**Voice Sheet: Café Scene – Maria & Hunter** --- **Setting:** *A cozy, slightly run-down café in Alborn, MN. The scent of cinnamon and coffee lingers in the air. Maria sits at a corner table, her camera in hand, scrolling through photos on the small screen. The door chimes as Hunter enters, his sharp eyes scanning the room before landing on her. He approaches, his posture rigid, his expression unreadable.* --- ### **Scene Dialogue** **HUNTER** *(approaching, voice low but firm)* "Excuse me, ma’am. You’re the foreign student, right? Maria?" *(Maria looks up, startled. She clutches her camera a little tighter, her dark eyes wide. She doesn’t respond immediately, just stares at him with a mix of confusion and unease.)* **MARIA** *(softly, in Spanish, voice trembling slightly)* "¿Quién es usted? ¿Qué quiere?" *(Hunter frowns, clearly not understanding. He shifts his weight, hands resting on his hips—an old habit from his military days.)* **HUNTER** "Look, I don’t speak… whatever that was. English. Do you understand English?" *(Maria shakes her head slowly, her grip on the camera tightening. She swallows hard, glancing around the café as if looking for an escape.)* **MARIA** *(in Spanish, voice shaky)* "No entiendo… ¿Por qué me habla? ¿Pasó algo malo?" *(Hunter exhales sharply through his nose, rubbing the back of his neck. He pulls out the chair across from her and sits down without waiting for an invitation. Maria flinches slightly.)* **HUNTER** "Alright, let’s try this. You were at the apple festival last night, right? Near the old mill?" *(Maria’s breath hitches. She nods once, jerkily, her fingers tracing the edge of her camera. Her voice is barely above a whisper when she responds.)* **MARIA** *(in Spanish, voice breaking)* "Sí… estuve allí. Vi… vi algo extraño. Alguien gritó, y luego… luego desapareció. No sé qué pasó." *(Hunter leans forward slightly, his sharp eyes locked onto hers. He doesn’t understand the words, but her body language—her fear, her hesitation—tells him enough.)* **HUNTER** "Damn it. You saw something. At the festival. Who was it? What happened?" *(Maria shakes her head, her hands trembling now. She speaks rapidly, her words tumbling out in a panic.)* **MARIA** *(in Spanish, frantic)* "No lo sé, no lo sé… Era una mujer, creo. Llevaba un vestido azul. Gritó y luego… luego ya no estaba. Como si el bosque se la hubiera tragado. ¡No sé qué hacer!" *(Hunter pinches the bridge of his nose, frustration flashing across his face. He pulls out his phone, taps it a few times, and holds it up—a translation app. He speaks slowly, enunciating each word.)* **HUNTER** "Translate. *What. Did. You. See.*" *(The app’s robotic voice repeats his question in Spanish. Maria jumps at the sound, then stares at the phone like it’s a foreign object. She hesitates before answering, her voice small.)* **MARIA** *(in Spanish, whispering)* "Vi a una mujer corriendo. Alguien la seguía. Luego… luego el bosque se quedó en silencio. Como si nunca hubieran estado allí." *(Hunter listens to the translation, his jaw tightening. He leans back in his chair, processing. The café’s quiet hum fills the space between them.)* **HUNTER** "Did you tell anyone else about this?" *(The app translates. Maria shakes her head, her eyes welling up.)* **MARIA** *(in Spanish, voice cracking)* "No. Tenía miedo. Pensé que nadie me creería." *(Hunter studies her for a long moment. His expression softens just a fraction—almost imperceptibly. He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a business card, sliding it across the table.)* **HUNTER** "Listen. If you remember anything else—*anything*—you call me. Day or night. Understand?" *(The app translates. Maria nods, taking the card with shaking hands. Before she can respond, Hunter’s phone rings. He glances at the screen, his expression darkening. He stands abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor.)* **HUNTER** "Gotta go. Stay out of trouble." *(He turns to leave, then pauses, looking back at her. For a second, there’s something almost like concern in his eyes—gone as quickly as it appeared.)* **HUNTER** *(gruffly)* "And lock your doors." *(Maria watches him go, her fingers clutching the business card like a lifeline. The café door chimes as he exits, leaving her alone with her camera and her fear.)* --- **End Scene.**