Red Ruby

We're here at Ruddy Creek,

where just steps behind me, a local energy company

is extracting oil from deep below Millwood.

Holes the size of small cars

have been drilled into the ground

by the Fraxicon Corporation

run by Kirk Vanderhook,

a Millwood resident.

A representative from Fraxicon tells me

they play to extract over five million

barrels of crude oil in just a single day.

We're headed to the Crown Lake Club for dinner.

Did you finish your homework?

I'm gonna do it at Miranda's, remember?

You said I could stay at her house.

Fine. Just don't stay up all night.

You'll be a zombie in the morning.

That tie suits your father.

- He should wear it tonight. - He looks nerdy.

I don't know why I bother.

Long-term residents may recall Ruddy Cavern from 1994,

when a group of students went missing

in the underground caves during a school trip.

For two weeks, national news media outlets swamped Millwood

during intensive rescue efforts.

But in the end, just one of the Millwood Six,

as the six missing students came to be known, was recovered.

Mom?

Sadly, the rest of the teenagers were never heard from again.

Theo! Theo!

Theo, wait up!

Dude, I called your name, like, four times.

- You did? - Yeah, I was like, "Theo."

Then, "Theo!"

- Then-- - Okay, I get it.

- Gosh, you look terrible. - Thank you.

- - Yeah, well, I kept waking up all night

'cause I thought I heard someone walking around on the roof.

It's called the wind. It's part of climate change.

Warmer, wetter, and, yeah, windier.

Educate yourself on how we're damaging our planet.

It is freezing today.

Personally, I would not mind a little more global warming.

Just promise me you'll be there after school.

Be where?

Hello? Be where?

Have you been living under a rock?

They started fracking yesterday down at Ruddy Creek.

- In, like, a big way. - What the frack is that?

Very funny.

There's massive holes in the ground

with who knows what kind of bad stuff seeping out.

Imagine what it's like for the Cerulean warblers.

Not again with the birds, come on.

I'm assuming that you're gonna shovel the dirt back in the holes, too.

We're not just protesting to protect wildlife.

- It's for people, too. - Right.

The Earth is our mother. We've gotta take care of her!

So, with the fall of the Byzantine Empire,

a new power arose.

Can anybody guess who they were?

Here's a hint.

At the end of a long day, you might put your feet on it.

- The dog? - Nice try, Charlie.

The correct answer is the Ottoman Empire,

who ruled from Constantinople.

Which brings us to page 73.

Charlie?

Okay, um...

"In the 1450s, a new challenger threatened the Ottoman Empire.

In Wah-la-chia-- "

Wallachia.

"In Wallachia, part of modern-day Romania,

an obscure prince known as Vlad the Impaler

led a rebellion that killed thousands of Turks

before being imprisoned in Hungary."

All right, hold a beat there, Charlie.

Where else have we heard of Vlad the Impaler?

You might know him as Vlad Dracula,

the inspiration for Bram Stoker's 1897 novel.

- Does that mean that vampires were real? - Just folklore.

But it's a good reminder that people can be scary, too.

Vlad was known to nail the turbans of his enemies to their heads.

That's far out, Mr. James.

So, lest we repeat our mistakes,

we should pay attention to the past.

Let's all try to stay awake for tomorrow's lessons?

Hey, Charlie, any idea where your sister Annabelle is today?

I don't know.

Hey, maybe she's with Vlad the Impaler.

That's it, everybody. See you tomorrow.

Hey, Muskrats!

Don't stay silent! Join the movement!

Ruddy Creek, four o'clock!

- Hey! - Watch where you're going, hippie.

Or what? Your dad will drill holes under my house?

At least my dad has a job, unlike your deadbeat parents.

You know what?

You and your dumb family think that you're perfect,

but you're not, and one of these days

you're gonna get what's coming for you.

Yeah, she is the worst kind of girl.

She's stupid and she's loud.

I don't know what her deal is.

What?

Are you gonna do something about it?

That's what I thought.

The beauty is all this natural gas

is deep in the ground thousands of feet below us.

So by drilling down there and pumping water into the Earth,

we're able to get huge amounts of oil and gas

without burning any fossil fuels.

But what about environmentalists

who say that fracking can contaminate groundwater,

or worse, cause earthquakes?

Those people aren't scientists, Vanessa.

They're alarmists.

Let's cut here.

Rumor is they are protesting against you this afternoon.

Well, let them try.

The only thing my guys like more than drilling

is fending off eco freaks.

You are a real charmer, Kirk.

Have a wonderful evening, Vanessa.

Mr. Vanderhook,

I've got Jimmy from construction on the line.

He faxed over something for you.

- It's on your desk. - Patch him in.

What am I looking at, Jimmy?

We saw it on the south end

of the drilling site by the old barn.

What do you make of it?

We're thinking it's those protestors.

But why would someone be walking out of the cave?

Can I help you?

Are you thirsty?

I'm-- I'm not thirsty.

I more hungry.

Okay, well, we got paninis,

salads, and our famous "Mama Omelet."

All right, it's not for everybody.

Are you all right, kid?

Because you look a little pale.

Maybe you should take a seat.

Are you from around here?

Because I haven't seen you before.

Um, I lived on Fenimore Street.

The blue house with the gabled roof.