From on High

Title: From on High
Episode: S1E1 "Her Promotion"
Author: strawbrie

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ACT I

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1. INT. CUBICLE FARM - EVENING

It's the end of a particularly long day at the office in Duluth, Minnesota. CODY SINGH, 27, is packing up her messenger bag. As she gathers the last of her things and turns to leave, her coworker SEAN MILLER, 28, walks up to her.

SEAN
Hey Cody! How's it going?

CODY
(uninterested)
Uh, it's going, I guess. What's up?

Cody walks out from her cubicle towards the exit that leads to the parking garage; Sean walks with her.

SEAN
I just heard; the party's being catered now...

CODY
Todd buckled?

SEAN
Yeah, only like three people signed up for the potluck, so he just decided to scrap the whole thing.

CODY
Well that's one good thing at least. Now I don't have to go find something on my own time. 
(muttering)
Using my own money...

SEAN
Ugh, right. Jordan's a bit disappointed though, he was looking forward to baking something.

CODY
Jordan?

SEAN
Oh! My fiancé.

CODY
Ah. Well, we're all looking forward to lots of things that aren't going to happen, now aren't we...

Cody opens the door to the parking garage, leading Cody and Sean into…

2. INT./EXT. PARKING GARAGE - EVENING

SEAN
Oh, right! Ugh, can't believe you haven’t gotten that promotion yet, you're like the only person who actually wants the damn thing.

CODY
(curt)
Thanks, Sean.

The pair continue to walk up the rectangular spiral of concrete in awkward silence, until they come upon their cars on the roof of the parking garage.

SEAN
Y’know, I also heard you were bringing a date to the party...

CODY
Oh! Uh, plus-one, but, yeah...

SEAN
Exciting! Who is it?

CODY
Well... what’s the fun if I told you now? It’s a surprise.

SEAN
(opening his car door)
Ooh, love it. Later!

Cody waves nonchalantly and closes her car door. She pauses briefly, exhaling sharply. Then, with the turn of her key, the engine of her decade-old hatchback hums to life.

CUT TO:

3. INT./EXT. CODY'S CAR - EVENING

The quartz-blue Subaru Impreza drives meanderingly down I-35; a stretch of road Cody’s had to have gone up and down a thousand times over, at this point.

She’s been stirring in her seat ever since she got on the highway. It’s quiet. But it's not just that. It’s been quiet. Uncomfortably quiet, for a very long time now. She flips on the radio.

[Nobody, by Mitski]
~My God, I’m so lonely—

CLICK

The radio’s treachery is abruptly silenced, but it’s too late. The lyrics linger, now a passenger for the next 50 minutes of tedium. Cody lets out a heavy sigh, and stews in silence for the rest of the drive home.

4. INT. CODY’S CABIN – NIGHT

Crickets.

Cody’s car is heard pulling into the gravel driveway outside of her modest rented cabin, located on the outskirts of Moose Lake. Small town. Cheap rent.

THUNK

Heavy, dragging footsteps make their way to the front door when, after a few seconds of fumbling, Cody turns the latchkey, opens the door, and is finally home. Closing her front door maybe a little harder than she actually meant to, she locks it and turns to fall into her sofa.

CODY
(guttural)
Ughhhhh…

A low groan escapes the Cody-shaped corpse lying face-down on the couch. A moment passes. Slowly, she uses her arms to prop herself upright, pull out her phone, and start scrolling mindlessly. A common extracurricular routine, nowadays. She starts to fall into a state of disassociation...

But.

Something’s off.

The lemon-infused chemical scent is the first thing to grab her attention. After a few affirmatory sniffs, Cody looks up from her phone only to see yet another irregularity: There’s something on the kitchen table. Are those... chocolate-covered strawberries? Cody places her phone down next to her and stands up; her lethargy now replaced by an even mix of concern and curiosity. Slowly, she walks up to the table and yes, laid out on a small white dish are four respectably plump chocolate covered strawberries, with what looks to be a white chocolate drizzle.

CODY
Uhm.

FLUSH

A distinct flush instantly breaks Cody’s attention away from the strawberries and straight to the bathroom door. She’s still as a statue.

The door cracks open. Behind it: ARIEL. The tall redhead pushes the door further with her back, her rubber glove-clad hands full with window cleaner and a half-used roll of paper towels. She immediately turns from the bathroom into the adjacent kitchen area, and crouches to return her borrowed cleaning supplies back under the kitchen sink. She then stands up to dust off her hands.

ARIEL
Okay! What next…
(surprised)
Oh!

Her train of thought is interrupted as she catches Cody in her peripheral vision. The two stare at each other for a short moment, both thinking on how next to proceed. Ariel decides to break the ice, slowly closing the gap between her and Cody.

ARIEL
(stretching her hand out to shake Cody’s)
Hi! I’m—

Cody BOLTS for the front door. She jiggles the lock but to no avail; it’s jammed.

ARIEL
(panicking)
Oh! Nononono! It’s fine! I promise!

Cody snaps her head back to Ariel. She’s still in the same spot she stopped at in the kitchen, still panicking.

ARIEL
I’m not a burglar or anything!
(walking towards Cody, passing the kitchen table)
I just want to t—

Cody bolts off again, sprinting past the side of the kitchen table opposite Ariel, straight towards the bathroom.

BATHROOM

ARIEL (O.S.)
Please, just hear me out!

Running, she slams the door behind her before locking it. 

Everything is still. Quiet again, for now. Cody steps over to her bathtub after a few seconds of thinking and gets in, drawing the shower curtain to a close. She rummages through her pockets but— her phone’s still on the couch. Peeking her head out from the protective barrier of the curtain, she looks up at the lone bathroom window: it’s absolutely not big enough to squeeze out of. There’s nothing left to do in here but sit and wait. She shifts her gaze to the door, bracing herself for whatever comes next.

A beat.

ARIEL (O.S.)
(softly)
I really just need to talk with you. That’s it, I promise.

CODY
Go away!

Another beat.

ARIEL (O.S.)
I’m going to come in, okay? Please don’t freak out, I’m not going to hurt you.

CODY
It’s locked! You better not break that door down, asshole, I can’t afford to replace it!

ARIEL (O.S.)
I’m not going to break the door down...

Before Cody can retort, a head appears through the puzzlingly unbroken door. Ariel gives Cody a tired smile before bringing her arm through the door next, waving politely.

CODY
Wh—

Ariel pulls the rest of herself into the room, revealing a pair of (perhaps stereotypically) angel-like wings attached to her upper back; slightly retracted in order to fit inside the small bathroom. She lets out a sigh.

ARIEL
Can we please talk?

Slowly, Cody nods.

CUT TO:

5. INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT

Ariel walks over to the kitchen table, and places a steaming mug of hot chocolate — marshmallows and all — in front of Cody, who is considerably placid in spite of the events that transpired ten minutes ago. She inspects a chocolate-covered strawberry, turning it in her hand as if trying to uncover something. Ariel sits opposite Cody, and exhales sharply, psyching herself up.

ARIEL
Okay! So. First, that was a lot, how are you doing?

CODY
(placing her strawberry back on the dish)
Uh, fine, I guess.
(beat)
Can you just like, explain... uh... explain?

ARIEL
Absolutely! So, I don’t think I need to explain that what happened back there was... not naturally explainable.

Silence. Cody’s eyes are fixed on Ariel.

ARIEL
Right. So; the explanation is supernatural, for lack of a better word. The wings might have given it away... but I’m an angel! Not an angel associated with any specific human religion, but an angel nonetheless. A guardian angel, specifically. My name's Ariel!

More silence.

ARIEL
And, as a guardian angel, it’s my purpose to help you! Make your life better, that kind of stuff.
(nervous)
Any thoughts? Feelings? Anything?

Cody breaks Ariel’s gaze, and for the first time notices the hot chocolate placed next to her. She puts her hands around the mug, staring at the half-melted marshmallows. Avoiding eye contact.

CODY
Okay...

A beat. She's still thinking.

ARIEL
Okay?

CODY
Well, I can’t not believe you after... 
(nodding to bathroom)
that. But... Why?

ARIEL
Why?

CODY
Why me, I guess?

ARIEL
(awkward)
Uhm. Well, I don’t want to be presumptive, but happy, well-off people don’t really have much use for people like me.

Cody’s eyes return to Ariel’s, a bit more hardened than they were before.

ARIEL
I- I just got here, but we don’t get assigned to people who don’t need us, is what I’m trying to get at.

CODY
Assigned?

ARIEL
Uh, yeah! Maybe not assigned: guardian angels are each created to help specific people. I was created to help you, not sally down the block.

Cody glances back down at her hot chocolate. It’s still full to the brim. A beat.

ARIEL
This it a lot. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to get too much into specifics this soon. The long and short of it is, you’re having a rough time—

Cody scoffs.

ARIEL (CONT’D)
And I can help you out with whatever you need help with. Well, to a degree. I can’t make, like, millions of dollars suddenly show up in your bank account or anything like that, but tell me what you need; I’ll see what I can do.

Cody finally takes a sip of her drink, and sets it back down. To her surprise, the mug fills right back up, like she never drank from it. She looks to Ariel, who flashes her eyebrows and gives a coy smile. 

Cody stares back at her drink. Between the trick in the bathroom and now this, it’s safe to say this woman isn’t delusional. She doesn’t seem like she’s lying. But why would she want to help her? What meaningful help could she possibly give? Things have been shit for a long while. Nothing short of a new life would be helpful at this point. 

Stop. Think of something. Anything. Small-scale. Low stakes...

Got it.

CODY
Are you free Thursday night?

ARIEL
Wh- Sorry, what?

Cody doesn't notice it, but the angel’s face starts to go red.

CODY
I... have this office party, and I kind of told some people I was bringing a plus-one, which was really stupid, but I don’t have one. I wouldn’t mind going to this alone if I didn’t lie my ass off, but we’re kind of past that, so...

ARIEL
Oh! Well, yeah! Of course I’ll be your date!

CODY
Plus-one.

ARIEL
Ooh, very fun! 
(to self)
I’ve never been to a party like this before...

CODY
Like this?

ARIEL
Uh, nevermind. It’s two days from now, though. Is there anything else you could possibly want in the mean time?

Cody gives a tired sigh.

CODY
Honestly... all I want right now is to take a bath and go to bed. I don’t mean to be, like, rude, but it’s kind of already been a long day, and now... this...

ARIEL
Right! Of course, no problem.

CODY
Right, thanks...

Cody gets up to leave.

ARIEL
Oh! Uh...

Cody stops, and turns back to Ariel.

ARIEL
Before you do... I kind of don’t really have anywhere to, uh, sleep? And, I don’t want to put you out! But, I wanted to ask if I could stay here since were kind of...

Ariel waves her finger between the two of them, and mimics waving a wand swoosh at Cody. 

ARIEL
I’d really only need the couch! But, yeah, I don’t mean to impose, but this is kind of the only thing going on for me, so...

CODY
Oh... Uh, yeah, sure. There are blankets and pillows in the closet over there. Help yourself to whatever I guess. 
(a beat)
Can I?

Cody gestures to the bathroom

ARIEL
Oh! Of course. Thank you so much, I promise I wont be too much trouble. I’ll go get situated, you go have a good rest of your night.

CODY
Thanks... uh, yeah, good night.

Cody leaves the table and walks to the bathroom.

6. INT. BATHROOM – NIGHT

From the ears down, Cody is entirely submerged in her bathtub. The large clawfoot tub/shower is basically the only comfort she has left at this point. If taking an hour-long bath before bed hadn’t become a nightly de-stressing ritual, her personal hygiene might well be in the gutter by now.

She looks up, staring blankly at the ceiling. She can’t stop thinking. Stop thinking. Stop thinking. Think about something else. Think about your sore muscles. Think about the ache, all over your body. Think about the all-encompassing heat of the water. Anything but what just happened. Just for a little bit. Please.

Ugh. Ughhhhhhhh.

She’s not dealing with this any more tonight. She’s going to get out of the tub, she’s going to get into bed, and she’s going to let the Cody who wakes up tomorrow deal with all of this.

...Is there an “all of this”? After the previous bathroom incident, everything seemed to go pretty smoothly. Cody turns her head towards the door. Still unbroken. There's really not much else to iron out. For the time being, at least. Just deal with everything as it happens. That’s how she’s made it this far.

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ACT II

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7. INT. BEDROOM – MORNING

At 6:29 in the morning, Cody is fast asleep, tucked in a ball in the corner of her queen bed. It’s almost peaceful.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP—

CODY
Ughhhhhhhh.

An arm quickly extends from the heavy pile of blankets to grab at the blaring phone. Pulling the phone back into her warm pocket of air, Cody silences the alarm, only to remain dormant under her mountain of warmth.

It’s now 6:34. All is well again. All is just as it should be. Until:

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP—

CODY
UGHHHHHHHH.

Cody rolls off the side of her bed onto the hardwood floor, blanket-mountain and all. After a few seconds, she slowly starts to compose herself out of her bedding and speed-walks over to her hamper. It’s starting to get colder, and the on-again off-again heat pump has been off more often than not lately.

Lightly used pants, check. Shirt that still smells okay, check. Sweater that probably shouldn’t be worn after today without being washed, check. Ready to start the day.