Run: 2026-02-20-01KHXPE569TP6SQ0DPM2GKTNES

**Voice Sheet: Café Encounter in Alborn, MN** *(Isabella sits at a small wrought-iron table outside the café, her fingers tracing the edges of her camera. The late afternoon sun casts long shadows across the cobblestone street. She glances up as Hunter approaches, his expression serious, his posture rigid. He hesitates before speaking, his voice low and measured.)* **Hunter:** *(clears throat)* "Excuse me, miss. Mind if I sit for a moment?" **Isabella:** *(startled, she looks up and clutches her camera a little tighter. Her voice is soft but urgent, the words tumbling out in rapid Italian)* "Oh—mi scusi, non parlo inglese. Ma… lei è qui per quello che è successo? Ho visto qualcosa, ma non so cosa fare. Ero vicino al bosco, ho scattato delle foto, e poi… c’era qualcuno. O qualcosa. Non lo so. Ho avuto paura." *(She shakes her head, her dark eyes wide with distress. She gestures vaguely toward the edge of town, where the dense woods begin.)* **Hunter:** *(frowning, rubbing the back of his neck)* "Uh… I don’t—look, I’m sorry, I don’t speak Italian. At all." *(He exhales sharply, frustrated with himself.)* "You’re… Isabella, right? From the college?" **Isabella:** *(nodding quickly, still speaking in Italian)* "Sì, Isabella. Sono qui per il programma di fotografia. Ma non capisco cosa sta succedendo qui. La gente scompare, e nessuno ne parla. Ho visto delle luci nel bosco la scorsa notte. E poi oggi…" *(She trails off, biting her lip, then points to her camera.)* "Ho le foto. Forse possono aiutare." **Hunter:** *(leaning in slightly, trying to parse her tone and gestures)* "Photos? You took photos of… something?" *(He glances at the camera, then back at her, his voice dropping into a more serious tone.)* "Listen, I’m Detective Hunter. I’m looking into what’s been happening around here. If you saw something, I need to know. Even if it doesn’t make sense." **Isabella:** *(nodding eagerly, switching to broken but careful English, her accent thick)* "Yes. Photos. I take… in woods. Near where…" *(She mimes someone vanishing, her hands fluttering away.)* "Gone. Like others." **Hunter:** *(eyes narrowing)* "You saw someone disappear?" *(He pulls out a small notepad, flipping it open.)* "When? Where exactly?" **Isabella:** *(pointing toward the tree line again, her voice trembling as she reverts to Italian)* "Vicino al vecchio fienile, dove la strada finisce. Era tardi, quasi buio. Ho sentito dei rumori, come… come passi, ma non c’era nessuno. Poi le luci. E poi—" *(She cuts herself off, shaking her head.)* "Non lo so. Forse è solo la mia immaginazione." **Hunter:** *(gritting his teeth, clearly frustrated by the language barrier but trying to stay patient)* "Okay, okay. Look, can you show me the photos? Maybe that’ll help." *(He gestures to her camera, then mimics taking a picture.)* **Isabella:** *(nodding, relief flickering across her face. She fumbles with the camera, pulling up the images. Her hands shake slightly as she hands it to him.)* "Ecco. Guardi." *(Hunter takes the camera, scrolling through the photos. His expression darkens as he lands on a few—blurred figures in the distance, strange lights between the trees. He’s about to ask another question when his phone buzzes sharply in his pocket. He pulls it out, glancing at the screen, and his jaw tightens.)* **Hunter:** *(into the phone, voice clipped)* "Hunter." *(A pause. His eyes flick to Isabella, then away.)* "Yeah. I’m on my way." *(He hangs up, handing the camera back to her with a grimace.)* "I’ve gotta go. But I need to talk to you more about this. Can you—" *(He gestures between them, then points to the café.)* "Stay here? I’ll come back." **Isabella:** *(nodding quickly, still speaking in Italian)* "Sì, sì, resto qui. Ma… per favore, torni presto. Ho paura." **Hunter:** *(nodding, already stepping back)* "I will. Just… don’t go anywhere alone, okay?" *(He hesitates, then adds, slower, as if that’ll help her understand.)* "Stay. Safe." **Isabella:** *(offering a small, shaky smile)* "Grazie." *(Hunter gives her one last nod before turning and striding away, his phone already back in his hand. Isabella watches him go, then wraps her arms around herself, her gaze drifting toward the woods. She lifts her camera, snapping one last photo of the empty street.)*