The Dark Pearl Chronicles 1.1: Battle of the Half-Brothers Read Free Page B

about.
AUSTIN: Whoa whoa whoa. I have nothing in common with these losers except that I go to the same school as them. Well, Zack's not a loser, but the rest are.
KARA: Says the guy that lost his band.
AUSTIN: At least I was in one. Don't try to go all bad on me. I'm the only bad boy in this town.
KARA: Whatever.

(Austin gives Kara a look and goes into Kara's mind.) 
KARA: I apologize, your majesty. You are the only bad boy here.
AUSTIN: That's what I thought.

PETE: Oh my nucleotides! You did it! Right in front of me! I have witnessed a supernatural act of a Mesopotamian jewel!
ALL EXCEPT PETE: A what?
PETE: this is the secret I was speaking of. I know you all have Mesopotamian jewels. You know the jewels that your parents gave you that have powers inside them.
(Austin suddenly gets uneasy)
AUSTIN: I don't know what you are talking about. Zack has one, but I don't.
PETE: Okay. I see how it is Mister Hard-to-Get.
AUSTIN: Ha! You have me confused for someone else! Ask any girl at Washington High; I'm the easiest guy around!
JOSH (mumbling): And he acts like that's a good thing.
PETE: We'll see who's lying, Mister Jones.
(Pete grabs a bat and swings it at Austin's head. Austin puts his hand up and the bat stops its motion in midair. Austin swings his hand quickly to his right and the bat flies from Pete's hand across the room.)
PETE: Ha! You just used telekinesis on me! I knew it! You can't lie to me.
ZACK: What!? You have one of those jewels too?
AUSTIN: Well, I... um...
ZACK: I told you I had one! I thought I was your best friend!
AUSTIN: You are, Zack. But don't you know how weird it is to tell somebody something like that? I didn't tell anybody. It's not like I was trying to keep it from you.
ZACK: But I wouldn't have thought it was weird. I have the same secret.
AUSTIN: You just don't understand. I'm the bad boy. I don't try to be like everyone else.
ZACK: Not even your best friend.
(Austin just stands quietly.)
JAGUAR: Well, this is awkward…
PETE: Wait! Listen. The reason I brought you all here is that I've studied up the histories of the Mesopotamian jewels and their possessors, and do you know what I found?
AUSTIN: That everyone looked at them as awkward aliens? That's kind of why we're hiding these.
PETE: No, not at all. I found prophecies about these jewels-prophecies that you could bring to life.
AUSTIN: Like anyone cares about these prophecies.
PETE: So you don't want to live forever?
AUSTIN (turning his head quickly in Pete's direction): Tell me more.
PETE: You guys, if you six teamed up as one unit, you'd be unstoppable. There's no way anyone could ever defeat you, and since you're already invulnerable to nature, you'd never die.
AUSTIN: Wait. So you're telling me I'd have to team up with these losers if I wanted immortality.
PETE: Precisely.
AUSTIN (spins around to walk out of the doorway): I better go call a grave digger.
PETE: Wait! Austin!
AUSTIN: Not going to happen! I roll solo, fool! I don't need anybody! (Leaves and slams the door behind him)
(Pete sighs.)
PETE: So, I'm guessing you guys are out, too?
(Josh looks around at the people surrounding him.)
JOSH: You know what? I'm in. I don't see what it would hurt.
JAGUAR: If he's in, I'm in.
COLE: I could use a few more friends.
ZACK: Whoa, don't use that word. Look, I'm in, mainly because Austin isn't and I'm mad at him, but I'm not friends with any of you.
KARA: Why not? This could be pretty fun.
PETE: Great! I could train you on how to use your powers properly and to the maximum efficiency!
JAGUAR (eating a honey bun): I'm sorry I didn't catch that last part.

SCENE: Pete's mansion. Pete and the five are in a giant room almost empty, except for a few weapons leaning on a few walls and sitting on some shelves. Training.
PETE: Okay, so the first step is to realize what you can do and when to do it. Jaguar, you go first.
JAGUAR: What do you want me to do?
PETE: Well, what is your power?
JAGUAR: Speed. I could run a NASCAR race and win, if I don't pass out