Powerless: Graffiti Pete x Sonny

2

"I can't believe she's gone..." Vanessa says somberly.

"It's like a bad dream...and I wanna wake up!" Carla exclaims, whipping tears from her eyes.

"We all knew this day would eventually come...but who knew it would come this soon?" Daniela asks sadly.

Vanessa's cell phone rings. She looks at the ID and answers it.
"Nina? ...What? ...Y-Yeah of course, what's wrong? ...What?!"
Vanessa stands suddenly. "Oh God, what happened?! Is he alright?! Is he- ...Okay, okay, I'm on my way; Dani and Carla too."
Her face becomes somber. "I know, I know...We're on our way."She hangs up.

"What happened?" Carla asks.

"Get up girls, we gotta go." Vanessa tells them and gestures for them to stand.

"Que paso?" Daniela asks in Spanish.

"Sonny's gone missing." Vanessa informs them urgently.

Daniela and Carla leap to their feet. "What?!" Carla asks surprised.

"How could he be missing? Sonny knows better than to run off!" Daniela says shocked.

"I don't know! I don't think anyone's seen him since the news! C'mon, we're meeting Nina at the dispatch and splitting up there!" Vanessa tells them and they all nod and leave.

Nina and Benny are standing outside the dispatch. Vanessa, Daniela, and Carla all enter. Nina is pacing while Benny is standing some ways away, looking for any sign of Sonny. "Hey." Vanessa says.

"Thank god, you're here!" Nina exclaims.

"Have you found him?" Carla asks.

"No sign of him anywhere!" Benny says shaking his head.

"Where have you looked?" Daniela asks.

"Everywhere we could think of! The bodega, Abuela's place, the dispatch, the salon, even the school!" Benny yells exasperated.

"We've both tried calling him for the past two hours and he won't pick up!" Nina says almost hysterical.

"Bueno...all we can do is retrace those steps. He couldn't have gotten far; Carla and I will check the salon and the park." Daniela says nodding.

"I'll check the drugstore." Benny tells them.

"I'll come with you!" Nina exclaims.

"I'll try the fire escapes." Vanessa says.

Some time passes and Nina is in front of the dispatch, sitting on the steps, her cellphone to her ear.
Vanessa enters as Nina puts down her phone. "Anything?"

"Nothing!" Nina yells.

Vanessa sits down next to her.
"Where could he be? I know Sonny, he wouldn't just disappear like this! Even if he's in a bad mood he always picks up when I call him!"

"I don't know...God, if something happens to him..." Vanessa says worried. Benny enters. Nina stands abruptly.

"Any sign of him?" Nina asks hopeful.

"I checked the dispatch again, and the drugstore, and the parking lot; no one's seen him!" Benny says a bit panicked.

"I'm going to check the park again." Nina says close to tears.

"Nina-" Nina hurries off. Benny turns to Vanessa. "Guessing you haven't had much luck either." Vanessa silently shakes her head. There's a beat of silence.

"...Someone should tell Usnavi." Vanessa points out.

"Yeah... You should do it, Nessa. If anyone can tell him without everything going to shit, it's you. I'm gonna find Nina. Someone has to stop her before she starts rooting through trashcans." Benny leaves.

Vanessa stands in silence for a while before taking a deep breath and exits into the bodega. Lights up on the fire escape just above the bodega. Usnavi is sitting under the railing. His head is down and his posture is slumped in a defeated pose, staring at nothing. Vanessa enters through the window to his left and looks around for a moment before slowly approaching. "Usnavi?" Silence.

"Usnavi?" Another beat of silence. Vanessa takes a deep breath, steeling herself.

"Usnavi, have you seen Sonny anywhere? We...we can't find him." She says slowly.

Usnavi reacts almost instantly. He faces Vanessa abruptly, clearly panicked. "He's missing?!"

"Well...I mean, we don't-" Vanessa says nervous trying to keep him calm.

"Ay- Mierda!" Usnavi gets up and exits through the window, Vanessa following and calling after him. Usnavi and Vanessa reenter onstage. USNAVI has his phone to his ear and Vanessa is trying to calm him down.

"He's not picking up!"

"We've all been trying to call him; we're looking everywhere." She says grabbing the phone out of his hand.

"This can't be happening, this can't be- I can't- first Abuela and now Sonny, I can't-I can't lose him too!" Usnavi says frantic.

"Usnavi, listen to me-"

"I've gotta- Nessa, we have to- I shouldn't have- god, what if he's- I shouldn't have left him alone, not again!"

"Again? What do you mean again?" Vanessa asks confused.

"Where have you looked? He could be at the park, or-or the dispatch! Sometimes he-" He says panicked, clearly not listening.

"Usnavi, what do you mean 'again'? Has this happened before?" Vanessa says grabbing him.

"No, he- he just- ugh, I-!" Usnavi says frustrated.

"Usnavi!"

"At the blackout, he...he was by himself. At the bodega." He says guilty.

"He was what?! Usnavi-" Vanessa says shocked.

"I know I know, and I hate myself for it! God, he was all beat up, and scared; he wouldn't talk to me and-"

"He wouldn't talk to you? He was already...oh god Usnavi, this-"

"I know! I have to...I'm gonna find him, I- I'll check the park." Usnavi says determined.

"Usnavi, wait-" Usnavi walks off. Vanessa sighs and looks around for a second.