just happy...
- Back up, please. Back off.
- ...that you're home safe.
Thank you.
Back out of the way.
You might remember
when Prairie Johnson disappeared
-seven years ago...
-Give us some room, please.
...she was blind.
Now reportedly she can see.
They're already calling her
the Michigan Miracle.
Oh, here she is. Prairie! Prairie!
We're so... we're so happy you're home.
Let us see your face.
Prairie, Prairie, is it...
is it true you can see?
Prairie, how did this happen?
Welcome home, Prairie!
That is not your name.
- Prairie is not your name.
- Back off. Thank you.
Over here, take a right.
We're so happy you're home safe.
- Step coming up. Step.
- Let us see your eyes, Prairie.
-Prairie, who took you?
-Nancy?
Abel, do you think it was a miracle?
Yes, it's true,
our daughter can now see.
We found out yesterday.
Thank you!
I was on the task force
that led the investigation
when you went missing.
I... am very, very glad to meet you.
Thank you.
So, we're just gonna
ask you some questions
and you do the best you can, okay?
So, do you remember any of the events
that led up to your disappearance?
I remember everything.
Specifically, do you remember
the night that you disappeared?
I didn't disappear.
I was present for all of it.
All seven years, three months, 11 days.
Sorry--
No, no, no, you're okay.
Maybe it would be better
if we try to work this backwards.
Let's start with the bridge.
Do you remember how you got there?
I walked, um, for a long time.
Maybe...
maybe days from...
I don't know where. Nowhere.
Until I got to a road
and I tried to get a ride.
And finally an old woman
in a dusty car picked me up.
What was her name? Where was this?
She-- She brought me to a place.
There were a lot of people there.
All-- All of them were lost.
A shelter?
Uh, I don't know.
Did you tell them who you were,
or where you'd been,
or that you wanted to go home?
I told them that I needed to leave,
so they let me go.
And I just kept walking.
Trying to... get back.
Home?
To where you'd been held captive?
But I knew that they were gone.
The other captives?
When-- When you say gone,
do you mean dead?
Um...
Is that why you attempted
to end your life at the bridge?
- That's not what I was doing.
- But you jumped.
I was trying to get back to them to--
I was trying to get help in order--
You could've called the police
from the shelter. They could've helped.
That wouldn't--
That wouldn't have helped.
Okay, we're just trying to follow.
So, they're not dead?
We all died more times than I can count.
I think that's enough for now.
Your daughter's still immersed
in her experience, which is normal.
It's just best if we try again
in a week or so.
If she were the perpetrator,
we could push it.
But you can't make a victim talk.
Homer.
Welcome to OS Ten.
- Voiceover is on.
Launch Safari.
You are not connected to the Internet.
Finder menu.
The selected AirPort network "Johnson"
requires a password.
Password.
"Prairie" failure to authenticate.
Password, password. Where is it?
Where is it?
She's sleeping.
- She's been doing this for a couple of--
Can't sleep either?
I bet...
I bet no one's around outside now.
-Hmm?
-Mmm-hmm.
I know that these things take time,
and there's no rush...
but I really need to know something.
How can you see?
Can you tell me?
No.
I can't.
Do you remember
when they were building these?
It was gonna be the new Crestwood.
Crestwood View.
Then they ran out of money to finish.
Always gives me a weird feeling.
How'd all this stuff get way back here?
Wait, wait. Watch this.
Sick.
Whoa!
Yo, it's her.
Shit, dude.
I think that's Prairie Johnson.
-I don't think I can cum again.
-Oh.
I think I bit my lip.
You get blood on my dick?
No, asshole.
You like that video Jesse made?
Yeah, the stunts are cool.
You got skills.
Whoa! How did you guys
film the blind girl?
-She's not blind anymore.
-That's insane.
- Remember when she went missing?
- Yeah.
We weren't allowed to go outside
for, like, three years.
Hey, don't go yet. It's early.
Let's watch some stuff in bed.
Steve, you have a really nice body
and you smell good,
but this isn't a thing.
It's chill.
There's someone else
I'm into anyway, too.
Who are you into?
This guy in chorus.
You wouldn't know him.
Chorus?
Aren't they all, like, gay?
Steve, I don't have to tell you shit
and you don't have to tell me shit, okay?
Let's just let fucking be fucking.
Why is there a hole in my wall?
-Steve?
-Yeah.
That teacher, what was her name,
Broderick-Allen?
She emailed.
She used the word "bully."
Sounds like you haven't been
keeping your promises to me.
Fix it.
Do you remember the night
we pretended we were in real beds
and we described them to each other?
I'm in a real bed...
but I haven't slept a single night
apart from you.
I'm scared, Homer.
There are moments
when I think I made you up.
That's why I need to see you.
To be sure you're real.
I didn't leave you behind.
I would never.
I am coming for you.
Good morning, sweetheart.
Good morning.
You said you'd get me
the password for the Wi-Fi.
About that...
Uh...
"Phone and Internet use
should be monitored."
It's-- It's for your own safety.
It's from the hospital in St. Louis.
Um, they go on with,
"Doors should remain open at all times."
I think that's excessive.
Why don't we just go with
not locking doors?
All right, honey?
Of those, more than
200,000 are abducted by family members.
Only an estimated 115 are the victims
of kidnapping cases
like Elizabeth Smart's.
Can this girl go back to being
a normal human being,
or is there always a part
of your experiences...
Hey. Hey...
Do you have Wi-Fi?
Uh... there's, uh,
there's no electricity here.
But you live in the neighborhood.
Could I get your password?
Our Internet's down. It's important.
I don't know.
Maybe ask upstairs.
I can't skip hormones week to week.
- I'm counting on you, Steve.
- This is business.
All right, don't waste my time.
There's a ton of people
who'll buy this shit if you don't.
You want it or not?
Give me the Demerol, instead.
What the fuck? Who said you could
come into this house and film me?
-It's not on. I'm not recording.
-No, like fuck it's not.
You're Prairie Johnson, aren't you?
I'm the OA.
What kind of a name is that?
I need Internet.
Will you give me your password,
or the password for one of the houses
next door to me?
What's this look like to you,
a Starbucks?
Not my problem. Get out.
-Give me a password and I'll go.
-No, I don't owe you shit, bitch.
Now leave or you're dog food.
-Give me my camera.
-This is my camera now.
Tax for your interruption.
Yo, I don't need news vans and cops
all over this neighborhood.
I'm warning you.
Attack!
Aah!
Stop, stop!
Don't you dare, Buck!
Oh, my God.
What the fuck?
Don't bite my dog!
You're good.
You're okay.
Wait.
How did you get your sight?
Come on, boy.
Yo, Axel, come on.
Come on.
Crazy fuck.
You can't just disappear like that,
Prairie. You scared us.
Please don't call me that.
What am I supposed to do?
Help me a little.
You-- You won't talk to the FBI...
but you...
you won't talk to me either. I...
I read about trauma online.
I know that--
It would help if you would
let me go online.
To find Homer?
You watched my video?
Well, to try to help you.
-Are you hearing voices again?
-I'm not hearing anything!
When you were a little girl
first learning how to cane...
you got too confident too fast.
You decided to run.
You smacked into the edge of a wall
and split your forehead open.
Do you remember that?
I... I know that you're not
my flesh and blood...
but when that happened...
I knew that you were my daughter.
Because I felt it.
I felt like I got hit by that wall, too.
It's what I feel like now.
This is strange... for both of us.
You've got these--
But you're... you're not a stranger.
Mom, please.
It's not that I don't want to tell you.
I want to...
It's that it would hurt me to hurt you.
And it would hurt you.
Just give me some time.
Watch it.
Come on. Hey. He's not worth it.
Yo, dude! Stop!
Man, I heard you singing in there.
Like... whoa!
Hey, you and your mom
just moved into Crestwood, right?
What's your name?
Miles.
-I gotta run.
-Man, what are you gonna do with that?
You could be, like, famous.
I don't really want to talk to you.
What?
You made fun of one of my friends
for being gay,
and now you hear me sing
and it's, like, all good?
-It's not like American Idol, like...
-Uh-huh.
-Not in a mean way, but...
-I get it. Relax, man.
Hey, Miles?
I feel something forming.
Not a plan, but...
a feeling.
I met this boy and I think he has
something to do with it.
I keep trying to imagine you at his age.
Sixteen, seventeen.
Please.
What you up to, crazy?
Looks weird in here.
I got a mobile router.
Just hook it up to your laptop,
bam, it's connected, and paid for.
- Oh, my God.
- You want me to set it up?
Yeah.
So, uh, I was thinking...
have you ever seen
Strangers on a Train?
No.
Basically, it's like,
if people don't know you're connected...
then they can't figure out
the crimes you do for each other.
Thought I'd help you out
and you could help me out.
I do need help.
Good.
-You gonna plug that in?
-Oh.
You're crazy.
All right.
Where's your mouse?
You use this.
-And then, right here...
-All right, yeah.
-Enter.
-I got it. I got it.
Launch Safari. Search YouTube.
- A-S-H-E-V.
So, that's the trouble
we need to get me out of.
Move, move, move.
My dad wants to send me to Asheville
to get, like... straightened out.
No one really goes there voluntarily,
if you know what I mean.
- Gentle.
- Mom!
- Don't hurt him. I'm sorry.
- Mom! Mama!
Keep it going, man.
Go, go, go.
Don't hurt him, please.
- Mom!
- I'll help you.
But I have conditions.
I need five people.
And I need them to be strong like you are,
and flexible and brave.
And I need to use the abandoned house
as a meeting place.
-Sure. Whatever you want.
-And no touching.
I don't like to be touched.
No touching. No big deal.
You'll really do all that?
Well, Strangers on a Train.
That's the idea.
But you gotta keep your end first.
Okay.
-So, what happened?
-Nothing. Doesn't matter.
She said she likes some guy in chorus.
Come on.
Well, it's okay.
You don't want to go there
until your invisible self
is more developed anyway.
What?
You know, your... longings,
the desires you don't tell anyone about.
I was just starting to think
you were okay, but you blew it.
You spend a lot of time
on the visible you. It's impressive.
But she probably thinks
the invisible you is missing.
I have desires. I work hard.
I'm not gonna learn Chinese tomorrow
and be, like, a CEO or some shit.
But I want stuff.
Like what?
You know, to be somebody.
I have ambitions.
I'm gonna be a trainer to celebrities.
I'll have my own show,
my own line of equipment.
Me and Jesse have
a YouTube channel already.
That's stuff on the outside, though.
What about the stuff on the inside?
Who the fuck asked you, crazy?
You're a grown-up who still lives
at your parents'
and tried to kill yourself.
Attention, shoppers.
Take advantage of our home sale.
You can save 40-50% off...
Let's just say this girl
was worried about my invisible side...
Which she's not,
'cause she just likes to fuck.
But say she was...
How do I, like, show her I got it?
Ugh! Yo, be gentle with that shit, OA.
Maybe try closing your eyes.
Just more often or...
Being blind was powerful.
It made me listen.
And it made people
underestimate me.
Boring.
Yeah. It's boring... at first.
You gotta do a grown-up hairdo.
Oh, hey, don't I know you?
Yeah.
I'm a parent.
I'm sorry. I have a meeting.
Uh, I think I am your meeting.
I'm expecting Mr. Winchell.
We've been speaking.
I'm, uh, Steve's stepmother.
Oh, of course.
Have a seat.
Well, I'm not calling this meeting
to blame you or your husband.
I'm calling this meeting
to let you know that your son,
your husband's son,
has become such a problem
that I'm asking the school board
for his immediate expulsion.
Oh, um...
Could you explain the problem?
I think it should be obvious
from my probation letter, but if I must...
I'm here to teach
the kids that want to learn,
the kids that have a desire
to better themselves.
And if a disruptive, violent,
and frankly, terrible student
causes me problems, that's fine.
I can handle that.
But when he costs the hardworking students
their right to an education,
that's when I say no more.
I think he has real psychological issues.
Well, it's not really a measure
of mental health to be well-adjusted
in a society that's very sick.
That's a very clever
bumper sticker, Mrs. Winchell,
but I'm going to remove your son
from this school.
Right.
What was your first reason?
I'm sorry?
Why did you become a teacher?
-This isn't about me.
-But it is.
It's about you and Steve,
and the play, cast of two,
setting, classroom,
over many dimensions through time.
I don't follow.
Maybe Steve can't learn
because you lost track of your reason.
-Oh, God, this is ridiculous.
-Betty...
Maybe I can help you remember.
You lost someone.
Someone important to you.
I lost someone important to me, too.
-Who'd you lose?
-My patience if you don't stop.
Was it your first love? Or a parent?
Someone you loved young?
A sibling?
Look, you want to talk turkey?
Your sociopath of a son
punched a kid in the throat.
The victim didn't report it
because he feared reprisal.
That boy has a lacerated trachea
and is unable to sing at Nationals.
So, I don't give a crap
where the violence comes from and why.
I don't want it in my school.
No, you're right. Sorry, you're right.
You're right. This dimension
is crumbling to violence and pettiness
and greed, and Steve is sensitive enough
to feel it and he's angry.
He's angry and he's lost.
And in order to find him,
you'd have to teach yourself again,
and you decided somewhere along the way
that you were done learning.
It's... it's too painful to stay open.
Well, I think we all face the same
hopelessness, Mrs. Winchell.
It's what we decide to do with it.
You're right. So what are you gonna do?
If you want to do your job,
expel the bully.
Focus on the kid who sings like an angel
even though he doesn't need you.
If you want to be a teacher, teach Steve.
He's the boy you can help become a man.
He's the one you lost.
He's your first reason.
I didn't catch your first name,
Mrs. Winchell.
I'm the OA.
Okay, a show of hands...
A story of a shocking miracle
emerged from Jefferson City today.
Last fall,
Pershing College's star quarterback
was expected to bring Missouri
the championship title
until a near fatal accident on the field
left him paralyzed and locked in a coma.
He ain't movin'.
And as they held hands
around their son's dying body,
a miracle happened. He woke up.
You had what they call
a near-death experience?
Yeah, I flatlined, uh,
after the accident, at the hospital.
So, you know what it's like to die?
Um...
Yes, I... I guess I do. Um...
But I'm back now.
And I'm not...
I'm not leaving the championship game
on a stretcher this year.
- Atta boy.
- I'm leaving with that ring.
Homer...
Homer, where are you?
Prairie,
there's an important phone call for you.
I can't talk right now.
I think you should. It's the FBI.
Hello?
That was like
the Spanish Inquisition.
Um, would you mind if I talked on my own?
-Of course.
-Thank you.
Thanks.
It was like
Invaders of the Body Snatchers.
Broderick-Allen is a different person.
Listen, I need five people,
and I need them tonight.
We have to get started
because it's gonna take some time.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Chill.
What are you talking about?
Strangers on the Train. You owe me.
They need to be strong
and they need to be flexible like you are.
-Why? What for?
-I didn't ask you questions, did I?
No, you were cool.
Midnight, at the abandoned house.
And everybody needs to leave
their front door open. That's important.
I always forget how crazy you are.
Nobody is doing that.
-That's how you get your shit stolen.
-Steve...
Look, I've got something
going tonight, all right?
And with the router, I...
I think we're pretty even.
Steve, you punched a kid in the throat.
You didn't tell me that.
Look, I'm at the end of a rope
I should've fallen off of a long time ago.
And I need to help someone.
It's a long shot, but you're strong,
that's why I chose you.
I chose you, crazy.
You sure about that?
Midnight. Five people.
You gave me your word.
All right.
Yeah, don't have a panic attack.
Um, Mr. Winchell?
-Yes, yes, Mrs...
-Uh, Broderick-Allen.
Yes. Nice to see you.
Yeah, I wouldn't have stopped you,
I don't like to talk to parents
unless it's in the classroom,
but I wanted to tell you,
I think she's a unique woman.
And I think she's gonna turn
Steve's life around.
And I want you to know
I'm committed to help.
That girl, his girlfriend?
No, no. Uh, your, your new wife.
-His what?
-The new Mrs. Winchell.
I'm Mrs. Winchell.
Nancy, Abel,
it's the Winchells.
Now's not the best time.
Prairie's taking a nap.
Oh, I bet she is. Uh...
-We need to talk, Nancy.
-Oh, come in.
Children should
not be exposed to someone
capable of identity theft.
Prairie suffered
a very traumatic experience--
And we've been with you
every step of the way.
But if she's coercing our kids...
Your son is 17, not seven.
And it was
his parent-teachers' conference.
Steve?
I already told you at home.
Tell us again.
She wanted Internet.
And she just came up with the idea.
Said it was a fair trade for a router.
It's no big deal.
She was looking for someone named Homer.
We've been neighbors for years.
You were here for Prairie's homecoming.
Makes no sense your coming over here
slinging accusations.
And we have nothing
but admiration for you and Nancy...
I need help.
What she's doing is disturbing.
She's a grown woman pursuing a boy.
She is not thinking like an adult.
You're in denial, Nancy.
What if this becomes sexual?
-That's a crime.
-Are you kidding me?
First, I have a girlfriend.
And second, this is about just...
just friends.
She doesn't have any friends
and I'm being a friend. That's it.
All this sick weird shit's
coming from your brains.
- Jesus, Steven--
- She impersonated me.
Because I asked her to.
'Cause I wanted someone on my fucking side
for once. And guess what?
It actually helped.
Come on, come on, come on, come on,
come on, come on, come on.
You did say, Abel,
the doctors in St. Louis
recommended that she be committed.
You... you talked about that?
They were wrong.
But if the doctors are saying
she needs serious help--
She needs to be home... with us.
And not to be attacked by people who lack
compassion and... and understanding.
Oh, we understand
what it's like to struggle with a child.
We're sending Steve away
to get the help he needs.
Until then, keep her away from him.
Please don't take the camera.
Prairie, I know it's hard,
but it's for the best.
We-- We should have followed the hospital
guidelines from the beginning
to keep you safe.
What am I supposed to do? ID parents?
She's disturbed.
Do you know how I know? Those eyes.
Besides that, she lies.
Oh. Okay, sure.
Yeah, see you tomorrow.
I need help.
I need to--
I need help.
I need to cross a border
that's hard to define.
Maybe you know what I'm talking about?
Or you don't, but... you feel it.
Because you've felt other borders,
like youth and adulthood, maybe.
I can't change your fate...
but I can help you meet it.
We begin our journey
to the border tonight. Midnight.
The unfinished house
at the edge of Crestwood View.
Don't come unless you leave
your front door open.
You have to invite me in.
Michelle, you hungry?
You want me to warm up the spaghetti?
No, I'm just grabbing my textbook
from downstairs. I'm fine.
Okay.
12:20 AM.
Hey, you wanna drink a 40?
Hey, deadbeat.
Hey yourself.
-Heard you punched Miles Brekov.
-From who?
Did you do that because of me?
You really think the world
revolves around you, don't you?
Hey, I'm not the one
drinking alone with my dog.
Oh, please tell me, Jaye,
what should I be doing, huh?
Whoever you did it for,
it's gonna get you kicked out of school.
Was that the plan all along?
Self-destruct?
You really like to kick a guy
when he's down.
Come on, get in.
Chris is having a thing.
Oh, come on, buddy.
Why didn't you want to be my girlfriend?
You're drunk.
Oh, come on.
Look, I'm leaving anyway.
You said you like how I smell.
I wanna get good at sex.
This has been practice.
One day I will fall in love,
and when that happens, I'll be ready.
-That's messed up.
-You're an asshole.
I see you looking at yourself
when we're having sex.
This isn't just about me for you, either.
What?
Fucking invisible self.
How many of those have you had?
Look, I'll spend the night tonight, okay?
If you don't want to be alone?
Yo, this is my house. Pull over.
You're right. I am an asshole.
Yo, keep the 40!
Bye!
Hey, don't turn
the lights out on us, crazy.
Look, my parents flipped.
I'm getting Asheville.
It could be tonight,
it could be next week.
- I'm here anyway, right?
- Right.
But I can't.
Oh, come on, OA. Don't hold a grudge.
I need at least five. I told you.
- We are five.
- Not including me.
Look, just include yourself
and let's get going already.
Okay, what exactly is it
that we're doing here?
I need to... go somewhere,
and I think that you can
help me get there.
But I'll need to leave
something important behind,
and it only works if there are five.
Yo, I'm tired of all this shit, OA. I'm...
Huh.
I left my door open.
I'm gonna tell you
my story from the beginning.
And there will come a point
when you'll see why you're here...
what you might do together,
how you could help people
that you'll never meet.
But you have to pretend to trust me
until you actually do.
I want you to close your eyes.
I want you to imagine
everything I tell you
as if you're there yourself.
As if you're with me.
As if you are me.
Close them.
I imagine with my eyes open.
Okay.
Could you close them for me then?
I was born in Russia, in 1987.
What?
Come on.
My father was a very wealthy man.
He ran a mining company.
He took precious metals out of the ground.
We were always being watched,
because he'd made
so much money so quickly.
And at that time,
if you had that kind of money,
you paid some of it to the Voi.
We lived in a secret enclave
just outside Moscow
with many of the other recent rich.
And the snow was seven feet high,
but you could still make out
many big houses
behind big gates lost in the white.
You asked me how I got my sight.
The better story
is how I lost it in the first place.
I was not born blind.
I remember the bright colored domes
of Saint Basil's Cathedral,
the gray waters of the Moskva River.
Our town was built on the fall.
Each house was a new fortune.
There was the man who drilled oil,
the man who dug coal,
the man who made cable.
I grew up with the sons and daughters
of these oligarchs.
My mother died in childbirth.
It was just my father and I
in a big, lonely house.
I suffered from things then.
Dreams.
They had smells in them
and sounds that were sharper than life.
In one of them,
I'm trapped in an aquarium,
- and I can't breathe, I can't get out.
- Nina!
Papa.
Papa!
Papa!
Nina.
Papa!
It came again. The same again.
I'm underwater and I see
the floating crayons and I can't breathe.
It's just a dream, my little cabbage.
A fantasy.
No. I felt it just like
I feel you pinching my nose.
Cancel this afternoon.
Move everything to this evening.
We are going to get rid of this nightmare.
Stop here.
Keep the car warm.
Come on, cabbage.
Nina.
Papa, it's too cold. I can't.
What's the only way to fight cold?
Become colder than it is.
My father taught me
about bravery that day.
That night, it was so cold,
one of our horses froze to death.
But the dreams of the aquarium
never came back.
Months passed.
My nose didn't bleed once.
I had started school now.
All the kids in the neighborhood
were picked up on a special bus.
I was always first.
I felt something
in the pit of my stomach...
like the eggs
were sitting there stuck, unbroken.
I felt like I wanted to get off that bus.
Yeah, but I didn't like it.
It made you think too much about death.
Like when the boy shoots himself.
Yeah, like one day you are here,
and then suddenly you aren't here.
You aren't anywhere.
Did you see it, Ninny?
I think you are always somewhere.
What's wrong with your nose?
Oh, it's nothing.
There is a light beneath us.
Maybe one of the windows is broken.
If we swim deep,
maybe we could make it out.
Nina! Nina!
We were a message, see?
From the Voi to our parents.
And the message said,
"You are powerful businessmen to be sure,
but you are not all-powerful."
The youngest sons and daughters of every
Russian scion was on that bus that day.
They all died. Every single one of them.
Including me.
I couldn't tell if I was
inside the earth or above it.
Why was the dark so dazzling?
Nina.
Do you want to go back?
You will know great love...
but it will be very hard.
You will suffer.
Me?
I want you to stay here.
Back.
Then...
I will take your eyes.
Because I cannot bear for you
to see what lies ahead.
It's too horrible.
Papa.
I could feel his cheek
against mine. It was cold.
And I could hear his breath.
And though my eyes were wide open...
it was black.
I said, "Papa..."
I can't see.
"I can't see anything at all."
She's fine. See? She's okay.
- She's going to the other side.
- No, no. God!
Don't! Oh--
- Don't look!
- She let go.
Blink twice if you can hear me.
-How long have I been out?
-Three days.
Did I flatline?
No, sweetheart.
You're gonna be all right.
Are you sure?
Did you read the ambulance record?
I did not, but it's in your chart.
You have severe hypothermia
and you're in shock.
If you didn't hit feet first,
you would have smashed up your insides
like hitting concrete.
You got lucky.
What's your name?
Do you have family in the area?
We need to contact them ASAP.
Do you want these--
No, no, no, don't touch. No touching.
Okay. No touching.
Can you tell me...
how you got those scars?
At least tell me your name.
Who are you?
I'm Alice, honey.
I'm a nurse at St. Louis Hospital.
What's your name?
I'm the OA.
Really? That's funny.
Uh, Ron...
My cell is ringing.
Just... hold on a second.
Eat before it gets cold.
Hello? Hello?
Oh, uh, Erica,
I'm just talking to my brother.
-Can I--
-Nancy, you gotta get on YouTube.
-Okay? Can you do that?
-Yeah, of course I know YouTube.
What...
Well, what makes you think that?
Uh...
Okay, I sent you an email with a link.
- Nance?
You got it?
Abel!
- Mom, Mom!
- She's fine.
- Abel!
- She's okay.
- She's going to the other side.
- Oh-- Don't look!
-As her legal guardian--
-Yeah, I understand. I understand.
I talked to the hospital lawyers.
She simply isn't responding
to the name you gave.
Well, we know what she looks like.
I should warn you,
she's in a very fractured mental state.
Agitated.
Kept trying to get to
the computers in the ICU.
If she is, in fact, who you think she is,
you should know...
she has very unusual scarring on her back.
The nurse said it's difficult to look at.
She won't talk to anyone,
including the police, about what happened.
It's our professional opinion
that she be committed to in-patient care.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
Can we just see our daughter, please?
Who are these people?
Mom?
Prairie?
Prairie?
Prairie?
I don't understand.
She's our daughter, Prairie,
but she's never seen us before.
Seven years ago,
when she went missing...
she was blind.
- Is this it?
- It is.
You're home.
All these cars...
I guess someone's having a party.
Oh, dear God.
How did they...
Well, let's get inside.
I should reverse.
You can't...
You can't reverse now.
Don't worry, sweetheart,
they're-they're just happy...
- Back up, please. Back off.
- ...that you're home safe.
Thank you.
Back out of the way.
You might remember
when Prairie Johnson disappeared
-seven years ago...
-Give us some room, please.
...she was blind.
Now reportedly she can see.
They're already calling her
the Michigan Miracle.
Oh, here she is. Prairie! Prairie!
We're so... we're so happy you're home.
Let us see your face.
Prairie, Prairie, is it...
is it true you can see?
Prairie, how did this happen?
Welcome home, Prairie!
That is not your name.
- Prairie is not your name.
- Back off. Thank you.
Over here, take a right.
We're so happy you're home safe.
- Step coming up. Step.
- Let us see your eyes, Prairie.
-Prairie, who took you?
-Nancy?
Abel, do you think it was a miracle?
Yes, it's true,
our daughter can now see.
We found out yesterday.
Thank you!
I was on the task force
that led the investigation
when you went missing.
I... am very, very glad to meet you.
Thank you.
So, we're just gonna
ask you some questions
and you do the best you can, okay?
So, do you remember any of the events
that led up to your disappearance?
I remember everything.
Specifically, do you remember
the night that you disappeared?
I didn't disappear.
I was present for all of it.
All seven years, three months, 11 days.
Sorry--
No, no, no, you're okay.
Maybe it would be better
if we try to work this backwards.
Let's start with the bridge.
Do you remember how you got there?
I walked, um, for a long time.
Maybe...
maybe days from...
I don't know where. Nowhere.
Until I got to a road
and I tried to get a ride.
And finally an old woman
in a dusty car picked me up.
What was her name? Where was this?
She-- She brought me to a place.
There were a lot of people there.
All-- All of them were lost.
A shelter?
Uh, I don't know.
Did you tell them who you were,
or where you'd been,
or that you wanted to go home?
I told them that I needed to leave,
so they let me go.
And I just kept walking.
Trying to... get back.
Home?
To where you'd been held captive?
But I knew that they were gone.
The other captives?
When-- When you say gone,
do you mean dead?
Um...
Is that why you attempted
to end your life at the bridge?
- That's not what I was doing.
- But you jumped.
I was trying to get back to them to--
I was trying to get help in order--
You could've called the police
from the shelter. They could've helped.
That wouldn't--
That wouldn't have helped.
Okay, we're just trying to follow.
So, they're not dead?
We all died more times than I can count.
I think that's enough for now.
Your daughter's still immersed
in her experience, which is normal.
It's just best if we try again
in a week or so.
If she were the perpetrator,
we could push it.
But you can't make a victim talk.
Homer.
Welcome to OS Ten.
- Voiceover is on.
Launch Safari.
You are not connected to the Internet.
Finder menu.
The selected AirPort network "Johnson"
requires a password.
Password.
"Prairie" failure to authenticate.
Password, password. Where is it?
Where is it?
She's sleeping.
- She's been doing this for a couple of--
Can't sleep either?
I bet...
I bet no one's around outside now.
-Hmm?
-Mmm-hmm.
I know that these things take time,
and there's no rush...
but I really need to know something.
How can you see?
Can you tell me?
No.
I can't.
Do you remember
when they were building these?
It was gonna be the new Crestwood.
Crestwood View.
Then they ran out of money to finish.
Always gives me a weird feeling.
How'd all this stuff get way back here?
Wait, wait. Watch this.
Sick.
Whoa!
Yo, it's her.
Shit, dude.
I think that's Prairie Johnson.
-I don't think I can cum again.
-Oh.
I think I bit my lip.
You get blood on my dick?
No, asshole.
You like that video Jesse made?
Yeah, the stunts are cool.
You got skills.
Whoa! How did you guys
film the blind girl?
-She's not blind anymore.
-That's insane.
- Remember when she went missing?
- Yeah.
We weren't allowed to go outside
for, like, three years.
Hey, don't go yet. It's early.
Let's watch some stuff in bed.
Steve, you have a really nice body
and you smell good,
but this isn't a thing.
It's chill.
There's someone else
I'm into anyway, too.
Who are you into?
This guy in chorus.
You wouldn't know him.
Chorus?
Aren't they all, like, gay?
Steve, I don't have to tell you shit
and you don't have to tell me shit, okay?
Let's just let fucking be fucking.
Why is there a hole in my wall?
-Steve?
-Yeah.
That teacher, what was her name,
Broderick-Allen?
She emailed.
She used the word "bully."
Sounds like you haven't been
keeping your promises to me.
Fix it.
Do you remember the night
we pretended we were in real beds
and we described them to each other?
I'm in a real bed...
but I haven't slept a single night
apart from you.
I'm scared, Homer.
There are moments
when I think I made you up.
That's why I need to see you.
To be sure you're real.
I didn't leave you behind.
I would never.
I am coming for you.
Good morning, sweetheart.
Good morning.
You said you'd get me
the password for the Wi-Fi.
About that...
Uh...
"Phone and Internet use
should be monitored."
It's-- It's for your own safety.
It's from the hospital in St. Louis.
Um, they go on with,
"Doors should remain open at all times."
I think that's excessive.
Why don't we just go with
not locking doors?
All right, honey?
Of those, more than
200,000 are abducted by family members.
Only an estimated 115 are the victims
of kidnapping cases
like Elizabeth Smart's.
Can this girl go back to being
a normal human being,
or is there always a part
of your experiences...
Hey. Hey...
Do you have Wi-Fi?
Uh... there's, uh,
there's no electricity here.
But you live in the neighborhood.
Could I get your password?
Our Internet's down. It's important.
I don't know.
Maybe ask upstairs.
I can't skip hormones week to week.
- I'm counting on you, Steve.
- This is business.
All right, don't waste my time.
There's a ton of people
who'll buy this shit if you don't.
You want it or not?
Give me the Demerol, instead.
What the fuck? Who said you could
come into this house and film me?
-It's not on. I'm not recording.
-No, like fuck it's not.
You're Prairie Johnson, aren't you?
I'm the OA.
What kind of a name is that?
I need Internet.
Will you give me your password,
or the password for one of the houses
next door to me?
What's this look like to you,
a Starbucks?
Not my problem. Get out.
-Give me a password and I'll go.
-No, I don't owe you shit, bitch.
Now leave or you're dog food.
-Give me my camera.
-This is my camera now.
Tax for your interruption.
Yo, I don't need news vans and cops
all over this neighborhood.
I'm warning you.
Attack!
Aah!
Stop, stop!
Don't you dare, Buck!
Oh, my God.
What the fuck?
Don't bite my dog!
You're good.
You're okay.
Wait.
How did you get your sight?
Come on, boy.
Yo, Axel, come on.
Come on.
Crazy fuck.
You can't just disappear like that,
Prairie. You scared us.
Please don't call me that.
What am I supposed to do?
Help me a little.
You-- You won't talk to the FBI...
but you...
you won't talk to me either. I...
I read about trauma online.
I know that--
It would help if you would
let me go online.
To find Homer?
You watched my video?
Well, to try to help you.
-Are you hearing voices again?
-I'm not hearing anything!
When you were a little girl
first learning how to cane...
you got too confident too fast.
You decided to run.
You smacked into the edge of a wall
and split your forehead open.
Do you remember that?
I... I know that you're not
my flesh and blood...
but when that happened...
I knew that you were my daughter.
Because I felt it.
I felt like I got hit by that wall, too.
It's what I feel like now.
This is strange... for both of us.
You've got these--
But you're... you're not a stranger.
Mom, please.
It's not that I don't want to tell you.
I want to...
It's that it would hurt me to hurt you.
And it would hurt you.
Just give me some time.
Watch it.
Come on. Hey. He's not worth it.
Yo, dude! Stop!
Man, I heard you singing in there.
Like... whoa!
Hey, you and your mom
just moved into Crestwood, right?
What's your name?
Miles.
-I gotta run.
-Man, what are you gonna do with that?
You could be, like, famous.
I don't really want to talk to you.
What?
You made fun of one of my friends
for being gay,
and now you hear me sing
and it's, like, all good?
-It's not like American Idol, like...
-Uh-huh.
-Not in a mean way, but...
-I get it. Relax, man.
Hey, Miles?
I feel something forming.
Not a plan, but...
a feeling.
I met this boy and I think he has
something to do with it.
I keep trying to imagine you at his age.
Sixteen, seventeen.
Please.
What you up to, crazy?
Looks weird in here.
I got a mobile router.
Just hook it up to your laptop,
bam, it's connected, and paid for.
- Oh, my God.
- You want me to set it up?
Yeah.
So, uh, I was thinking...
have you ever seen
Strangers on a Train?
No.
Basically, it's like,
if people don't know you're connected...
then they can't figure out
the crimes you do for each other.
Thought I'd help you out
and you could help me out.
I do need help.
Good.
-You gonna plug that in?
-Oh.
You're crazy.
All right.
Where's your mouse?
You use this.
-And then, right here...
-All right, yeah.
-Enter.
-I got it. I got it.
Launch Safari. Search YouTube.
- A-S-H-E-V.
So, that's the trouble
we need to get me out of.
Move, move, move.
My dad wants to send me to Asheville
to get, like... straightened out.
No one really goes there voluntarily,
if you know what I mean.
- Gentle.
- Mom!
- Don't hurt him. I'm sorry.
- Mom! Mama!
Keep it going, man.
Go, go, go.
Don't hurt him, please.
- Mom!
- I'll help you.
But I have conditions.
I need five people.
And I need them to be strong like you are,
and flexible and brave.
And I need to use the abandoned house
as a meeting place.
-Sure. Whatever you want.
-And no touching.
I don't like to be touched.
No touching. No big deal.
You'll really do all that?
Well, Strangers on a Train.
That's the idea.
But you gotta keep your end first.
Okay.
-So, what happened?
-Nothing. Doesn't matter.
She said she likes some guy in chorus.
Come on.
Well, it's okay.
You don't want to go there
until your invisible self
is more developed anyway.
What?
You know, your... longings,
the desires you don't tell anyone about.
I was just starting to think
you were okay, but you blew it.
You spend a lot of time
on the visible you. It's impressive.
But she probably thinks
the invisible you is missing.
I have desires. I work hard.
I'm not gonna learn Chinese tomorrow
and be, like, a CEO or some shit.
But I want stuff.
Like what?
You know, to be somebody.
I have ambitions.
I'm gonna be a trainer to celebrities.
I'll have my own show,
my own line of equipment.
Me and Jesse have
a YouTube channel already.
That's stuff on the outside, though.
What about the stuff on the inside?
Who the fuck asked you, crazy?
You're a grown-up who still lives
at your parents'
and tried to kill yourself.
Attention, shoppers.
Take advantage of our home sale.
You can save 40-50% off...
Let's just say this girl
was worried about my invisible side...
Which she's not,
'cause she just likes to fuck.
But say she was...
How do I, like, show her I got it?
Ugh! Yo, be gentle with that shit, OA.
Maybe try closing your eyes.
Just more often or...
Being blind was powerful.
It made me listen.
And it made people
underestimate me.
Boring.
Yeah. It's boring... at first.
You gotta do a grown-up hairdo.
Oh, hey, don't I know you?
Yeah.
I'm a parent.
I'm sorry. I have a meeting.
Uh, I think I am your meeting.
I'm expecting Mr. Winchell.
We've been speaking.
I'm, uh, Steve's stepmother.
Oh, of course.
Have a seat.
Well, I'm not calling this meeting
to blame you or your husband.
I'm calling this meeting
to let you know that your son,
your husband's son,
has become such a problem
that I'm asking the school board
for his immediate expulsion.
Oh, um...
Could you explain the problem?
I think it should be obvious
from my probation letter, but if I must...
I'm here to teach
the kids that want to learn,
the kids that have a desire
to better themselves.
And if a disruptive, violent,
and frankly, terrible student
causes me problems, that's fine.
I can handle that.
But when he costs the hardworking students
their right to an education,
that's when I say no more.
I think he has real psychological issues.
Well, it's not really a measure
of mental health to be well-adjusted
in a society that's very sick.
That's a very clever
bumper sticker, Mrs. Winchell,
but I'm going to remove your son
from this school.
Right.
What was your first reason?
I'm sorry?
Why did you become a teacher?
-This isn't about me.
-But it is.
It's about you and Steve,
and the play, cast of two,
setting, classroom,
over many dimensions through time.
I don't follow.
Maybe Steve can't learn
because you lost track of your reason.
-Oh, God, this is ridiculous.
-Betty...
Maybe I can help you remember.
You lost someone.
Someone important to you.
I lost someone important to me, too.
-Who'd you lose?
-My patience if you don't stop.
Was it your first love? Or a parent?
Someone you loved young?
A sibling?
Look, you want to talk turkey?
Your sociopath of a son
punched a kid in the throat.
The victim didn't report it
because he feared reprisal.
That boy has a lacerated trachea
and is unable to sing at Nationals.
So, I don't give a crap
where the violence comes from and why.
I don't want it in my school.
No, you're right. Sorry, you're right.
You're right. This dimension
is crumbling to violence and pettiness
and greed, and Steve is sensitive enough
to feel it and he's angry.
He's angry and he's lost.
And in order to find him,
you'd have to teach yourself again,
and you decided somewhere along the way
that you were done learning.
It's... it's too painful to stay open.
Well, I think we all face the same
hopelessness, Mrs. Winchell.
It's what we decide to do with it.
You're right. So what are you gonna do?
If you want to do your job,
expel the bully.
Focus on the kid who sings like an angel
even though he doesn't need you.
If you want to be a teacher, teach Steve.
He's the boy you can help become a man.
He's the one you lost.
He's your first reason.
I didn't catch your first name,
Mrs. Winchell.
I'm the OA.
Okay, a show of hands...
A story of a shocking miracle
emerged from Jefferson City today.
Last fall,
Pershing College's star quarterback
was expected to bring Missouri
the championship title
until a near fatal accident on the field
left him paralyzed and locked in a coma.
He ain't movin'.
And as they held hands
around their son's dying body,
a miracle happened. He woke up.
You had what they call
a near-death experience?
Yeah, I flatlined, uh,
after the accident, at the hospital.
So, you know what it's like to die?
Um...
Yes, I... I guess I do. Um...
But I'm back now.
And I'm not...
I'm not leaving the championship game
on a stretcher this year.
- Atta boy.
- I'm leaving with that ring.
Homer...
Homer, where are you?
Prairie,
there's an important phone call for you.
I can't talk right now.
I think you should. It's the FBI.
Hello?
That was like
the Spanish Inquisition.
Um, would you mind if I talked on my own?
-Of course.
-Thank you.
Thanks.
It was like
Invaders of the Body Snatchers.
Broderick-Allen is a different person.
Listen, I need five people,
and I need them tonight.
We have to get started
because it's gonna take some time.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Chill.
What are you talking about?
Strangers on the Train. You owe me.
They need to be strong
and they need to be flexible like you are.
-Why? What for?
-I didn't ask you questions, did I?
No, you were cool.
Midnight, at the abandoned house.
And everybody needs to leave
their front door open. That's important.
I always forget how crazy you are.
Nobody is doing that.
-That's how you get your shit stolen.
-Steve...
Look, I've got something
going tonight, all right?
And with the router, I...
I think we're pretty even.
Steve, you punched a kid in the throat.
You didn't tell me that.
Look, I'm at the end of a rope
I should've fallen off of a long time ago.
And I need to help someone.
It's a long shot, but you're strong,
that's why I chose you.
I chose you, crazy.
You sure about that?
Midnight. Five people.
You gave me your word.
All right.
Yeah, don't have a panic attack.
Um, Mr. Winchell?
-Yes, yes, Mrs...
-Uh, Broderick-Allen.
Yes. Nice to see you.
Yeah, I wouldn't have stopped you,
I don't like to talk to parents
unless it's in the classroom,
but I wanted to tell you,
I think she's a unique woman.
And I think she's gonna turn
Steve's life around.
And I want you to know
I'm committed to help.
That girl, his girlfriend?
No, no. Uh, your, your new wife.
-His what?
-The new Mrs. Winchell.
I'm Mrs. Winchell.
Nancy, Abel,
it's the Winchells.
Now's not the best time.
Prairie's taking a nap.
Oh, I bet she is. Uh...
-We need to talk, Nancy.
-Oh, come in.
Children should
not be exposed to someone
capable of identity theft.
Prairie suffered
a very traumatic experience--
And we've been with you
every step of the way.
But if she's coercing our kids...
Your son is 17, not seven.
And it was
his parent-teachers' conference.
Steve?
I already told you at home.
Tell us again.
She wanted Internet.
And she just came up with the idea.
Said it was a fair trade for a router.
It's no big deal.
She was looking for someone named Homer.
We've been neighbors for years.
You were here for Prairie's homecoming.
Makes no sense your coming over here
slinging accusations.
And we have nothing
but admiration for you and Nancy...
I need help.
What she's doing is disturbing.
She's a grown woman pursuing a boy.
She is not thinking like an adult.
You're in denial, Nancy.
What if this becomes sexual?
-That's a crime.
-Are you kidding me?
First, I have a girlfriend.
And second, this is about just...
just friends.
She doesn't have any friends
and I'm being a friend. That's it.
All this sick weird shit's
coming from your brains.
- Jesus, Steven--
- She impersonated me.
Because I asked her to.
'Cause I wanted someone on my fucking side
for once. And guess what?
It actually helped.
Come on, come on, come on, come on,
come on, come on, come on.
You did say, Abel,
the doctors in St. Louis
recommended that she be committed.
You... you talked about that?
They were wrong.
But if the doctors are saying
she needs serious help--
She needs to be home... with us.
And not to be attacked by people who lack
compassion and... and understanding.
Oh, we understand
what it's like to struggle with a child.
We're sending Steve away
to get the help he needs.
Until then, keep her away from him.
Please don't take the camera.
Prairie, I know it's hard,
but it's for the best.
We-- We should have followed the hospital
guidelines from the beginning
to keep you safe.
What am I supposed to do? ID parents?
She's disturbed.
Do you know how I know? Those eyes.
Besides that, she lies.
Oh. Okay, sure.
Yeah, see you tomorrow.
I need help.
I need to--
I need help.
I need to cross a border
that's hard to define.
Maybe you know what I'm talking about?
Or you don't, but... you feel it.
Because you've felt other borders,
like youth and adulthood, maybe.
I can't change your fate...
but I can help you meet it.
We begin our journey
to the border tonight. Midnight.
The unfinished house
at the edge of Crestwood View.
Don't come unless you leave
your front door open.
You have to invite me in.
Michelle, you hungry?
You want me to warm up the spaghetti?
No, I'm just grabbing my textbook
from downstairs. I'm fine.
Okay.
12:20 AM.
Hey, you wanna drink a 40?
Hey, deadbeat.
Hey yourself.
-Heard you punched Miles Brekov.
-From who?
Did you do that because of me?
You really think the world
revolves around you, don't you?
Hey, I'm not the one
drinking alone with my dog.
Oh, please tell me, Jaye,
what should I be doing, huh?
Whoever you did it for,
it's gonna get you kicked out of school.
Was that the plan all along?
Self-destruct?
You really like to kick a guy
when he's down.
Come on, get in.
Chris is having a thing.
Oh, come on, buddy.
Why didn't you want to be my girlfriend?
You're drunk.
Oh, come on.
Look, I'm leaving anyway.
You said you like how I smell.
I wanna get good at sex.
This has been practice.
One day I will fall in love,
and when that happens, I'll be ready.
-That's messed up.
-You're an asshole.
I see you looking at yourself
when we're having sex.
This isn't just about me for you, either.
What?
Fucking invisible self.
How many of those have you had?
Look, I'll spend the night tonight, okay?
If you don't want to be alone?
Yo, this is my house. Pull over.
You're right. I am an asshole.
Yo, keep the 40!
Bye!
Hey, don't turn
the lights out on us, crazy.
Look, my parents flipped.
I'm getting Asheville.
It could be tonight,
it could be next week.
- I'm here anyway, right?
- Right.
But I can't.
Oh, come on, OA. Don't hold a grudge.
I need at least five. I told you.
- We are five.
- Not including me.
Look, just include yourself
and let's get going already.
Okay, what exactly is it
that we're doing here?
I need to... go somewhere,
and I think that you can
help me get there.
But I'll need to leave
something important behind,
and it only works if there are five.
Yo, I'm tired of all this shit, OA. I'm...
Huh.
I left my door open.
I'm gonna tell you
my story from the beginning.
And there will come a point
when you'll see why you're here...
what you might do together,
how you could help people
that you'll never meet.
But you have to pretend to trust me
until you actually do.
I want you to close your eyes.
I want you to imagine
everything I tell you
as if you're there yourself.
As if you're with me.
As if you are me.
Close them.
I imagine with my eyes open.
Okay.
Could you close them for me then?
I was born in Russia, in 1987.
What?
Come on.
My father was a very wealthy man.
He ran a mining company.
He took precious metals out of the ground.
We were always being watched,
because he'd made
so much money so quickly.
And at that time,
if you had that kind of money,
you paid some of it to the Voi.
We lived in a secret enclave
just outside Moscow
with many of the other recent rich.
And the snow was seven feet high,
but you could still make out
many big houses
behind big gates lost in the white.
You asked me how I got my sight.
The better story
is how I lost it in the first place.
I was not born blind.
I remember the bright colored domes
of Saint Basil's Cathedral,
the gray waters of the Moskva River.
Our town was built on the fall.
Each house was a new fortune.
There was the man who drilled oil,
the man who dug coal,
the man who made cable.
I grew up with the sons and daughters
of these oligarchs.
My mother died in childbirth.
It was just my father and I
in a big, lonely house.
I suffered from things then.
Dreams.
They had smells in them
and sounds that were sharper than life.
In one of them,
I'm trapped in an aquarium,
- and I can't breathe, I can't get out.
- Nina!
Papa.
Papa!
Papa!
Nina.
Papa!
It came again. The same again.
I'm underwater and I see
the floating crayons and I can't breathe.
It's just a dream, my little cabbage.
A fantasy.
No. I felt it just like
I feel you pinching my nose.
Cancel this afternoon.
Move everything to this evening.
We are going to get rid of this nightmare.
Stop here.
Keep the car warm.
Come on, cabbage.
Nina.
Papa, it's too cold. I can't.
What's the only way to fight cold?
Become colder than it is.
My father taught me
about bravery that day.
That night, it was so cold,
one of our horses froze to death.
But the dreams of the aquarium
never came back.
Months passed.
My nose didn't bleed once.
I had started school now.
All the kids in the neighborhood
were picked up on a special bus.
I was always first.
I felt something
in the pit of my stomach...
like the eggs
were sitting there stuck, unbroken.
I felt like I wanted to get off that bus.
Yeah, but I didn't like it.
It made you think too much about death.
Like when the boy shoots himself.
Yeah, like one day you are here,
and then suddenly you aren't here.
You aren't anywhere.
Did you see it, Ninny?
I think you are always somewhere.
What's wrong with your nose?
Oh, it's nothing.
There is a light beneath us.
Maybe one of the windows is broken.
If we swim deep,
maybe we could make it out.
Nina! Nina!
We were a message, see?
From the Voi to our parents.
And the message said,
"You are powerful businessmen to be sure,
but you are not all-powerful."
The youngest sons and daughters of every
Russian scion was on that bus that day.
They all died. Every single one of them.
Including me.
I couldn't tell if I was
inside the earth or above it.
Why was the dark so dazzling?
Nina.
Do you want to go back?
You will know great love...
but it will be very hard.
You will suffer.
Me?
I want you to stay here.
Back.
Then...
I will take your eyes.
Because I cannot bear for you
to see what lies ahead.
It's too horrible.
Papa.
I could feel his cheek
against mine. It was cold.
And I could hear his breath.
And though my eyes were wide open...
it was black.
I said, "Papa..."
I can't see.
"I can't see anything at all."