Episode 1
Noelle’s Key
There is a robin perched on a
tree. It gets up and flies through an
open field and flies past the tip of a butterfly wing. There is a Pegasus Unicorn creature with a
silver mane and tail, silver unicorn, silver wings, and a silver
star jewel on its forehead. The
creature is drinking from a small pond of water. Leaning on it is a girl of about 17. She has a gold star on her forehead and
butterfly fairy like wings. All is calm
and peaceful, when suddenly the sky turns to a dark red and is scattered with
black clouds. The Pegasus Unicorn seems
startled and starts kicking up its front legs.
The girl stares at the sky; her face fills with terror…and then suddenly
Noelle, a girl who looks like the fairy girl only younger, wakes up startled. She blinks, trying to awake from her strange
dream, and then stares at her backpack.
Noelle: (groaning) Great.
First day of school had to be today.
***********************************************
(Noelle’s 7 year old brother, Zaisan, mother,
and grandparents are downstairs having breakfast.)
Noelle: (calling from upstairs) Mom!
Did you make my lunch for school yet?
Mother: It’s on the counter dear! Hurry up or you’re going to be late for your
first day of school!
Noelle: And the bad thing about that? (Comes downstairs)
Mother: Noelle! I don’t understand why you aren’t excited
about going back. You get to see all
your friends again. You haven’t seen
anyone all summer!
Zaisan: That’s because she doesn’t have any
friends.
Noelle: Zaisan, shut up!
Grandmother: It is not wise to fight with your sibling. (sips tea)
Mother: (Looks at watch) Oh, I must get going.
Grandmother: Your bag is over there, Noelle. Now you should get going and no
complaining. You’ll have a great day if
you can avoid detention for once.
Noelle: Yeah.
Right. (Slams
door behind her)
**********************************************
(At school.
Noelle walks into her classroom)
Kanshin: Why can’t you ever look good
once? You should have gotten a job at
the circus.
Noelle: See you haven’t changed. Go get a life, Kanshin. (Walks over to her best buddy, Nigi) Hi, Nigi! Did you have a
good break?
Nigi: (She’s talking to some other people) Huh? Oh, hi, Noelle. Yeah, yeah. I guess it was ok. (turns around and
starts talking to other people again, ignoring Noelle)
Noelle: Fine then. Ignore me!
Raimei: You smell worse than you did last
school year! You should really shower
more. Oh, by the way, how many
encyclopedias did you read this summer?
20? 50? (he, Kanshin, and a
couple of others start snickering; Noelle swings her backpack hard knocking
Raimei on the floor. She takes a seat
next to a quiet looking girl and boy.)
Noelle: (turns to the girl) Hi! My name is Noelle. What’s your name? Are you new here?
Tsuta: My name is Tsuta. My parents just moved here from
Noelle: Yeah.
It’s because they’re jealous that I am smarter than they are. And it looks like my best friend is joining
them. (points
to Nigi)
Tsuta: Oh.
Well, maybe she’s just trying to make some new friends.
Nigi: (to friends)
Noelle was so pathetic.
I was only friends with her out of pity.
I mean, how can you not feel sorry for her? She’s the biggest loser in school! (all laugh)
Tsuta: Well, maybe not…
Ichigo: Hey, Tsuta! Would you like to join me, Nigi, and the rest of the gang for lunch? You don’t have to get stuck sitting with
Noelle if you don’t want to.
Tsuta: Um, no thanks. I think I’ll just keep Noelle company.
Ichigo: Fine.
But when you change your mind, come sit with us
whenever you like.
Noelle: (sighs) And my mother wonders why I hate
school. Nothing different than any other
day…(notices the boy is staring at her) What are you
staring at?
Daraku: Your necklace. Why do you have a key hanging from your neck?
Noelle: I found it one day; just in the
middle of the floor. I couldn’t figure
out what it could unlock; I tried everything.
I just figured it was some magic key or something and wore it on my neck
for good luck. I really don’t know why I
still wear it…it doesn’t work.
Mrs. Suisho: Quiet down everyone. Class is about to begin. (students rise and
bow. They then sit quietly) I am Mrs. Suisho
and I’ll be your teacher this year.
Kanshin: (under breath to Raimei) Wonder how many times
Noelle will get detention this year?
Noelle:
(raising from her seat) Idiot! (knocks Kanshin who
falls on the floor)
Mrs. Suisho:
(sighing) Well, I see this is going to be an interesting year. (to Noelle) I have a
feeling I’ll be seeing you, miss, after school frequently.
Student:
(giggling) She
doesn’t know Noelle too well, does she?
**********************************************
(lunch time)
Noelle: Tsuta! Over here!
Tsuta: Oh, there you are.
Noelle: So what do you think of the school so
far?
Tsuta: Actually, I like it. But I don’t think I like the other kids very
much.
Noelle: They are usually rude and I have to
be the one to punish them.
Unfortunately, that’s why I always get detention. (Tsuta giggles)
Raimei: Hey, Daraku! Want to sit over here?
Daraku: No thanks; not today. I think I’ll sit over here with Noelle,
Noelle: Hmm?
Raimei: Daraku, you don’t have to feel sorry
for her.
Kanshin: Yeah, she’s such a loser. Why sit with her?
Daraku: Have to tell her something. I’ll sit with you guys tomorrow. Hello, Noelle. Tsuta.
Tsuta & Noelle: Hi.
Tsuta: I’ll be right back. Forgot something in the
classroom. (leaves)
Daraku: You have quite an attitude,
Noelle. I like that. (smiles) Here. I have something for you. (pulls out a jewelry
box from his book bag. Hands it to her)
Noelle: (confused) A jewelry box? Why? I
don’t understand?
Daraku: Take it. I lost the key to it a long time ago. When I saw that key on your necklace and you said
that you had no use for it and I have this jewelry box with no key, I thought
that maybe your key will have some use after all.
Noelle: (still confused) Um, ok. No offense, but I don’t know a lot of people
who carry jewelry boxes they can’t open around with them and then just give
them to people.
Daraku: And I don’t know a lot of people who
wear keys around their necks. Guess we
are both odd then, huh? Well, aren’t you
going to try to open it?
Noelle: Maybe later. I’m going to see where Tsuta went. Nice talking to you, Daraku! (quickly leaves;
thoughts) Never
thought I’d meet someone weirder than me.
Daraku: (thoughts) If she isn’t Nova, then I’ll have to get that
box back. But if it is her, at least I
will have one more chance to destroy her before she figures out anything.
**********************************************
(Noelle is in her bedroom)
Noelle: Well,
maybe Daraku is right. (takes key off of necklace) Maybe this key is good for
something than just as a stupid necklace.
I don’t know where it came from, or why a guy would be carrying around a
jewelry box with him, but I might as well give it a shot. (puts key in jewelry
box wihich surprisingly opens) Oh!
It did open! (she
finds inside are 7 rings; each one with a gem for each color of the
rainbow. Each ring seems to have a tiny
star cluster on the gem. the red one is glowing) Wow!
Hey, I wonder why this one is glowing? (puts red ring on;
feels a strange power as the ring’s red glow brightens) Huh?
What’s going on? (looks out window. A
similar cluster of stars in the ring are making the same pattern in the sky and
suddenly a strange horse starts falling from where the star cluster was. As it descends, a flame from below hits it)
Oh no! What have I done? (Noelle runs down stairs and outside in her
nightclothes to find that the creature has landed on the ground; still alive
but badly injured. Noelle hears an odd
evil laughter and a black figure appears)
Black Figure: Ha, ha, Noelle! You’re too slow at remembering any of your past! Well, anyway, all I really want is this. (pulls off a golden
tail strand from the creature) Yes!
Hopefully the rest will be just as easy as this. Goodnight, Noelle! Enjoy dreaming of your future doom! (leaves)
Noelle: (runs to the horse and puts her hands
around it. The horse has a red mane and
tail, red and black butterfly like wings, a silver unicorn, and a red star on
its forehead. She pets it’s muzzle)
(to the creature) What’s going on? How
am I going to take care of your wounds?
Where are you going to go? What’s
going to happen to me? And most
importantly, who was that guy and how did he know who I was?