- Damian is holding two mugs of hot tea. He enters the room, finding Nate at his computer.
- DAMIAN
-
Hey, you ready to talk?
- NATE
-
Sorry, I got distracted.
- DAMIAN
-
Are you reading my messages...?
- NATE
-
Teddy, Sonya and I aren't seeing each other.
- DAMIAN
-
She told me.
- NATE
-
I swear we-
- Damian sets a mug down on the desk for Nate, then sits on his bed with his own tea, blowing on it to cool it down.
- DAMIAN
-
I know. And since you're being nosy, you should know that I know from that chatroom. Sonya doesn't lie to me. I kind of wish she would. A little white lie here and there wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. (sigh) Why are you so freaked out right now?
- NATE
-
I'm... It's going to sound crazy if you seriously don't remember.
- DAMIAN
-
Ha. Crazy. You've seen me at my worst.
- NATE
-
This isn't like you drinking vodka instead of water for a week and speeding through the city!
- DAMIAN
-
Or me hearing shit when I'm trying to fall asleep? I mean really trying, because 3 days go by and-
- NATE
-
I saw her. That... thing. It was in my house! Just... creeping around in the dark with me at my desk... Oh, god, how long was she there?
- DAMIAN
-
Yeeeep, you definitely sound like me. Come on, tea.
- Damian points at the mug on his desk and Nate takes a sip begrudgingly.
- NATE
-
I can't do all of this again, Teddy.
- DAMIAN
-
Did you take your medicine?
- NATE
-
Coming from you?
- DAMIAN
-
Nate, I'm trying to be nice. You seem really anxious, so maybe you should, I don't know, take the stuff that makes you not anxious?
- NATE
-
They're called beta blockers, and yes I fucking took them.
- DAMIAN
-
Do you need more...? If they're in the car-
- NATE
-
NO! Don't go out there!
- DAMIAN
-
Dude... Relax. Sip. Breathe. Ok. Ok?
- NATE
-
I need you to listen to me.
- DAMIAN
-
Already doing that.
- NATE
-
And I need you to not think I'm out of my mind.
- DAMIAN
-
Sure. If you've lost touch with reality I'm screwed anyway.
- NATE
-
The seven circles...
- DAMIAN
-
Is that a cult? Because it sounds like a cult.
- NATE
-
It's a place.
- DAMIAN
-
And if you're trying to get me to join a cult-
- NATE
-
It's a PLACE, and we were THERE, but no one seems to remember! Or maybe Carina DOES but it doesn't matter because I think she's drawing them back out.
- Damian flops backward onto his bed while Nate crosses his arms, still sitting at the desk.
- NATE
-
What?
- DAMIAN
-
I should call my mom. Or my psychiatrist because this...
- NATE
-
Dude, I'm not a hallucination!
- DAMIAN
-
No, I know, asshole. I don't see things when I go bonkers. I think things, and I hear things. But I feel like I should check in with someone... Shit, maybe you should call your parents.
- Nate paces around the room.
- NATE
-
I AM CHECKING IN WITH SOMEONE! YOU! I'M REAL, THIS IS REAL, AND I'M NOT LOSING MY MIND!
- Damian sits up, rubbing his face from exhaustion.
- DAMIAN
-
That's totally what a sane person would-Nate, sit down!
- NATE
-
You're not LISTENING!
- DAMIAN
-
I AM listening, and you're freaking me out!
- Nate sits at the desk again and pulls his legs into his chest as he sobs.
- DAMIAN (SIGHING)
-
Woahhh, hey. I'm here. So, what are the seven circles, when did we go, and what exactly is your cousin 'drawing in'?
- Nate picks around at things lying on DAMIAN's desk. He settles on a pen, clicking it to distract himself while he bounces one knee.
- NATE
-
Do you remember when our boat tipped over? First year of college? Carina's parents had that cabin, and she took us out onto the lake.
- DAMIAN lets out a low whistle.
- DAMIAN
-
Yeah, it's been a while since we last talked about it. That was, what, six years ago?
- NATE
-
Seven... Fuck.
- Nate paces again.
- DAMIAN (Singing)
-
Don't go chasing synchronicities~
- NATE
-
Why are you singing? Oh my god - not the waterfalls song-
- DAMIAN
-
What?! It's good! Man, your taste sucks.
- NATE
-
I mean that can't be a coincidence, right? We went to the SEVEN circles and SEVEN years later-
- DAMIAN (singing)
-
I saw the signs, I opened up my apophenia and saw~
- NATE
-
STOP singing!
- DAMIAN (sighing)
-
Seven years could just be seven years. The wallpaper was yellow or whatever.
- NATE
-
Curtains. Blue. That's literature, and you're conflating a story with a saying.
- DAMIAN
-
Whatever.
- NATE
-
You're so dumb.
- DAMIAN
-
I know you are but what-
- NATE (laughing)
-
Oh my GOD. SO fucking dumb.
- Nate puts down Damian's pen and swivels in the chair lazily, staring at the ceiling.
- DAMIAN
-
You ok now?
- NATE
-
I'm not letting it go, Teddy.
- DAMIAN
-
No, I know. I'm not asking you to. We can talk about the circles, but are you feeling better?
- NATE
-
Sure.
- DAMIAN
-
That's a start. Don't work yourself up again. So... The lake? Kind of hard to forget. Our canoe flipped and they had to put together a search party to find us. So, what, the seven circles is some place out in the boonies?
- NATE
-
No, and we didn't just fall into the water. We drowned.
- Nate clicks on the "Recycle Bin" icon on Theo's computer.
- A knock hammers on the front door.