THE STORY

We find ourselves in the early 1930s with 17 year old Hayley Brown locked up in a juvenile rehabilitation center. After a failed attempt of escape, she comes under the radar of 18 year old Eli Weston, his gang and extensive history of trouble.

Intrigued by the new meat’s peculiarly fickle nature, Eli is in for an even bigger surprise when she offers to help him find a way out. But the real question is, why was she sent there in the first place?

HAYLEY ISABEL BROWN

A sweet face with a flirtatious secret by the name of ‘Valentine.’ That fascinating smile and a glance you can’t deny. But how buried yet transparent can a girl be?

That’s for you to decide, because perhaps it is us who control her. We think we know her and then we think we don’t, when the real question is whether she knows herself. Perhaps her pieces are in our hands. And that is the only flaw.

Shoulders heavy with promises, for a family that couldn’t keep theirs. She is a closed opened book, an opened closed book with pages torn and crumpled by those she let hold the pen. She always manages to have mischief wrapped around her fingers. But she needs to know that they are not always her games to play.

Our little girl.

It is difficult for me to write about her, because I am still figuring her out.

ELI DEAN WESTON

Proud, smug, yet deliciously charming. He is a daredevil at heart and desires to adventure at every turn. He is the leader of the pack and a popular presence in most eyes. And as tempting as it is to tie such a knight to his tale, I am questioned why I never chose to give Weston his princess.

Eli Weston to me, is a fictional character. He is a hideaway, a reminder when you need, and when you think you don’t need. He is simply there to catch you off guard, to allow yourself to go back to your main road. He is a male figure one needs, the shoulder for you to want but refuse.

Eli is his own paradox, and no one is really supposed to know him.

He is fictional not simply because he is an unrealistically picturesque but because he sees things I hope no one has to. He stands before the death of the person his heart holds dearest, the only breath that has ever made him question his own.

Eli Weston is a shield for all the swords that come charging forth.

But Eli is make belief. And I do hope this stays true.

The early stages of one’s life is believed to be one of, if not the most crucial chapter of character development. Though not all is recalled years down the road, every event is a building block. A child prodigy discovery. A beating without reason. It is these events that construct the very skeleton on which a persona hangs. And whether we notice or not, traces of mimicry play peekaboo through everyday gestures.

As significant as this theory is, it is often overlooked. People can be ignorant of the fine line that exists between care and its most effective method of expression when applied to a child. A suitably challenging yet nurturing environment for the growing must be fostered. Because as illustrated in the monster that is ‘Valentine’, even one bad experience can make all the difference, and it is time to internalise that.

With this plot, we also aim to illustrate the actual aftermath of these constructions, with direct focus on the fatal side of the spectrum.

We believe that upon facing such abundance of negativity, one has two routes of choice - the easy way out or the one that will eventually be worthwhile. The character Eli’s strive to decloud Hayley’s pessimistic mind, demonstrates an individual’s option to build up from the bad. But we also carry the fear that sometimes, the choice no longer entirely comes down to the individual, not when every nerve in their body has given up. Sometimes due to so much pain, the limit is met, and there is no going back.

The bullet is Valentine’s.

Le Minh Ha Millie

Co-founder & Head Scriptwriter