Filtered Reality by Watercolor

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 1


Dillon walked the path up to the Port Charles university auditorium, and opened the door silently. He had signed up for a summer film workshop being offered and was actually accepted despite his young age and lack of a college credit. He however considered such a course would look great on a résumé or collage application when the time came.
The room was busy with talk and laughter from the stage area where it looked like the cover of a teen magazine. It was then he noticed a single girl sitting in the back near the entrance.
Her thick brown hair was twisted and pined up on her heard. She wore casual cloths, a definite tee-shirt and jeans type, with tinted glasses. He dropped his bag in to the row of seats behind her and sat looking over her shoulder, calmly mocking her solemn demeanor.

“If I have to see one more pampered princess milking daddy’s money or another trust fund baby, I’m going to be sick.” Dillon laughed. He was going to like her. “So, what is your childhood trauma, or do you often lurking dark corners?”

“Me?” he asked, suddenly realizing she was talking to him.

“No, the other not so silent punk sitting behind me.” She then turned in her seat to look at him directly. “Well, perhaps not punk, but your hair lacks something to be desired.”

“I could say the same about yours.” He countered mentioning pesky fly away strands from her hair clip.

“I’m here to observe, not be observed.”

“Student?” Dillon asked.

“Delaney Newton” she said offering her hand. Dillon shook it, and she turned back around to watch the goofs at the stage. “Delaney Jean, DJ for some.”

“Dillon Quartermaine” he said jumping over the seat to sit next to her.

Delaney looked over at him and grinned. “So you are a trust fund baby.” She rolled her eyes from behind her tinted leases and sighed. “I wish this course had some honest film makers in mind. Instead, we get the future Gucci ad models. How are we going to come up with a concept, begin pre production, film, post production, and get the scenes cut in 3 months when the group probably has the attention span of a nice reflection in a store window?”

“I’ll admit,” Dillon chimed in hoping to save the project from total destruction “the budget for the project isn’t much, we may end up filming on 35mm film ala Blair witch”

”Spare me.” Delaney sighed.

“Well it isn’t too bad, I mean many of the original film makers had to start somewhere; I mean necessity is the mother of invention.”

“And the first thing you start as concept is to start with what you know.”

“Exactly,”

“But we don’t have much to work with”

”Sure we do, for one, we don’t need a script, a lot of what is good, doesn’t even come from one, can you imagine that crowd down there, just in front of a camera?”

“I’d say….the blond in the pink shirt would freeze up, and won’t be able to say a word.”

“Oh yeah, tall guy with the grey shirt, passes out.”

“Nah…pukes then passes out.”

They both laughed. Delaney slid her glasses to the end of her nose and took a better look at Dillon. “You know what; perhaps you won’t be so bad after all.”

“Could be worse,”

”How so?”
”We could actually be paid for this.”

”I would prefer way more then $5 an hour to baby-sit these guys.”

Just then the college professor in charge of the course walked in. The crowd next to the stage parted, and the lecture began. Delaney flipped the desk part of her chair out and began take notes.

Dillon did the same, but noticed Delaney slide a card on to his desk.

He unfolded the index card

“Delaney Jean Newton 555-7363”

Dillon laughed. He wrote on the other half and slid it over to her.

“Dillon Quartermain seeing someone”

To his surprise a card slid back over to him.

“I didn’t ask”

He drew a single question mark on the card and slid it back. Delaney scribbled something else on the card and slid it back.

“Too old for you 555-7363 call if you want to discuss films, not see one”

Dillon grinned and wrote his number and name on the card and slid it back.

Later that evening Dillon and Georgie sat at the counter General Hospital as Dillon told her about his first class.

“She had better not have been trying to pick you up.” She said grinning and lovingly kissed his cheek.

“How could resist this hotness” he dramatically swooned, and kissed her back.

“Well, I had better go report home.”

“I’ll call you later.”

Gerogie waved and watched as Dillon left through one of the elevators. Just as his door shut the other opened. Out stepped a tee shirt and jeans kind of girl, with fly-away hair, coming from a clip, and tinted glasses. She walked up to Georgie and smiled.

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 2



“Hi, I was told to come up here for an appointment with Dr Winterbourne. Georgie smiled and checked the computer. “Winterbourne…your name?”


Before the she could say anything a doctor came from a nearby hall. “There you are.” the girl said. “Thank you anyway.” she said to Georgie and followed the doctor back down the hall way. Georgie shrugged of the encounter and continued working.

Later that evening Dillon’s mind was buzzing with ideas. The class was to be split in to groups. No less then two, no more then 6, and they were to each produce a short film. The topic, what the course meant to them. It reminded him of those grade school essays of “What I did on my summer vacation” or “What college means to me” He wanted it to stand out, to be important, interesting and epic.

It was then his cell phone rang. He picked it up and glanced at the number. He didn’t recognize it. “Hello?” he asked.

“Before you go all George Lucas on me Steven Spielberg; remember we are not using any of your family’s money. We have a simple budget and I insist we stick to it. Considering we are just two people I’m sure we can make that stretch” It was Delaney. She was up working on the project also.

“Hi. It’s nice to speak to you too.” He said.

“Hi.” She replied

“Wow. This conversation just went in reverse, didn’t it?” He said back glancing at the DVD’s he had considered watching for inspiration.

“Just do me a favor, put away the Citizen Kane, get out a piece of paper, and work on your own ideas. Remember this is to reflect you.”

“So, I see you have decided to work on this project with just two people?”

“Call me anti social, I don’t care, but if I want to get in to a good school with this project I need someone who is focused.” She replied. “Besides, you were the one who said necessity was the mother of invention. So I say we do this and do it well.” Dillon couldn’t argue. He hadn’t been too thrilled with the other students either.

“So what do you say we meet at Kelly’s tomorrow, and go over ideas”

”Deal,” Dillon replied, but then he remembered he was to meet Georgie there later that day also. “Hey, you mind if I bring my girlfriend?” he asked.

“Sure, not a problem.” Delaney said without hesitation. “It would be good to have an outside opinion other then our own egos.”

“Okay, see you then.”

“See you then” she replied and hung up. And for the first time in a while Dillon was excited about school. And it felt nice to know he could share the experience with Georgie, and let her in on his life more. She would be able to see what it would be like to be with a film student.

He had to get some ideas, so he did as Delaney suggested and sat down at his desk and began to write out ideas.

The next day Dillon got to Kelly’s, Delaney was already there. She was at the counter> He watched as she took a bottle of pills from her bag and took a couple. For a minute he was concerned. He walked in and up to her as she washed the pills down with a drink from her cup. “hey.” He said coming up behind her. She swallowed heavily to wash the pills down. And turned to him.

“Hey.” She replied.

“What are those?” he asked.

“Are you writing a book?” she asked.

“Yeah, the drugs in Delaney’s bag.”

“Leave that chapter out.” She replied. She gave him the bottle and he looked at the prescription. “It’s a shame to see books released with out all the facts.”

“Allergy pills?”

“Yeah, itchy watery eyes, headaches, survival of the fittest at its best.”

“Sorry. You just can’t be too careful these days.”

“Not a problem, you’re not the first to ask a perfectly healthy person why they take medicine.”

“Are you always this sarcastic?” he asked

“Nah, occasionally I can be just down right bitchy.” She grinned, obviously joking. “So, enough about me, let’s talk about us.” She took his hand in hers and looked in his eyes from over the top of her tinted lenses. “And if you think I’m coming on to you, you are so in need of a lobotomy.”

With that he quickly covered her mouth with his hand and kissed it, playing in on the mocked relationship he then fell back in false exhaustion, “was it good for you?” he pretended to smoke a cigarette and let his thin jacket fall from his shoulder looking like had barely woken up, especially with his hair sticking up like it often did.

“Just making sure we are on the same page.” She said and opened the note book on the counter. She then put her head in her hand and looked back over at him, still barley in his chair making moon eyes. “You realize all this fun is totally wasted on us, don’t you?” He straightened up quickly and looked serious.

“Totally” he replied, the both of them finally got a grip on themselves and began to discuss ideas.

“Isn’t your girlfriend supposed to be with you?” she asked looking around the diner.

“She should be here in a bit.” He replied. Delaney nodded and looked at her notes.

“I say we keep the film simple. And to make it more interesting, we can use people in our class, as well as others we know. But here’s the kicker, no characters.”

”No characters?”

“Why, your enough of a character, why spoil everyone else’s’ fun.”

“So like a documentary?”

”Exactly” she replied. “Get your family and friends in on this too, I say you film things around your house, just normal everyday things.”

“I thought you didn’t want characters.”

“Huh?” she asked, her thoughts interrupted by his comment.

“You don’t know about the drama that goes on there.”

”We want interesting Dillon, and we won’t use everything, just film who and what you want, but always what you know. Same thing goes for your friends, catch them off guard, and just get honest reactions. I’ll give you a list of questions you can ask them, like an interview. Then for a select few, we will have actual film sessions, I see a black background, each saying the same thing, and we can splice the tape in different montages.”

Dillon liked this idea, it was arty, and interesting, and with his family it would defiantly be epic.

“But what will you film?” Dillon asked. Delaney stopped writing in her book and put her pen down. She took her glasses off and pressed on the sides of her head. She blinked widely and put them back on.

“Um…” her thoughts were getting scattered. “This light is hurting my eyes.”

“Why don’t you film anything?”

Delaney sighed. “I don’t know anyone here.” She confessed.

“Why not?”

”I’m not from around here. I was here looking at college classes. My parents set this up for me. A way to film away from home. Surely I would have brought the camera in there…again and they wouldn’t have liked that. I think they did this as a way to get me out of the house. I mean, I’m not a teenager anymore.”

“How old are you?” He asked.

“Okay, if this is ‘get to know your lab partner day’, I say it calls for a comfortable seat” Delaney grabbed her stuff and headed off to a table near by. Dillon followed and sat across from her. Now able to relax more in her chair Delaney cleared her throat and prepared to explain.

“I’m 22” she confessed. “I left school last year, I wanted something more challenging. My parents had given me a camera for my birthday, I had a little too much fun making videos, got my dad in a little bit of trouble when he brought home someone who wasn’t mom” Dillon cringed.

“So they sent you away.”

“You could say that. But just for the summer, once school starts I will be back home. My dad probably figured this was a good way to keep me quiet.”

“You didn’t tell you mom?”

”Sure, I told my mom. Only after I was here though. I’m going to let them fight it out. My trip from reality is already bought and paid for, I might as well have fun with it.”

Dillon laughed. If only his family was as accommodating.

“So, what’s your story? You’re a little young to be taking a collage class.”

“Speaking of classes, what happened to what you were saying about a pampered princess’s and daddy’s money yesterday?”

“Trust me, I’m paying for this.”

“But you just said your dad sent you here.”

”Yeah, he found the class far enough a way from home, signed me up for the class. The funds are coming out of the college fund my grandmother setup for me, cause it’s an educational thing I can use it towards school, only now I can have fun with it. Plus, It’s not like I’m a total loser and don’t have a job, I do…well I hope I will.”

“You applied for a job here at Kelly’s?” Dillon guessed.

“No, I’m renting a room here, but I’m paying the rent by doing odd jobs, painting mostly. A nice couple who was in here earlier asked if I would help out with painting a pool house. Or was it a pent house? I don’t remember.”

Dillon laughed. “But that shouldn’t take too long.”

“Yeah I know, but it helps pay for things this week, I’ll think about next week when it gets here.”

“When will you find time to film?”
“Why else did you think I said you were going to do it?”

It made more sense now. She was an out of town girl, trying to make ends meet, so that is why she wanted him to do the filming.

“Until I can get the script we will have written, just have fun with your camera, I’ll work out the rest.” Dillon couldn’t argue with the idea. It was fun just thinking about it.

“Well…”Delaney looked at her watch. “Sorry I can’t meet your girlfriend today, but I’ve got to go.”

“Are you sure”

“No, I’m leaving. Catch you later Dillon, if you come up with any ideas you want to work in or anything let me know, you‘ve got my number.” Delaney grabbed her bag and pulled out a spare notebook. She handed it to Dillon and patted him on his shoulder. “See ya” she then walked quickly left Kelly’s.

Dillon took the note book and opened it.

“Untitled”
A short film project
Written and directed
By Dillon Quartermaine and Delaney Newton

“Dillon, hopefully this will open the door to a wonderful summer of fun.
Enjoy life
Delaney”

He took the pen Delaney had left on the table and began to write out ideas.
As he wrote he noticed Georgie come in from outside.

“hey.” She greeted and kissed his cheek.

“Hi.” He replied and smiled.

“Where is she?” Georgie asked.

“Who?” Dillon asked lost in thought.

“This film partner you said I would meet today.”

“Oh she had to leave early, but she hopes to meet you soon.” Dillon closed the book, not wanting to make Georgie feel left out, and put it in his back pack. He reached across to Georgie and kissed her cheek. “Sense I won’t be doing much of that today, what would you like to do?”
“Well.” Georgie said brightly “I was thinking we could go to the movies, there is supposed to be this new one released this week I’ve been wanting to see.” Dillon smiled.

“Sounds perfect.” He took Georgie’s hand and the two of them left Kelly’s to the movies…

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 3



Delaney walked up to the door of the mansion. She had walked all the way there from Kelly’s so she was a little worn down. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. The door opened and a very tall red haired woman in a maid’s uniform answered.

Delaney grinned shyly and glanced at the paper in her hand. “hi, I’m here to paint the pool house”

“Hello, you must be Lacey.” The woman said.

“Um…it’s Delaney”

“Oh sorry,” the maid said and stepped aside to let her in. “I’m Alice. Come inside.”

Delaney walked in and put her bag on the floor next to the door. The tall maid turned and motioned for her to follow. She did and entered the living room. As she did a kind elderly lady in a wheelchair greeted her. “Mama, the painter is here.”

“Yes, Monica said she would be coming today.” She looked up at Delaney and smiled. “Hello dear.” Delaney sat on the couch so she could look the woman in the eyes; a trait she knew would show honesty.

“Hello”

“Well Monica tells me your Bridgett’s daughter?”

“Yes.”

“Lovely girl, Bridgett, was always very pleasant when we would visit your family. Unfortunately we lost touch many years ago. Monica was thrilled your parents contacted her to watch over you.” Delaney wanted to scream, she didn’t want to be looked after.

“Mama” she said calmly. “I appreciate your family’s kindness, but its like I told Alan and Monica, I’m not here for charity. I want honest work, and I will do what I need to.”

“Well, I admire that dear.” She reached over to Delaney and put a key in her hand.

“The pool house was built a while back, but never used. I would like to have it cleaned and painted for my grandson.”

“Of course.” Delaney nodded and took the key.

“It’s going to be a surprise. He has often stayed under this families thumb and I want him to have a place to grow with out being to far from our eyes.”

Delaney smiled. “I understand mama”

“My name is Lila, please feel welcome to use some old cloths to paint in, I wouldn’t want.” Lila looked over Delaney’s worn jeans and shirt. “Well, I’m sure you find suitable cloths to paint in the attic, I will have Alice show you to the boy’s old cloths.” Delaney nodded.
“As soon as you do, please assist me to my room Alice.” Alice nodded and escorted Delaney out in to the hall and up the stairs. Once in the attic she showed her to several old trunks with old cloths. “I’ll be back shortly, take what you like.”

Delaney opened the first trunk and looked though the cloths inside. She settled on 3 rather large sets of overalls and button up shirts with 3 tee shirts, these would be perfect to paint in. By the time she had selected her choices Alice was soon back to escort her to the pool house.

The room was rather large with a small kitchen and bathroom, but would be perfect for any single kid getting out of the house for a while.

“You’re welcome to come and go as you like, and you are welcome to have dinner with the family if you like as well.”

“Thanks Alice.” Delaney said “I’ve got it covered.”

“Dinner is at 6pm. I’ll come back for you then.” Delaney nodded. All the supplies she would need were on a sheet in the middle of the floor. She went into the bathroom and began to change her cloths.

Meanwhile back inside the house Alan and Monica had returned from the hospital, they were met in the living area by Dillon who had just returned form his movie with Georgie. He was now sitting on the couch with the notebook Delaney had gotten him and was writing more ideas.

“Dillon.” Monica said noticing the boy so absorbed in his writing. “Dinner is in an hour, you should go get cleaned up.” Dillon nodded and closed his book.

“Okay.” He said and got his things together and left to his room up stairs. As he left Delaney cam through the door from the garden.

Monica and Alan smiled at the paint speckled girl as she stood on the landing, not daring to enter incase there was still paint on her shoes.

“Hi.” Delaney said.

“Delaney, nice to see you.” Alan said “I see you found the house okay.”

“Sure,” she said dusting her hands on her shirt. “Turn right at the light doesn’t do this place justice.”

“Come on in” Monica offered. Delaney shook her head

“I appreciate the offer, but I should be headed back before it gets to late, and that was way too much painting to start so late.” She said looking at her watch “I promise to get in here earlier then this tomorrow.” Monica walked over to the girl.

“Delaney, dear.” She said putting her hand on the girls shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. Bridgett said…”

”I’m well aware of what my mother said.” She replied hastily. “But I need to do this for myself. It was very nice of you to help me get the apartment, and even the job, but I will earn this myself.”

Monica smiled and stepped back, not wanting to crowd her. “I understand.” She said. “You want to be independent.”

“You can’t experience life without getting your hands dirty.” Delaney replied then looked at hers. “And I’m on my way there.”

“Please let us have someone drive you home.” A soft rumble sounded in the sky.

“I’m not above walking home, but I’m not about to say no, thanks.” She said cautiously looking at the sky.

“I’ll have the car meet you in the front.” He said. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay for dinner?”

“I appreciate it, but I have more I need to do home.” Alan nodded. She reached over and hugged Monica briefly and stepped back from the door. “I’m going to go change, and I’ll meet the driver along the side of the house. They both nodded and watched as she turned and walked back down across the garden steps.

“Bridgett raised her well.” Alan noted

“Not really.” Monica chimed in. “Bridgett wasn’t there most of the time, neither was her father. I’d say she did pretty well raising herself.”

“It would explain a lot.” He said closing the door. “Do they even know she’s here?” he asked.

“Oh yes, they know she’s here.” Monica said sitting on the couch. “I don’t know what the complete story is, but I promised I would help, and Delaney doesn’t ask for much. I thought painting the pool house would be the best idea. It gets that done, keeps us from having to hire someone else, and she’s earning money.”

Alan nodded. “She just seems so young”

“Yeah, well, they can’t stay kids forever.” Monica noted. “I think Bridgett is just realizing that.”

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 4



Dillon rushed down the hallway to the front door, he had forgotten some noted he had made in the pocket of his jacket next to the door. It was then he noticed a familiar bag next to the front door. He looked around curiously to see if anyone was in view then reached down and picked it up.

A patch on the front read “Reality Sucks”. It was Delaney’s bag, he had noticed the patch at Kelly’s earlier. But what was Delaney’s bag doing in the house? Was she some sort of stalker? He decided to take the bag to his room. When he got there, he decided to call Delaney and see if she realized where her bag was, but as the dialed the number the bag rung. The phone was in the bag. He pulled it out and saw his name displayed on the Caller id “Dillon Seeing Someone”.

”Perfect.” He sighed. It was too late to worry now; he had to get to dinner. He took the bag and put it on his desk then left the room. As he shut the door however the phone rang again.

“Dr Winterbourne” displayed on the ID.

Meanwhile Delaney opened the door to her apartment and turned on the light. The room was still sparsely decorated but she thought nothing of it. She walked to the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. She sighed. She remembered she had forgotten her bag at the house she had been at previously. It had everything in it, her notes, her phone, and her medicine. She would have to go back tomorrow; she couldn’t worry about it now. She put her hand to her head. A dizzy pain hit her head; a flash of light went across her eyes. She turned off the light, and then turned off the living room light. This stopped the pain.

She sat down on the near by couch and stretched out, taking her glasses off and resting them on her chest. She took a deep breath, exhausted from all the walking she had done that day, and fell asleep.

However, at the Quartermaine mansion it wasn’t as easy for Dillon. He went back to his room and stared at the bag on his desk. He was curious, but he respected other people’s privacy. He unzipped the bag just a little bit and looked inside. He couldn’t see anything, yet couldn’t bring himself to open it all the way. He put the bag back down, and looked out his window, thinking, curious of how the bag got in the house. He picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.

“Hi, Georgie?” he said. “Yeah, it’s me. Do you remember the lunch break I said I would take with you, I’m afraid I have to cancel. Yeah, I’m going to be playing detective a little tomorrow. No, it’s nothing like that. I’m going to be home, so you can call me here, okay? I love you, good night.” He hung up the phone and looked at the bag. She would be back for it, surely, and he would be waiting.

Sure enough, the next morning at 10am, there was a knock at the front door. Alice went to answer it, but Dillon caught her at the hall. “I’ll get it!” he said and went to the door.

He opened it and saw Delaney standing there. A surprised look on her face before he reached for her.

“DJ!” he announced melodramatically and hugged her briefly. “Nice to see you. What brings you all this way? Could it be…I don’t know…this?” he reached next to the door and picked the bag up.”

“What in the….” Delaney stood dazed, but got a grip really quick. “I said DJ by some, you can call me Delaney.” She reached to get her bag, but Dillon wouldn’t let go. “What?” she asked getting impatient.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I could ask the same about you?” she said,

“I don’t know…say…I live here.” He said finally letting go of the bag as she pulled it.

“You live here?” Delaney said astonished.

“Yeah. Dillon…Quartertmaine…kind of comes with the house, sorry.”


“Kids! What’s the hold up?” Monica said from the living room. Dillon grabbed Delaney’s wrist and pulled her in to the house, and to Monica.

“Sorry, just saying hello to someone.”

“Hi Delaney, you’ll have to pardon my nephew, he’s a little eccentric.”

“What?” Dillon said running his hands over his face. “Does this not sound weird to anyone else?”

“No more then it does to me.” Delaney said straightening her glasses.

“What’s going on?” Monica asked finally.

“It seems we are in the same summer workshop at the collage.”

Monica smiled.
”and you thought what? She was following you?”

“Well…she said she was sent here because she filmed too much at home. I don’t know...thought I was some sort of pet project.”

”Oh my...the ego has landed.” Delaney said rolling her eyes.

Monica stepped between them before more words could be exchanged. “Delaney is the daughter of a friend of mine. I knew her mother a long time ago. When she asked if I could watch her daughter while in town on summer break I didn’t think much of it. Obviously, the two of you didn’t realize this.”

“But she didn’t even put the names together.” Dillon said

“She wasn’t a Quartermaine when mom knew her.”

”Yes, Bridgett never did get the idea of the name, but that’s not the issue here.” She cleared her throat and addressed them both. “Delaney, Dillon my nephew, Dillon, Delaney. Can we go back to being civil again? Who’s hungry?”

“Starved.” Delaney chimed.

“Well, you two have a seat, I’ll see what cook and do for brunch, and then I’m off to the hospital.” Monica left and Delaney and Dillon sat on the couch and looked at each other.

“So….small world.” Delaney said, breaking the silence

“Smaller by the minute it seems.” Dillon said still trying to get the family tree together. “We aren’t related are we?”

“Nope…not unless your father was the milkman mom never told dad about.”

“So, what are you doing here?”

“Same thing I told you before.” Delaney answered looking in her bag.

”Painting a pool house?”

“Yep”

“Here?”
She stopped a moment and looked at him. “Yeah.”

“Is there anything else you haven’t told me?”

”Nothing worth mentioning and a lot I am not going to volunteer” she said looking in her bag again.

“Why aren’t you staying here?”

“My choice. Like I said before, I’m going to do this myself.” Dillon nodded, he could respect that. “Where is my phone?” she said giving up on the bag.

“Oh, it’s...um…in my room.” He said remembering

“Well, hop to it.” She said standing. “Let’s go get the phone. I need to call my stock broker.”
Dillon stood and she followed him up the stairs to his room. He went inside and took it off the desk. “See, right here, no harm done.” Delaney to the phone and scanned the missed calls. She swore under her breath and put the phone in her bag.

“Not good news I take it.” Dillon said a little embarrassed.

“I’ll live” she said and started scanning the room. It reminded her of her own back home. The room she was painting surely was for him. She smiled, and remembered all the work she had left to do. “I’ve got to get started on that painting soon. So…better go grab…brunch and get to it.”

“Hey, when are we going to get together and do the storyboards.” He said remembering his project.

“Well, because I didn’t have my bag last night I wasn’t able to work on any, but let’s say I do that tonight.”

“How about over dinner? He said quickly then replayed his words in his head. “Oh, that didn’t sound right.”

“Sure, but I insist I meet your girlfriend first.”

“Great idea!” he said happily. We could bring Georgie!” He picked up his phone and dialed her number. She picked up soon after. “Hey, would you like to go to dinner, and meet my assistant director? After your shift of course. Okay, I’ll see you then.”

“Okay so we are on, let me check my messages and we can grab a bagel before…”
Delaney played back her phone messages. It was the doctor she had spoken to before at the hospital. Dillon couldn’t hear the message but Delaney suddenly froze. She hung up the phone quickly and put it in her bag. “Yeah, we grab something to eat, and I make a small errand, and come back here around 1, paint until 5, and we can go get your girlfriend at 6.”

Dillon smiled. “It’s a deal.”

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 5

Georgie was at the desk, again working on the hospital computer. It was almost 12, and she would be going on her first break soon. She was looking forward to her evening with Dillon that she hardly noticed the girl get off the elevator. It was the same girl she had seen the day before. She walked to the desk and smiled. “Dr Winterbourne please.” She said and smiled. Georgie smiled at the girl at the counter, her hair again slipping from her clip. The girl didn’t mind, it seemed, though Georgie could see how she could have improved her appearance by a little make up and if she didn’t wear those tinted glasses all the time. Georgie typed the name in the computer, but again, before she could ask the girls name the doctor met her in the hall way and waved her over. Georgie watched as the girl said her thanks and walked with the doctor down the hall.

An hour passed quickly and Georgie saw the girl come out of the office. She looked pale and sweaty. Her dark eyes behind her glasses looked strained and blood shot. The girl put her hand to her forehead and stumbled as she reached the elevator. Georgie rushed to her and caught her. The zipper in her bag slid open and her notebook cause the flap to pour out all it contained on the floor. A pill bottle which was loosely tightened popped open and poured several different kinds of pills on the floor. The girl, barely conscious quickly fell to her knees and tried to scoop up the note book and papers, as Georgie tried to help. When Georgie reached for the pill bottle however, the girl’s hand was too quick and she snatched the bottle and started to fill it with the dropped pills.

“Are you okay?” Georgie asked. She expected the girl to lash out as she had seen other drug patience to act, suspecting the girl was indeed a drug addict. But the girl smiled kindly and in a soft voice replied “no”.

“I’m okay.” The girl insisted. “Therapy just isn’t going as well as I’d hoped.” Georgie noted the different pills in one bottle, and could tell, that that wasn’t normal, or healthy unless you knew what each pill was.

“Can I get you some help? The doctor perhaps?” Georgie offered. The girl shook her head again. “How about a ride home?”

“I’ve got a taxi waiting.” The girl said and zipped up her bag. “Thanks though, Hun” she said. And got in the elevator. She shielded her eyes from the light and waved to Georgie as the door shut. Georgie turned around and noticed a pill was left on the floor; she picked it up and examined it. She didn’t recognize it, so she pocketed it. She could check with one of the nurses and perhaps they could tell her what it was.

It was later that evening however before she saw a nurse she knew would know.

“Um, can you tell me what a pill is?” Georgie asked.

“Well, it’s been a while since I actual had a pop quiz, but sure.”

Georgie reached in to her pocket, but felt nothing, She dug deeper, but only found a small hole. She shyly grinned. “I must have lost it”

“What did you it look like?” The nurse asked.

“Um…”Georgie thought hard. She couldn’t remember much about it. “It was small, oval, a pill, not a capsule.” She described to the nurse the size and the initials she had seen on it.

“Well…I’d say….it’s either one or two pills I can think of.” The nurse said still sorting a cart she was working on. “One is an antibiotic doctors can prescribe for mild infections, another is a pain killer, but it all depends of the milligrams, and of course these are just hunches. Why did you ask?”

“Well. Georgie confessed. “It was a girl who was in here earlier, seeing Dr Winterbourne.”

“Then I would say it was a painkiller.”

Georgie’s mouth fell open.

“What for?” she asked.

“Well, just between us, Dr Winterbourne is a quack.” The nurse said. “He transferred her just a few weeks ago, taking on special cases. Well. Rumor is he had to leave his previous job because he was prescribing drugs to wealthy patience.”

Georgie swallowed thickly. Surely the girl wasn’t one of them, her cloths didn’t reflect a girl of means at all.

“But wouldn’t he have had his license suspended?” She asked eagerly.

“Well, that’s what you get for knowing rich people. I suspect they paid the people off, and he transferred here.”

“How do you know this?” Georgie asked.

“Well, I saw a news paper clipping in his things when he moved in to his office. It was an article about a patient over dosing on something. I didn’t have time to read the article, but I thought it was rather suspicious for a doctor to keep articles like that in there things. It almost makes you think they are proud of something like that.”

“But how did the girl I saw…I mean…she said she was in therapy?”
‘Perhaps it’s a drug therapy?” the nurse suggested. “What did the girl look like?”

“Well, she was stumbling, her eyes, were red, and she looked a little out of it.” Georgie explained.

“Sounds like she was high to me.” The nurse said. “But again, I can’t say for sure.” And she walked off with her cart.

Georgie just stood there dumbstruck. How could she say she couldn’t be sure? Georgie sighed; she should know better to notice gossip when she heard it. There was probably noting wrong with the girl or the medicine she was taking.

The build up this wall of self denial quickly and marked off their conversation is idle gossip quickly and got back to work.

Dillon was sure to pick her up soon, and she didn’t want to have this incident nor this girl on her mind.

She quickly got her things together at the end of the day and left to meet Dillon at Kelly’s. She walked happily around the corner, and up to the door at Kelly’s. It was then she noticed Dillon, only he wasn’t sitting alone. He was with a girl, with her hair tied in a clip, and it won’t stay. Her hair stuck out in those familiar pesky fly away, and she looked back at Dillon. He smiled at Georgie and the girl noticed and turned around. It was then she saw her face, those tinted glasses, and she saw the bottle on the table, next to a glass of water. Georgie removed her hand from the door knob and backed away.

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 6


Inside Kelly’s Dillon sat with Delaney. He laughed at the streaks of white primer in her hair as she tucked another flyaway strand of hair behind her ear. He looked up and saw Georgie at the door. He smiled and waved to her. Delaney noticed his gesture and turned to see who was at the door. It was the girl from the hospital.

Dillon saw the smile fade from Georgie’s face and she backed away from the door. Concerned for her Dillon never lost contact with her eyes, and rather quickly said he would be back and headed for the door. He didn’t notice Delaney’s face flush red and grab the pill bottle from the table and put it in her bag.

Outside Dillon walked over to Georgie who looked like a frightened cat ready to bolt.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked.

“That’s the girl? Your film partner?” she asked still trying to forget the conversation with the nurse, and the scattered look in the girl’s eyes as she left in the elevator.

“I prefer assistance director, but yes, that’s Delaney. Why?” he said wondering if Georgie was perhaps jealous, as she had been with Sage, but Delaney wasn’t like Sage. In fact she was rather plan, almost ordinary. She reminded him a lot of himself, but he loved Georgie, always had and in his heart always would. But the look on her face, the tone in her voice didn’t read jealousy, but rather fear, or perhaps concern.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“It’s just…” She took a deep breath and told Dillon about what she had seen at the hospital. Delaney’s peculiar attitude, the nurse, the doctor, and the pills.

“Are you sure?” Dillon asked.

”Well, no, because it sounded like a lot of gossip to me.” Georgie confessed. She felt really silly now, embarrassed by her reaction. “I mean, I told myself it was gossip, and I think it was, because there was nothing to back up anything she said, but…”

“It’s okay Georgie, just a delayed reaction.” Dillon reassured her. “Trust me; I have had this discussion with Delaney. I thought the same as you when I first met her. They are allergy pills. I’ve seen them.” He said hugging her briefly and smiling, hoping she would feel better. He felt her relax in his arms and knew she was. She knew Dillon wouldn’t lie to her.

“So, how about we go talk to Delaney, so we can get better acquainted, and I’m sure she would be happy to answer any questions you have.” Georgie smiled and nodded.

Dillon took Georgie’s hand and they walked back in to Kelly’s. Delaney sat at the table where he had left her and she was drinking a glass of water.

“Delaney, this is Georgie, my girlfriend. Georgie, Delaney, my assistance director.” The two girls acknowledged each other, shook hands and they all sat down.

“Are you feeling better?” Georgie asked slightly defensive.

“Yeah,” Delaney said and smiled. “I wasn’t feeling to well.”

“Who is Dr Winterbourne?” Georgie asked.

“My doctor.” Delaney said examining her glass of water.

“What are you seeing a doctor for?” she asked

“Georgie!” Dillon said in Delaney’s defense. Georgie was asking some personal questions that he wasn’t sure Delaney would feel like answering.

“It’s okay Dillon. I don’t mind” Delaney said and smiled her usually smile. A smile he wasn’t sure what it meant, cause she used it almost all the time. “My allergies. It’s hard to adjust to the climate here. I’m seeing a specialist.” She said handing Georgie the pill bottle she had seen before. Georgie took the bottle and opened it and saw the little white pills she had seen before. She took a look at the pill, and noticed she had gotten the description of it wrong when she had told the nurse the markings. She must have been holding it upside down…and the nurse Georgie was sure didn’t know what it was to begin with.

“sorry.” Georgie confessed. “I was just worried. Dillon hasn’t had a great track record when it comes to people he associates with.”

“You’re the exception, I’m sure.” Delaney asked. Dillon wanted to laugh, cause it sounded like something he would say, but wasn’t sure how Georgie would take it coming from someone else.

“Yeah.” Georgie said smiling proudly. “I am.” And she kissed Dillon’s cheek. Inside Dillon breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad Georgie wasn’t angry or even defensive to Delaney, whom he hoped they could all work with on his film project.

“I’m sorry you had to see me like that at the hospital.” Delaney confessed taking the bottle back from Georgie and putting it in her bag.

“Yeah, you looked a little strung out.” Georgie said now with actual concern and no angst at all.

“I’m trying a new allergy therapy to try and get my allergies under control. The summer heat and plants aren’t helping.” She said and pulled up her sleeve showing them the huge welt on her upper arm. It was in the back side where it was less likely to hit muscle, but it was swollen badly. “It makes me tired, even a little woozy.” She said as Georgie examined the mark. “I take Benadryl to counter act the shot, but, that just makes me more tired. I take a taxi afterwards to get back home, and I took a nap until the shot wore off. The doctor isn’t happy with the results I’ve been getting back. No improvement at all. I didn’t mean to scare you at all though.”

With this new evidence Georgie felt a lot better. Everything she had said was checking out from what she had learned at the hospital. Delaney was just having problems with her hay fever since moving to Port Charles, and not wanting to be sick and take a course in school, Georgie could more then understand. This course could be Delaney’s ticket in to a good college, if not just a good mark on her record when she applied. Georgie knew this cause she too was concerned about how schools would react to things on her record.

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 7


Delaney walked up to Kelly’s, it was late and she wanted to be sure and get inside before it got too dark. Georgie and Dillon followed. They were all laughing at the shots they had gotten with their camera at the park. Delaney stopped out side the restaurant and looked back to her new friends. “We got some good stuff.” Delaney said resting against the wall.

“Yeah, I never knew it would be so much fun.” Georgie said trying to catch her breath.

“Well, welcome to what I hope will be my world.” He said putting the camera way. Delaney opened um her button up shirt and displayed the faded black tee underneath it.

“Can’t, it belongs to me.” She said. Her shirt read “I live in my own little world, but it’s okay, they know me here” “The place is mine, your all just visiting.” She said. “I’d hate to have to start charging you rent.”

“Yeah, well, I’d better be getting home. “ Georgie said and glanced at her watch.

“Take her home” Delaney said to Dillon. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

They said a brief good bye and Delaney went upstairs to her apartment. She got to her hall and suddenly her vision blurred. “No!” she thought. She lunged towards the door with her key in her hand.

Mean while Dillon and Georgie had turned back to Kelly’s. “You’re sure this couldn’t wait until tomorrow?” Georgie asked.

“It will just take a second.” He said and she followed him inside and up the stairs. It was then they heard a thud from up the stairs.

Delaney was on her knees trying to see the door handle. The light from the hall cause her head to pound. Her ears had already begun to take over for her eyes and she was aware of her own breathing, beating heart and the key in her hand. She whipped her thumb across the key hole, and put the key to door. It was then she heard the rushing of four feet up the stairs down the hall.

“She could be okay.” She heard Georgie say.

In a brief panic she pushed the door open grabbing her bag from the hall she quickly crawled in the room and shut the door just as Dillon and Georgie turned the corner.

“I’ve learned not to take noises for granted.” He replied and walked up to Delaney’s door. He listened quietly and then knocked.

Delaney sat in the dark of the room sitting in the floor against the door, her breathing getting quicker. She licked her lips and closed her eyes and listened hoping they would leave.

“Delaney?” she heard Dillon say.

She cleared her throat and answered back. “Yeah” she said.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah.” She replied resting her head against the door.

“Can I come in?” he asked.

“no.” she said quickly. “This place is a mess, and I’m not ready for visitors.” She said trying calm herself.

“Our note books are switched.” He said holding up her notebook in his hand as though the door could see it.

“Um…geez. I’m sorry.” She said. She could still make out some shapes, but her vision was blurring pretty quickly. She reached in her bag and felt for a note book. She pulled it out and felt the corners. She had noticed Dillon holding his with his teeth at the park while tying his shoe. She didn’t feel the indentions, so she felt for another and felt the marks on the corner. She carefully got up and turned. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Got it!” she said and opened the door. The sudden glare of light made her head ache but she focused on the blur in front of her that she knew was Dillon. She guessed at where his eyes were and handed him the book. “Here you go.” She said cheerfully. “And mine, you book thief?” she said trying to act casual. He handed her the book and she grabbed it with both hands, incase one hand missed. “Thanks….so…I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

“Um…” Dillon interrupted. “Are you okay?”

“yeah.” She said and smiled. “I was just about to get ready for bed. I have to go to your house later and finish priming the room.” Dillon nodded.

“okay.” He said and turned to Georgie. “You were right, sorry.”

“No problem.” Georgie said.

”about what?” Delaney asked. Glancing at the blur that was Georgie. She had not memorized where her eyes were yet so she turned her focus to Dillon.

“She was saying I was over reacting when I heard someone fall.”

“Oh, that was me.” Delaney confessed.

“I tripped over the mess I call a room. Could have ended up in an alternate dimension before anyone would have been able to find me in there.“ she joked.

“Yeah, well, glad your okay.“ he replied “ see you tomorrow.”

“Not if I see you first.” Delaney replied and they turned and left. Delaney waited until she heard them leave down the stairs before opening her door and stepping in side. The room was not a mess. In fact it was pretty spotless, and clear of anything. She made sure of that because of moments like this. She carefully knelt down in the dark and picked up her bag. She fished in it and grabbed two bottles of pills. She took them to the table and chair and opened one bottle. She poured a few pills in her hand and felt the pills individually. They were the white ones Georgie had examined earlier. These weren’t the ones she was looking for.

She picked up the other bottle and did the same pouring a few in her hand and feeling the pills. She identified the one she wanted by it’s shape and smiled in relief. She got up and carefully walked in the direction of the bathroom where she took the glass next to the sink and filled it and took the pill. She then felt in the medicine cabinets and took out a bottle of eye drops which she splashed in her eyes. It didn’t cure the sudden blur, but it felt better. She left the bathroom and walked to the bed. She kicked off her shoes and put her glasses on her nightstand. She couldn’t see to get to her dresser or anything so she said a brief prayer and lie back on her bed and fell asleep.

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 8


Delaney opened her eyes. It was morning. She looked up. She saw. She breathed a deep sigh of relief. The blurring was gone, and she could see everything. She got up and turned on the light. She saw the many pills laid out on her table and looked at them shamefully. She hated hiding like this. She wanted to be more open, as open as she pretended to be to others, but she had her secrets. And it was these secrets that kept her trapped. Perhaps that is why she turned to film for comfort, they were her release; they were her sanity because they weren’t real.

She put the pills back in the bottles and picked up the mess she had made the night before pouring her books on the floor. She placed her bag on the couch and left to the bathroom to get ready for another day.

She first grabbed a piece of toast from Kelly’s and left for the hospital. She wanted to discuss her spells more with Dr Winterbourne. At the hospital she waited silently at the waiting area when she noticed a very pretty girl come in. She had long brown hair and looked very dignified. Delaney had remembered her from somewhere but couldn’t place it. The girl noticed her stare and came to sit next to her.

“You mind if I sit here?” the girl asked.

“Not at all.” Delaney said and offered her a seat.

“You here to see a doctor?” the girl asked.

“Yeah, Dr Winterbourne.” Delaney replied.

“I’ve heard about him.” The girl said. “I’m here to observe some of his sessions for class.”

“Medical student?” Delaney asked.

“Yes.” She replied and offered her hand. “Emily Quartermaine.”

“You guys are a dime a dozen here, aren’t you.” Delaney said shaking her hand. She knew she had seen the girl in a photo at the Quartermaine mansion.

“Why do you say that? “ Emily asked curiously.

“Well, I get in town, I meet with my mother’s friends who end up being Quartermaines, I go to my summer workshop at the collage and again, another Quartermaine, and now, I’m at the hospital and again, another Quartermaine. Do you guys naturally reproduce or do you just grow on trees?” Emily laughed at Delaney.

“Well, I’m not an actual Quartermaine, they adopted me.” Emily explained. “My mother died of cancer a long time ago, and they took me in. I had my own escape from cancer also, and decided to go to medical school. This way I can make a difference and help fight the disease that doesn’t seem to be a respecter of age nor status.”

“Well, I’m Delaney Newton.” She said with a smile. “I have neither status nor respectable age to argue with disease. I’m not exactly the best candidate for much of any of that.”

“What are you here for?” Emily asked. Delaney smiled. She wasn’t sure she should tell considering the family connection, but she had to sooner or later, cause she would be at the doctors with her.

“Well, patience confidentially and all, “Delaney began. Emily nodded in agreement “I have a degenerative vision disease. My vision is slowly going.” Emily was very intrigued by this. Apart from her friend Elizabeth losing her sight temporarily to a hit and run, she hadn’t seen anyone who had to deal with the slowness of losing theirs.

“You mind if I ask you more questions?” Emily asked, getting really curious.

“Well, how about we both talk about this with the doctor.” Delaney volunteered seeing the doctor wave for her. Emily noticed this and got up to follow them.

Back in the office Delaney sat on the table as normal patience do. Dr Winterbourne, a doctor in his mind 40’s with salt and pepper hair took her vial signs and marked a few things on her chart.

“So…Delaney, I hope you don’t mind, but Emily asked if she could observe a few of my sessions for credit in school. Now you are under no obligation to say yes, but if it would be alright I would like Emily to observe our session.” The doctor explained.
“It’s okay doc.” Delaney replied. “Emily and I had a nice conversation and I’ll answer what questions she has. I mean, we are still doing the patience confidentiality right?”

“Of course.” Emily said.

“Yes, well. Today’s session is to see how the medications I have given Delaney are working. I’m going to go run a few tests on this blood I drew and see if the drug amount is in her system as I believe it should be. Emily, I will leave you here to monitor Delaney.” Emily nodded and the doctor left.

“Ahem” Emily said trying to act like a doctor. “So, if you would tell me how you came to discover this disease.”

“Well.” Delaney explained. “I was about 18 years old. My eyes began to go fuzzy at times. Both my parents were never home, I was too old for a governess, and the nurse at the school I went to was more concerned about how many coats to put on her nails so they wouldn’t chip. So I took it upon myself to see a doctor. I had all the papers, so I went to see them without an adult. I was told by my doctor after several months of testing that my eyes would slowly fail me, and there was a good possibility I could go blind. I panicked at first like any normal person would, but decided I wouldn’t let it beat me. I had previously seen several doctors for allergies, another pesky thing I have. I insisted I work on this on my own. I continued to see the doctors, being old enough to do so by myself. The bills of course were taken care of by my parents, thinking I was on a new allergy therapy and stuff, but what they didn’t know is I’ve been taking therapy to try and get my site back.”

”Your parents don’t know?” Emily asked shocked.

“Well, no they don’t. Trust me, it’s the last thing I need right now.” Emily could understand. She had hid her cancer from her family too, but how can you hide your site? “I started having spells where I just felt awful. I could always say, ‘it’s my allergies’. The symptoms could easily be explained. Cause you can’t see your eyes go, no one else can either. It started with simple things, sensitivity to light, so I started wearing sunglasses, and tinted glasses. Then the blurry vision, which was just in spells, I got stronger glasses, then the pain, the head aches, the dizziness, all of which could be explained by allergies, but for the fact that I couldn’t see. I saw shapes, shadows, and massive blurs, but I couldn’t focus on anything, close up or far away. At one point I went blind for a week. It was awful. But I’ve gotten used to it. I’ve seen several specialists and have tried both surgical and drug therapies to slow down the loss. And it’s worked, so far, but my spells are getting more frequent. Doctor Winterbourne is hoping to start a new therapy, and help slow this down.” Emily noted all she said and listened. She tried to think like a doctor, but thought like a friend.

“Why won’t you let your family know?”

“Well that’s were things get tricky Ms Quartermaine.” Delaney warned. “I have become friends with your family, with a boy name Dillon, and my mother is friends with Monica.”

“Mom?” Emily said suddenly. “You know my mom?” Delaney nodded.

“I don’t want them to know. They will tell my parents, and I don’t want that. I’ve lived years without their concern I can do it again…at least until I know this therapy isn’t going to work.” Emily nodded, even though she felt wrong keeping this from people, she knew that Delaney felt this was for the best, just as she had thought I was the best for her when she hid her cancer. But deep down she didn’t know if she could keep a blind eye to what was going on. “You can’t tell Monica, or Dillon, or anyone else. I won’t be made a charity case.”

“It’s okay.” Emily said still noting a few thing, trying to ignore the fact that this girl could go blind any minute. “But… how are you safe? If you lose your site…”

”I already have, several times, that’s why I am here.” Delaney explained. “I know my risks, Doctor Winterbourne doesn’t even know how bad it has really gotten, and I’m not going to tell him, not til I have to.”

“Delaney you can’t do this!”

“Well I am doing it” she said defiantly. “And as a doctor, to be a trusted doctor, I trust you to keep this between us.” Emily went cold. It wasn’t like she was being told to lie, she was being told not to tell. It was a big secret, but Emily had kept worse. “And after all, it’s not like I’m not going to have a good doctor around while I’m at your house, now is it? But Emily, you can’t, you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone.” Delaney looked an Emily her eyes desperate. “I have to prove to them and to myself, I can do this.”

”Why?” Emily asked.

“Because I have never had to depend on them before, I refuse to have to do it now. I will not ask for help.”

Emily looked in to Delaney’s eyes, she was serious and this was everything to her. She wanted to be independent, to prove that she could beat this. Emily understood. She knew how it felt wanting not to depend on her family, but she didn’t know how it felt to never have a family and suddenly they would want in. It would tip the scales on everything. It would make a strong person feel weak. She would respect Delaney’s wishes, as a doctor and not tell, but she would keep an eye on her, even if from afar, for it wasn’t sure how long Delaney would have her own.

[JRK Archiver]

chapter 9


Emily sat in the lobby of the hospital, trying to get her thoughts together. There was a lot to take in. A girl she hardly knew yet knew her family was telling her to keep a huge secret. Emily knew a patience’s trust was important to her job and wanted to keep Delaney’s but she was also letting her walk in to danger just over the fact that she could suddenly loose her site. Dr Winterbourne came out of his office from across the room and saw Emily sitting there thinking and walked up to her.

“Ms. Quartermaine?” he said softly. “Are you okay? Was there some questions you had about our session with Ms Newton?” Emily smiled and nodded.

“Yes, Doctor” she said. “What is wrong with Delaney? How serious is it?”

“Ah, well,” he said thinking back. “Delaney was referred to me by another doctor since she was transferring to Port Charles. From her files what I see is a progress vision loss.”

”Can she be cured?” she asked.

“Well, she’s already had a few minor surgeries,” He explained. “Laser and such which improved things however didn’t cure it. This was many years ago, and things have progressed a lot since then. It is her choice if she wants to attempt that again, but the eyes are a tricky thing. There isn’t a guarantee that we will be able to cure her at all.”

“What can she expect?”

“Well, right now, she has the early signs of vision loss, and we are working to try and reverse them, or at least give her some more time.”

”More time?”

“Delaney is a film student.” He said. “She said she wanted to finish her first film before her site left her. She actually gave me her script…if you can call it that. It’s more of a statement. She is doing a documentary.”

”Delaney tells you a lot about her life?”

“Yes,” he said sadly. “I feel for her, she has such vision, it’s a shame I can’t save it.”

“But there still is a possibility you could?” The doctor nodded.

“Yes, I’m trying a new drug therapy that I hope will if not cure it, stop it, so Delaney can live a normal life. However it’s not working as I’d like.”

“What can I do?” she asked.

”Well, as a doctor, nothing, but as a friend, try and help her, however you think she needs it. I’m worried about her building walls around herself. Seeing her open up to you in the office, gives me hope that her transition if or when her vision does go, will be smooth.”

“How long do you give her?” Emily finally asked.

“I don’t know” he confessed. “As things stand right now, a year, and that’s pushing it.”

“So she could…”

”Anything can happen Ms Quartermaine, I’m just trying to hope for the best.” Emily nodded.

Meanwhile at The Jones’s residents Delaney was waiting out side the house. She hoped she had the right address, but her eyes again started to hurt. She wanted to lay down, but it was important Dillon get the script so he could start filming it. She knocked again and another girl answered the door.

“I’m looking for…”

“Yeah, hold on.” The girl said. “GEORGIE!” she yelled in to the house. “she’ll be right here.”

“Maxie!” Georgie said kind of embarrassed. Dillon followed close behind. Maxie smiled and left back up her stairs to her room. Georgie went to the door and smiled shyly. “Sorry, forgive her.”

“I can’t stay.” She said cutting to the chase. “I’ve got a few other things I have to do, but I wanted to make sure you got this.” She handed them a single piece of paper.

“This is what I think we should say. You can add or edit what you want, but I’m late and can’t stay, feel free to slip it under my door when you get the chance.” With that Delaney was gone.

Dillon and Georgie didn’t have time to adjust to the sudden exit. “Well that was quick.”

“What did she write?” Georgie asked. Dillon reviewed the paper, which was just full of scribbled words.

“We will need to organize this.” He handed the paper to Georgie, the queen of organization. They closed the door and went up stars to Georgie’s room, and already Dillon could see Georgie’s brain buzzing much like his had when he got this project.

“Okay, the first thing I see are these three words…how about we make those your introduction.” She said taking out a blank piece of paper and writing the three words “Film, Movie, Life”

“How about a “A film is moving life?” Dillon offered. Georgie read over the rest of the paper then reached across her desk for a dictionary.

“How about this” she said offering the paper after she had finished looking up the words.

“Film: 1: a .A thin sheet or strip of flexible material, such as a cellulose derivative or a thermoplastic resin, coated with a photosensitive emulsion and used to make photographic negatives or transparencies. b. A thin sheet or strip of developed photographic negatives or transparencies.
2. A movie.

Movie: 1a. A sequence of photographs projected onto a screen with sufficient rapidity as to create the illusion of motion and continuity. b. A connected cinematic narrative represented in this form.

Life: 1. The physical, mental, and spiritual experiences that constitute existence”

“Perfect!” he expressed and kissed her forehead. “what else?”

“Well…Delaney has some good ideas here…I just need to organize them.”

“Your doing great.” He said and watched as Georgie continued to organize the thoughts.



“Film
A reflection of light upon a celluloid image
A picture moving at the speed of thought
A piece of life

Think outside the box
Think inside your soul
Inside your being
And find what you like

Is it pretty?
Is it painful?

Did it make you laugh?
Cause you to cry
Put a little more drama in your life where you once thought you had it figured out?
It’s not real?
But it makes you feel?”

“Wow…surely this is just a rough draft.” He said looking at the few lines.

“Yeah, there looks like there was more, but this is all I have.” She said noting the paper had more writing marks on the back, from here they had been written on another page. “Maybe we can have her give us the rest of it.”

“Or we could just” he took the paper and lightly rubbed his pencil over the impressions, which uncovered more words.

“This is good.” Georgie said, re-writing the script more.

“It makes you feel more then life
It makes you love in a minute
Live in an hour

It doesn’t lie
It shows you everything
The things you can not see

You trust it before you trust anyone else
It’s a life in 2 hours, 2 minutes, too long”

Dillon was absorbed in the text. It was everything he had thought. It was as though it came from his own head. He quickly opened his notebook Delaney had given him and read her film idea of the dialogue being spoken by other people. He thought of the quick cuts the angles. He had remembered such a thing done in a commercial on tv once, but he also thought of everything he could do with it, just by the right images and words… He kissed Georgie quickly and got really excited. He went to his back pack and pulled out the camera.

“I want you to read that, and I’m going to film it….just the part after the definitions.”

“No!” Georgie said defensively hiding her face, yet straighten her hair. Dillon put the camera down and went to Georgie and looked her in the eyes.

“You’re beautiful.” He said and kissed her. She smiled.

“Okay.” And so she turned around in her chair, glanced at the paper and read the words. When she was finished Dillon was beside himself with ideas. And this was just the first take.

There was much more to be done.

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 10


The smell of wet paint hung in the air as Delaney again stuck her brush in the can and wiped more primer on the bare walls. She had to finish this so that the actual paint color the Quartermaines had requested be put on to dry. It was then she heard the door behind her open. She turned and saw Dillon and Georgie come in. She adjusted her tinted glasses and smiled. They looked so perfect and clean, while she reminded herself of a bag lady in wet paint and overalls. Georgie stepped forward and placed a binder on the short ladder in the middle of the room. “What’s this?” Delaney asked. She rested her brush on the drip pan and walked over to the ladder. Dillon quickly swung his camera in view and filmed Delaney as she picked up the papers and opened the binder. Her eyes scanned the newly written script. After the script was a cleverly constructed story board using Georgie and Dillon as models. It showed the different angles and scenes for the short film. “You did this in one morning?” she asked astounded.

“Yep,” Dillon said focusing on her eyes as she scanned the papers again. “Well…Georgie did most of it.” He confessed. Delaney looked up and Georgie with a new respect. She smiled.

“So…do you like it?” Georgie asked.

“It’s perfect” Delaney confessed. But then she noticed the notes she had written in her journal had been used in reference. The words she hadn’t given them had been included. “How did you get this?” She asked referring to the additional text.

“Well…the impressions left on the other paper, we rubbed them with…um...” Georgie was nervous. Maybe those were things she didn’t want to say; perhaps she had done something wrong. Delaney turned sharply and walked to her bag in the corner and took out her journal and flipped to the page they had rubbed. These were thoughts she hadn’t yet finished, but they were fitting so well in what she had before. She handed the book to Georgie.

“You’ll need this to complete it.” Delaney said calmly.

“Delaney, I’m sorry,” Dillon said in Georgie’s defense.

“D.J.” she said softly.

“It was my idea, Georgie was just trying to help me, she didn’t… what?”

“D.J.” She replied and smiled.

“But…um…” he said trying to register things. She was calm, but not mad…what was this? Then it hit him. It was respect. She respected Georgie enough to give her the film journal, and him enough to allow him to call her D.J. “Thank you.” He said.

“I’ll expect a re-written script to include as much of what is in here as possible. We will scout more locations this weekend, and Filming will begin Monday.” Georgie took the book from her hand with a sense of pride, and Dillon turned off his camera and smiled.

“So you think we have a film?” he asked.

“No,” she confessed. “But we have a pretty good idea where to start at getting one.”

Georgie took the script she had made and the journal and held them close. This was very important to Dillon and she wanted to help him, and now she knew she could. She looked to Delaney and smiled. Delaney held out her hand to Georgie. Georgie shook it happily. “This is just the beginning. There is still more to come.” She said smiling. “Now get out, I’m busy.” She returned to her painting. Dillon and Georgie looked at each other and smiled. Georgie was beside herself with new respect and quickly followed as Dillon turned and they left Delaney to her painting.

Delaney on the other hand turned back as they left, here eyes damp with tears. She had handed over something very valuable to someone else. It was as if she gave her imagination away, her ideas, her thoughts, this film was what she wanted to see. And her eyes stabbed with pain as the light from the windows reflected off the white walls. She took a deep breath and turned back to her painting. She would finish this, and she would finish her film, she would succeed. She had to. There was no turning back.

Later that evening Delaney walked to Kelly’s. She glanced in the window and saw Dillon and Georgie sitting together with her journal and writing on his laptop computer. Georgie had written different sections on index cards and had them laid out on the table. Dillon scanned through different photos he and Georgie had taken that afternoon while looking for locations. He was arranging words to the photos in a short story board.

“I want a raw urban feel to this.” He said thinking out loud. “Nothing polished. I don’t want it pretty, I want it real.”

Georgie stopped what she was writing and looked up at him. “So who are you going to get to act in this?”

“Well that’s the beauty part of this.” He said hardly looking up from the screen. “there isn’t any real acting. I want these words to however be felt by many people, so I don’t want just one person saying them. I want them said and felt in different ways.”

“So what is the acting plan?” she asked.

“I’m not sure. I was thinking of getting some people we know to just read the script as they feel it represents to them.” Suddenly it was like Stanley Kubrick had taken over his body and he was epically talking about shots. “I want casual shots, real life; I want real emotions, not acting.”

“Okay, so how do we get the actors?”

“Start with what you know.” He turned the lap top around and Georgie saw herself on the screen reciting the lines she had before. She turned red and a twinge of embarrassment hit her stomach.

“You can’t!” she said gawking at herself.

“Not just you, but me to. It will all be sorted out in the editing.”

“I think I can get Guy to help, or even Maxie.”

“I want this on all levels, by lots of people….”

“How about Maxie, or my mom. I may even be able to get my dad to help.” She said grinning at the idea.

“Whoa!” Dillon said, still a little uneasy around the police commissioner. “Let’s take this one frame at a time.”

From outside the door Delaney watched this scene and grinned. They had what film needed. In a way they were the soul the film needed. She backed away from the door and decided perhaps a walk in the park would be best for right now. She didn’t take enough walks in the park.