Genre: Urban Fantasy

Main Character: Kaia, 17

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EXT. GRIMWOOD STREET – EARLY MORNING

The city hums awake. Traffic murmurs in the distance. A faint mist hugs the ground.

NARRATOR (V.O.):

The city never really slept — not with its blinking lights, buzzing screens, and echoing horns.

A quiet stretch of road appears. GRIMWOOD STREET. Between a pharmacy and a laundromat stands an odd little shop: ELDER & FINCH.

It looks misplaced. Wooden. Crooked. Covered in ivy and dust. Windows foggy. The door — faded red — has a brass lion-shaped handle.

NARRATOR (V.O.):

But on Grimwood Street… nothing ever truly changed.

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INT. KAIA'S BEDROOM – LATER THAT DAY

KAIA (17), smart and stubborn, flips through her sketchbook on her small bed. Her room is cluttered with books, notebooks, stars stuck to the ceiling.

She stops. Glances out the window.

KAIA (softly):

That shop…

Why is it never open… but always there?

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EXT. KAIA’S BALCONY – NIGHT

Kaia sits wrapped in a blanket, sipping cold tea. The sky is deep indigo. Her eyes are locked on the shop below.

Suddenly — MOVEMENT.

Three CLOAKED FIGURES slip out of the shop. Silent. Elegant. Their coats shimmer like starlight.

KAIA (whispering):

Who are they?

They glide down the street and vanish.

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INT. KAIA’S BEDROOM – THE NEXT MORNING

Kaia scribbles in her notebook. Her eyes are red from no sleep. A croissant sits uneaten.

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EXT. BAKERY ACROSS THE STREET – MORNING FOG

Kaia hides behind a bakery sign. She peeks toward Elder & Finch.

Three figures — the same ones — walk back into the shop as the morning sun begins to rise.

KAIA (to herself):

They’re going in now… Why?

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INT. SCHOOL – CAFETERIA – LUNCHTIME

Kaia talks to MAYA, her best friend. A table full of classmates chat nearby.

KAIA:

I swear, I saw people coming out of the shop at night… and then going back in before morning.

MAYA (frowning):

Maybe it’s like… a club? Or a 24-hour thrift place?

KAIA (firm):

No. Something’s off. It's too quiet. And no one else ever notices it.

Maya gives a hesitant smile.

MAYA:

Maybe you just need more sleep.

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EXT. GRIMWOOD STREET – LATE AFTERNOON

Kaia stands across from the shop. Wind flutters her notebook pages. She takes a breath and crosses the street.

She reaches the red door. The lion handle seems to look at her.

KAIA (softly):

Okay… here we go.

She reaches out. Grabs the handle.

SFX: CREEAAAK

The door opens.

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INT. ELDER & FINCH – MOMENTS LATER

The air changes.

Inside is massive. Towering bookshelves curve toward a starlit ceiling. Glowing orbs float like fireflies. Vines curl across the floor. The shop feels… alive.

Kaia steps inside slowly.

KAIA (whispering):

It’s… bigger than it should be.

A gust of wind brushes past her — from inside the building.

At the far end, a STONE ARCH pulses with a glowing blue portal. Mist swirls around it like stardust.

Kaia walks toward it, stunned.

NARRATOR (V.O.):

She didn’t understand it yet, but one thing was certain:

This wasn’t just a shop.

It was a gateway to another world.

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EXT. PORTAL ROOM – CONTINUOUS

Behind her, something stirs. A flicker of motion. A shadow watches Kaia from behind the shelves.

NARRATOR (V.O.):

And someone — or something — had just noticed she’d entered.

FADE TO BLACK.

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INT. KAIA’S BEDROOM – NIGHT

Kaia bursts into her room, slams the door shut, and leans against it, panting.

Her eyes are wide. Her hands shake. Her backpack hangs half-open, her notebook peeking out.

KAIA (breathless, whispering):

“I saw it… It was real. That place—”

She paces the room, clutching her phone like it might help.

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INT. KITCHEN – MOMENTS LATER

Kaia’s parents sit with tea, mid-conversation. She enters fast.

KAIA:

“Mom. Dad. There’s a portal inside the shop across the street! I went inside, and it’s… not normal. It’s magic!”

Her dad lowers his cup. Her mom blinks.

MOM (softly):

“Kaia… are you feeling alright?”

DAD (chuckling nervously):

“You’ve been reading too many fantasy books again.”

KAIA (desperate):

“I’m not making it up! I saw people going in. It’s bigger inside. There’s floating lights! And—”

MOM (concerned):

“Sweetheart, maybe take a break from staying up so late. Your imagination’s running wild.”

Kaia stares at them, stunned. Frustration boils up.

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INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY – NEXT DAY

Kaia stands with her best friend Maya and a few classmates.

KAIA (urgent):

“Maya, I swear. There’s something weird inside Elder & Finch. A portal. I stepped inside.”

MAYA (uncertain):

“The dusty shop with the weird door handle?”

KAIA:

“Yes! I saw cloaked people go in. It’s like they live on some other schedule—some other world.”

Maya pauses… then laughs awkwardly.

MAYA:

“You sure it wasn’t a dream?”

CLASSMATE #1:

“Sounds like Kaia’s writing a new novel again!”

Laughter. Kaia’s face falls.

KAIA (to herself, determined):

“Fine. I’ll prove it.”

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EXT. GRIMWOOD STREET – NIGHT

The wind howls. Lights flicker.

Kaia stands across from the shop, staring. She wears a hoodie, her backpack on, a flashlight clipped to the strap.

She walks up to the lion-shaped handle, takes a deep breath, and pushes the door.

It creaks open.

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INT. ELDER & FINCH SHOP – CONTINUOUS

The warm glow greets her again. Shelves shift gently, as though breathing. Paper birds flap lazily above her head.

She walks toward the arching blue portal at the back.

KAIA (to herself):

“Okay. I’m ready this time.”

She steps through.

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INT. THE OTHER SIDE – THE LUMEN MARKET

Kaia gasps.

She stands in the middle of a magical street, lined with shops that shimmer, float, or change shape. Cobblestones glow underfoot. The sky above is indigo and full of floating lanterns.

Magical beings roam the street:

A fox-headed baker selling rainbow pastries

A clockwork owl delivering letters

A woman with cloud hair reading fortunes in glass spheres

KAIA (awestruck):

“This... is real.”

She spins slowly, eyes wide.

Children with wings giggle as they fly past. A merchant cart zips by without wheels. Music hums from nowhere.

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INT. ALLEYWAY – EDGE OF THE MARKET

A pair of glowing eyes watches Kaia from the shadows.

Unseen. Waiting.

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KAIA (V.O.):

“I thought no one believed me.

But this world… this place… it’s been waiting for someone like me.”

FADE OUT.

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INT. ORB-LIT ALLEYWAY – CONTINUOUS

Kaia stares at Riven — unsure whether to run or stay. His calm demeanor doesn’t match the mysterious, otherworldly world around them.

RIVEN (smiling softly):

I don’t mean to scare you. I just… want to be your friend.

KAIA (suspicious):

Why would I trust a stranger who followed me? who your?

I don't want any friends . I am okay with alone.

RIVEN (shrugs):

Because this place isn’t safe if you don’t know where you’re going.

And it helps to have someone who does.

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EXT. FLOATING BRIDGE – MOMENTS LATER

They walk side-by-side. Kaia stays a step behind.

Below them, translucent koi fish swim through the air like water. Lanterns hover along the bridge path.

KAIA (nervously):

Okay… friend.

But I’m watching you.

RIVEN (grinning):

Fair enough.

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EXT. LUMEN MARKET – CONTINUOUS

Riven guides Kaia through vibrant, magical places:

A candy stall where sweets float to your mouth.

A scrollsmith bending spells into glowing ribbons.

A treehouse cafe growing on a giant feathered beast.

Children learning spells that light the air with symbols.

Kaia’s fear slowly gives way to wonder.

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EXT. SPELLMAKER’S SQUARE – LATER

Riven and Kaia sit near a fountain that sings. Creatures of light dance above it.

RIVEN (watching her):

You’re handling this better than most outsiders would.

KAIA (wide-eyed):

Really... before I am not used or eared about magic these is first time I using it I feel like… I’m in a dream.

RIVEN:

It's real.

And if you stay long enough, it changes you.

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KAIA:

okay. I want to know Why are you helping me?

RIVEN:

Because I know what it’s like to be dropped into something you don’t understand.

He looks away, something darker behind his eyes.

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RIVEN (softly):

Do you want to learn magic?

Kaia blinks.

KAIA:

Wait… me?

I-I’m just a normal girl. I don’t have powers.

RIVEN (smirking):

Neither did I at first.

KAIA:

Really Is that even possible? Can I able to do?

RIVEN:

Everything in this world runs on Will. If you want it badly enough… the world listens.

Kaia stares at her hands, thinking.

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KAIA (quietly):

I’ve always wanted to be something more…

…maybe this is my chance.

Riven stands, extending a hand.

RIVEN:

Then come on, Kaia. Let’s show the world what you’re made of.

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MONTAGE: RIVEN AND KAIA IN MAGIC TRAINING

Riven shows her a glowing sigil. Kaia copies it—sloppily. It explodes in her face.

She laughs, covered in sparkles.

She balances on floating stones while Riven coaches her.

Kaia accidentally summons a tiny creature made of ink. It sneezes.

Finally, she lights a small orb in her palm. Her eyes widen — a spark of real magic.

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EXT. STARFIELD ROOFTOP – NIGHT

They sit under a magical sky filled with moving constellations.

KAIA (smiling):

Thanks, Riven. For not giving up on me.

RIVEN (softly):

You haven’t even started yet.

FADE TO BLACK..