Cast of Characters

Erika: Eighth-grader of Spanish descent, speaking with a thick accent, DEVIN’s stepsister

Devin: Nine-year-old white stepbrother of ERIKA

Devin’s Mom: Bilingual social worker, takes care of home but is not present as she is at work

Erika’s Dad: Firefighter, mentioned but not present as he is at work

Time and place

September 11th, 2001, 8:30 am. New York City

Scene 1

(ERIKA is in a small bedroom decorated with torn animal print wallpaper, dirty clothes, and a bed half her size. She is hunched over her desk painting the final details on a popsicle stick model of the Twin Towers. ERIKA picks it up and turns it, revealing the inside is made completely of bandages and tape and headwrap, concealed by the top. However, while she is working, one of the sticks breaks off. She grabs for the glue but it is empty, and she storms off muttering something indecipherable about a devil thief, a missing glue bottle, and a rocket ship. She approaches a young boy at a kitchen table whose face is covered in pancake syrup.)

ERIKA

(Starts to say something, but stops when her eyes travel from the empty glue bottle to her brother.)

¡Ay! Would you use your fork? You eat like a pig.

DEVIN

(Shoves a pancake in his mouth as he flips through his comic book)

You eat like an alien.

ERIKA

I’m not even eating anything, Peinabombillas.

DEVIN

(Playing with food)

Well, no wonder you’re so stupid. You never eat anything. 

ERIKA

El burro sabe mas que tu! You’re an idiot!

DEVIN

Coming from the girl who put almond butter in her pits this morning.

ERIKA

You hacked my deodorant!

DEVIN

(Smiles)

Prove it.

ERIKA

(Charges towards her brother and grabs him by the rim of his shirt.)

Te voy a dar una galleta!

DEVIN

(Throws his hands in the air, still smirking)

Fine, hit me. Then I’ll tell your dad. We both know I’m his favorite. 

ERIKA

(Drops him reluctantly)

Eres tan patético, que resultas entrañable.

DEVIN

I’m pathetic? At least I’m not failing gym. How do you even fail gym? All you have to do is show up!

ERIKA

Cállate!

DEVIN

You shut up!

(Erika pulls at her hair and stares at the glue bottle in her hand, starting to remember why she came to him in the first place. She glances at the wall clock, reading 8:40, and slams the bottle on the table.)

ERIKA

Are you ready? The bus will be here in five minutes. (Devin starts to speak, but she cuts him off.) Where did you put the last glue bottle?

DEVIN

(Returns to his meal.)

Dunno. Where’d you put your brain cells? 

ERIKA

(Starting to panic)

¡Dios! Listen, Rugrat. I need that project on Mr. Telo’s desk or he’s gonna make me repeat eighth grade. I know you used the glue for your stupid model rocket ship. Give it back or I’ll turn in your brain. 

DEVIN

Okay, do it. Closest you’ll ever get to an “A.” 

ERIKA

Creerse la última coca-cola en el desierto. You want a taste of your own medicine?

DEVIN

(Looking bored, although his eyes are scared.)

Why do you even need the glue? You covered that whole thing in tape and Band-Aids.

ERIKA

(Grabbing stack of books sitting next to DEVIN’s plate.)

Say adios to your stupid comic book collection.

DEVIN

ERIKA!

ERIKA

(Holds books above her head.)

Ha! Give me the glue. 

DEVIN

I don’t have it!

ERIKA

Yes, you do!

DEVIN

Do not!

(DEVIN grabs for the book and eventually tackles ERIKA. They keep grabbing for each other, inching closer to the table. ERIKA sees what’s about to happen moments before DEVIN does, and he nails his head on the corner of the table. DEVIN grabs his head and falls, whimpering. The big clock in the background shows it’s 8:42.)

ERIKA

(Drops comic books.)

¡Dios mío! You’re bleeding!

DEVIN

(Clutches head)

No duh, Sherlock. I’m fine. 

ERIKA

Devin, let me see it. 

DEVIN

No-

ERIKA

Let me see.

(ERIKA yanks away DEVIN’s hands and sees a gash above his eye. It missed his eye but looks deep. The clock behind them strikes 8:43.)

ERIKA

I’m so sorry. Let me—

DEVIN

(Grabs spot on his head.)

I’m fine.

ERIKA

No, you’re not.

(ERIKA grabs DEVIN and charges through different cabinets. They’re all empty. That’s when ERIKA remembers her project, where she used all the first aid supplies. Despite DEVIN’S protests, she drags him to her bedroom and starts tearing through her bedroom. She wraps up DEVIN’s head.)

DEVIN

Your project-

ERIKA

Screw it. (ERIKA pauses when DEVIN flinches.) Like you said, I’m not the type to get A’s anyway. (ERIKA tries not to look at her demolished Twin Towers project as she tightens the bandage.) There. 

DEVIN

(Feels head)

It wasn’t that bad. 

ERIKA

(Shrugs.)

We’ll have the school nurse check on you. I’d rather avoid another hospital visit. 

(She looks at the family portrait. Reveals her dad is of her descent, wearing a fireman’s cap, and Mom is of Devin’s descent, dressed in a pantsuit.) 

DEVIN

(Snorts.)

Yeah, remember when you set the place on fire? Your dad went nuts!

ERIKA

(Shoves him gently.)

That was your fault. Besides, it’s not as bad as when you threw up on their wedding rings. Your mom looked ready to give you a cookie. 

(They laugh, and the two sit in silence for a while, until Erika’s clock ticks 8:45.)

ERIKA AND DEVIN

The bus!

(DEVIN charges out the door with a shove from ERIKA. ERIKA grabs the remains of her project, although, before she heads out she sees the other glue stick lying on its side below her desk. She picks it up and rolls her eyes.)

ERIKA

Figures.

DEVIN

Erika!

(ERIKA carries her demolished project outside, smiling at the family portrait again. The clock strikes 8:46, but the bus isn’t there. DEVIN is on his knees, staring at the sky. ERIKA clings to her project, eyes traveling from the remains of her model to the sky, seeing the plane crash into the first tower. ERIKA and DEVIN exchange a glance.)

DEVIN

(Crying)

Mom, she’s…she’s at the…she’s…

(They stare at the skyline, unable to move. When DEVIN starts crying again, ERIKA pulls him to face her.)

DEVIN

Y-your dad, he can save her, right? She’s going to…I mean…

ERIKA

Of course he will.

DEVIN

But what if— 

(DEVIN starts crying again. ERIKA drops her project on the concrete and wraps DEVIN in a hug. The screen zooms towards ERIKA’s project, and words appear on the screen, one sentence at a time, fading in and out: The second plane crashed at 9:02 a.m. There were 2,977 resulting casualties, including 343 firefighters. Devin’s mom was not of the 20 survivors.)

(Scene fades out, still showing the model project.)

Scene 2

(Opens at kitchen table, where DEVIN and ERIKA sit, eyes red. DEVIN’s comic books are abandoned in the corner. The clock reads 4:42, and the phone rings. ERIKA hesitates, then picks it up. DEVIN watches her, although he can’t hear what she’s saying. Suddenly, ERIKA drops the phone and starts sobbing uncontrollably. DEVIN realizes his mother isn’t the only one they lost today, staring at the phone as if it is his worst enemy.)

DEVIN

(Stumbles over, eyes watering.)

You and me, right?

(ERIKA nods and sobs harder. Her hands shake, and DEVIN grabs her in a hug. ERIKA calms down, and DEVIN pulls away gently.)

DEVIN

Te Quiero.

ERIKA

(Stares at the phone for a long time. Just as DEVIN turns back to the table, she grabs him tighter.)

I love you, too. 

(DEVIN nods and walks towards the table. He sees his comic books and tosses them into the trash.)

Scene 3

(ERIKA stares out the windowsill as DEVIN sleeps on the couch, then she seems to remember something, making her eyes water. She fumbles outside, then picks up her project. She brings it back to her desk, but doesn’t fix it. Instead, eyeing the family portrait, she carves a message in its base: Mom and Dad, September 11th, 2001. La familia no es una cosa importante. Es todo.)

(Translation shows that it says Family is not an important thing. It's everything.)

ERIKA

(Looking at DEVIN.)

I’ll hold it together. I promise.

(Knowing the social workers will arrive soon, ERIKA sits next to DEVIN, waiting for the promise of a new day. She looks at the family portrait and her project once more, then closes her eyes.)

THE END