[Christian Underwood]

Please post all roleplays here! Have fun and good luck!

[Dreamkiller]

Chapter 44: Memory Lane

After my conversation with my sister, I couldn’t get this nagging feeling out of my mind. This feeling that I’ve missed something. That an answer to the problems that I had was right in front of me. But for some reason, I couldn’t see it.

Do you know what that’s like?

To have this question gnawing at your stomach. Just eating at you and pushing you. Right to the point where you don’t know what is up and what is down and where you are. That’s what I’ve been dealing with for the last few weeks. And before, I leave and go on a cruise ship to defend my championship. I feel like I need to have that question answered.

I had so many questions. Wondering what I could do to change everything that was happening. Wondering how I could get Finn to let me in. He was so insistent on doing everything himself. Facing everything himself. I needed to know how I could change his mind and show him that us doing this together would make us both stronger than trying to do everything separately. So many questions…

And I knew exactly where to find the answers.

It was a long drive, leaving the city where I lived, moving out, and going to upstate New York. The irony being that it was very close to where my sister lived. She told me that she wanted to forget everything that we went through, I don’t know how she’d be able to do that considering she lived so close to where our torment happened. But it Always Amused me how she dealt with trauma. And never ceased to amaze me how she was always able to find the bright side in everything that happened.

It made us stronger she said, and gave us a new appreciation for what we could have in life. And I suppose to her that was true. She had a husband who loved her, daughters who adored her, and a career and a life where it wasn’t Something that would destroy her body. As much as she still loved professional wrestling, her hiatus had turned into more of an unofficial retirement. That was something I couldn’t do.

I couldn’t walk away.

I made my way up, out of the city, through the suburbs. Large rolling planes and parks, beautiful sunshine as we were in the middle of summer. American summer. I was boiling. You, you have to remember remember, I grew up in England.

The car came to a stop, I gave a small nod and stepped out. I took a deep breath instead heading to the large iron gate, the compound where I had spent a year of torment. A year where I had become a member of a gypsy clan, that cared only about one thing. The gaining of money.

It wasn’t always like that. The first time I came across these gates, I was happy. Jase had promised me the world. Promised that he could help my career reach New Heights. Promised that I would have that sense of family that I had always been missing. He knew exactly what to exploit. He knew exactly what to tell me to gain my trust and pull the wall over my eyes. But at the time I didn’t know that. I was a stupid kid and I saw these gates as a gateway to happiness. A gateway to acceptance.

The first time I walked into the compound, I was greeted by women who looked like me, dark hair, tattoos, everything.

And here I was, a few years later walking past the gate. Now it was rusted and falling apart but when I first saw it it was galvanized iron, when the sun hit it just right there was a shine that would go across the ground. The buildings were beaten up and old. The paint was peeling, the grass was overgrown. No one had been here since that night. The night that Renée was murdered everything got flipped upside down. I remember running across the grass, getting to the wall, and jumping over it with Amber. I remember the feeling of freedom, and the irony of all of it was that Jace was the one who helped us leave.

I felt like I was having a panic attack, looking at all these places that I had spent so much time. And felt so much pain. I froze, looking at the large building that we all used to walk into. Every single Sunday it was time to see who the strongest was. Men and women, bare-knuckle fighting. The sound of flesh hitting flesh and bone hitting bone. The smell of sweat and blood mixed together. I could smell it now. It’s a very distinct smell. It’s something that once you know it then you’ll always know it.

The door was open.

I couldn’t help myself, moving through into the large room. A room with a concrete floor. A room that was wide open with loadbearing pillars throughout. There was still blood stains on the ground. They had never been cleaned up, it was never a priority. I close my eyes and was able to feel every single punch I took in that fucking place. Every single shot, every single cheer when I would get hit every single cheer when I would hit someone else. I could feel it, cheekbones breaking underneath my knuckles. Fingers breaking when I would put my hands and arms over my face and would crack against an elbow.

I had to get out. Moving back into the main part of the compound, walking right to the back. The main destination and reason why I was here. My room.

I closed my eyes and swallowed hard. Pushing open the door and stepping in. It was exactly how it was when I left. A single bed in the corner of the room, a room that was about the size of a prison cell. Small TV in the opposite corner, and a lockbox sitting under it. I grabbed hold of it, moving the tumblers to the correct phone number combination. It clicked and it opened.

I took a deep breath closing my eyes and flipping it open. And there it was. A stack of pictures. Photos that I had taken with an old Polaroid camera that I had bought from a shop down the road when I was allowed to have money. I flicked through the photos looking for the one in particular that I remember. A photo that at the time meant nothing to Me. But passed them all, photos of myself and Amber, Jace, and Renée, and other members of the family that I thought I wanted or needed. The Romani who were only nice to me when they wanted something

But the picture I wanted was one of Renée by himself.

The king of the gypsies. The leader of the Romani. The older brother of Jace and my sister‘s ex-husband. Deceased. And nobody cried. But there was something about this photo. Something about the day. We were meeting people in the middle of the city, and I snapped a fast photo. I thought it was just Renée by himself but there was always something in the background, something that I couldn’t put my finger on. And I could see it.

I needed to get this to Finn. I needed him to see it. I needed him to know that I knew everything.

”Fuck…”

The Moon

How amazing are cruise ships? Floating cities. Filled with restaurants and bars and clubs as well as sometimes arcades to go and have some fun. In some cases they even have casinos. That isn’t what Kayla Richard gave a shit about right now. No, we find Kayla in her natural habitat. Lying on a deck chair next to the pool, a whiskey sitting next to her

”Summer Xxxtreme. My favorite SuperCard. Some members of our roster aren’t on the boat yet. They have other engagements with other companies and they will join us at another port of call. But Me? I don’t need other appointments. I don’t need other jobs. I am simply the queen of Sin City wrestling. And as such I get to come onto this boat and onto the cruise right when we leave and relax. I can relax and I can get ready for my match in front of all the fans that are also on this boat. Luckily, I negotiated a first-class ticket. Any fans that are up here are usually the richer ones who are smart enough to pay for the opportunity and honor of spending time with Me or getting an autograph.”

“And I know what most of you were thinking. I really am being an arrogant bitch. The thing is? It’s not arrogance if you live up to the cocky nature that you are exuding. And I’d like to think that I’ve earned the right to be an arrogant cocky bitch. Hell, I just defended the mixed tag team championships with Finn. Again. I finally buried Alexandra Calloway and watched as Finn slapped Miles upside the head and hopefully slap some sense into him.”

“Now, before I get into the ins and outs of this match and what it means to me, I just need to address you, Alexandra”

“Part of my job being a champion, whether or not that is the mix tag team champion or the A-bomb shell champion is to teach. I need to show the rest of you how you were supposed to carry yourselves in the position that I’m in just in case one of you is lucky enough all good enough to take my spot. Alexandra was never going to take my spot. She’s not good enough to take my spot. So, Alexandra, I hope you are paying attention. Maybe, just maybe you’ll learn something. Because all you do is lose and all I do is win. You lost it PWS you lost at Sin City when you watched your roulette championship disappear and then you failed along with Miles to take those tag team championships from us.”

“You….are a failure…much like Eiley and her dimwit lazy loud-mouthed mentor, just like Ariana Angels. Just like everyone else who failed against me…”

Kayla couldn’t help but smile. She reached up, grabbed her sunglasses, and lifted them to the top of her head. Her long black hair was done in a tight bun on the top of her head with a black and red polka dot bikini covering her unmentionable parts while showing off her body and tattoos.

”Now, failure is often a necessary step towards success. It is something that I’ve lived my life by. I’m not perfect. Well, I am. But my record isn’t. I’ve lost matches. Here and in every other company that I’ve been in. But do you know what separates me from people like Ariana or Alexandra or even my opponent for the SuperCard Luna? When I lose, I come back stronger. I make sure that it doesn’t happen again. All you have to do is look at my history at this very event.”

“Two years ago. Summer Cxxtreme 10, I was involved in the roulette championship match. The four-way over the pool ultimate X. A match that has become synonymous with this event. I got in the ring well, over the pool, with Mercedes Vargas, lady Melissa, and Kat Jones. Three women who are stars. Admittedly Mercedes is aging and nowhere near as good as she used to be, Miss Jones seems to be very flaky when it comes to actually staying in a company and Melissa?, has had to take time off and come back but she is someone who has actually beaten me. And she has my respect.”

“Now, that was my first real opportunity at a championship in this company. Admittedly it was for a championship that I didn’t want. But a championship is a championship and always adds to your legacy and allows you to go after other ones. Well, I lost that match. I lost that match and I lost that opportunity. I was unable to win and at the end of the day, it counts as a loss against me. I mean yeah, I didn’t get pinned. I didn’t submit but I still lost the match.”

“I hate losing.”

“Everyone does. If you don’t hate losing a passion and if you are not always trying to bet yourself and get to that point where you win a hell of a lot more than you lose then you shouldn’t even be in this company or this business. This business is all about winning. Some people will tell you it’s all about the fans and entertaining them and some such nonsense but the truth is this business is about winning and people love winners. That’s what I am.”

She chuckles to herself and sits up before leaning over and grabbing her whiskey taking a sip and placing it back down onto the small table. A man dressed in white holding a serving tray walks over and puts another full glass next to her and takes the empty one. Kayla gives him a small note of appreciation before continuing.

”And the following year…last year, I proved it. The following year I went into the SuperCard as a champion. As the Internet champion. In that year I had gone from someone who was a prospect that a lot of people had respect for, to being rookie of the year in this company becoming the Internet champion, and then going on a tear destroying everyone who they put in front of me. All because I lost one match”

“Diamond Steele tried everything to take my Internet championship off of Me. And she failed. Now, we can all sit there and laugh at her because she comes from a family of people who tend not to do their best under pressure. But at the end of the day, she still was trying to take a championship off of Me and I still had to beat her. And I did. Because again, that’s what I do. In the space of 12 months, I had gone from someone who lost the biggest opportunity of their career to date to being a dominant champion.”

“12 Months…”

“What a difference a year makes huh? Now, I have been in this company for two years. And in that time I have had four different championship reigns. Three Internet championship reigns, a mixed tag team title, and of course the world bombshell championship. Two years, five championships, and an undefeated record on climax control. as well as a Rookie of the Year award. Now I have a question for every one of you. Has anyone in this company for two years done what I’ve done?”

“The answer…is no.”

She flashes a smile, full of arrogance. And why wouldn’t she be arrogant?

”Do you have any idea how much pressure that is? Finn and I are both doing something that has never been done in this company before. Holding two championships and defending them at the same time. Don’t get me wrong, others have held two championships at the same time, but they’ve had to give one of them up soon after. Finn and I are defending them both. We’ve held the mixed tag team championships for almost a year and we have both held the top championships in this company for almost 100 days apiece.”

“That is real pressure. And it’s a pressure that not everyone can handle. It’s a pressure that will break so many others. Some people will turn them into diamonds, like myself. Others will crumble and be destroyed and end up in pieces. But it’s not just holding the two championships. The biggest pressure of all is being the bombshells champion.”

“See you have to put the entire division on your back. You have to try and bring people up to your level so the entire division can be lifted as a whole.”

“That is a type of pressure that so many others just can’t handle. And everything I’ve seen leaves Me to believe that Luna Pasilno can’t handle that pressure…..”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’ve said in the past that I like Luna and that I respect Luna. And I do. I think you are an incredible athlete. Someone who loves to get into a fight and will do everything they can to win. It doesn’t matter what it is. All you want to do is have your hand raised at the end of the match. And you have a desire and a hunger for the world bombshells championship.”

This causes Kayla to set up. Becoming more serious instead of relaxing as the clouds drift by and the sun comes down. She drinks her second whiskey and puts the glass back onto the table with a thud.

”You were so hungry for the championship that you were able to drag Sean Parker to a win in the blast from the past. That alone should show how unbelievably driven you are. You can lead a man to the finals and beat your own husband in the final with him to get a shot at the championship. And to be honest with you? If you don’t come home with this championship, I’m sure that Alexander will be less than pleased.”

“Thing is I’m not going to stand here or sit here and say that you don’t have a chance of winning. Because you do. You have a better chance than most. You are certainly a woman who has all the tools and abilities to beat Me and take the championship away from me. I’m not gonna pretend that you don’t. What I’m calling into question is whether or not you have what it takes to deal with the pressure that comes with being a champion.”

“The pressure that comes with leading the entire division.”

“You had a chance to dethrone me and Finn as the mixed tag team champions with your husband by your side. You are the only one going into that match without a championship and you were the only one to leave that match without a championship. You had it all there and in the end, you failed because you can’t handle that amount of pressure being put on you.”

“You have been in this company for a year and a half. And in that time you were able to capture the roulette championship and the Internet championship. Your roulette championship win was impressive but still ended up failing when you lost that title to Jesse Salco. And what is worse? You won the Internet championship, a title that I made famous. And you lost it to Ariana Angelos. After 20 days. Are you kidding me?”

Kayla throws her hands in the air and gets to her feet. Clearly annoyed and angry and now getting on a roll.

”I didn’t really bring this up any other time I’ve talked to you or about you because I was waiting till now. I wanted to see exactly how you would react to facing Me in that mixed tag team championship match. And when you failed, I lost it. Part of me wanted you to succeed, part of me wanted you to show me that you had that fire and you were good enough to take the bombshells championship off of me. But, you lost the roulette championship to Jesse Salo and then lost the Internet championship to Ariana Angelos after I spent six months trying to keep it out of her grubby little mitts, and that just shows me that you are not ready for something like the world bombshell championship”

“You aren’t ready, you aren’t worthy, and even though you won the blast from the past you are not someone who should be in this main event. I dragged Julianna DiMaria to back-to-back main events and now I’m taking you to one. But the differences she earned it by being a champion.”

“You haven’t got that past.”

“But, who knows, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe you’ll be able to surprise me and shock the world and take the championship from me. After all, I’ve already said that you are good enough to do it. And I meant it when I said that. But I wonder what will happen afterward. Think about that Luna. If you win this championship, what happens after it? Winning a championship isn’t just beating someone on one night and being able to raise the championship belt over your head and say that you’re the best. It’s proving it night in and night out and doing everything that you can to make sure the championship remains where it needs to be.”

“Can you do it?”

“Or, will you crumble under the pressure? Because I know when I’m putting my money.”

[Luna Pasilno]

Alone
Scene One | Off-Camera

There was a part of her that felt bad. Felt bad that they hadn’t RSVP’d to the wedding. That even after the kindness that Carter had shown to Luna after the passing of her brother, that she wasn’t going to go to their wedding. Alex had said they should go. That it would be a good thing for them to remind people that they were just people too. That beyond it all, that they just wanted to live. She just couldn’t. She didn’t belong there. They didn’t belong there.

That was the problem these days. Everything she felt like she once could do, she no longer felt entitled to. She couldn’t go to that wedding and see what could have been. She wouldn’t change a thing in the world. Their day wasn’t perfect, but it was pure. It was gorgeous because James was there. What was left of him. The last time she’d ever see him alive. Hear that guttural growl of a voice. To hear him call her Lulu, to see Alex’s face light up every time James called him rockstar or daddy. They had their moment, and that was beautiful.

But she couldn’t see someone else living that moment. She couldn’t see them being happy when her own happiness will forever be plagued by such guilt. By such pain. She’d had her first birthday without him, and that hurt more than anything. To turn thirty, and not have her brother there to tell her she was starting to get saggy and wrinkly. To poke and prod, but to hold her when she had knocked back just one too many wines. Six months, some people would say she should move on. That wallowing in the pain wasn’t healthy. It was true, to a point. She was holding on to it. She was turning more to the bottle, throwing caution to the wind. Doing everything she could just to hurt and then cover it up.

To feel something.

She felt so alone. Alex and Adrienne were always trying to smile. To be a rock. To be happy for her. She had been so numb when they’d been to the hospital, that in that moment she’d attempted to be Alex’s rock. She knew how hard it was, and now he was managing that himself. He’d lost his own brother, realistically. They weren’t blood, but they were closer than most families could even dream of. He’d even let himself be fucking possessed by that dream demon. The creature who seemed to have his hands on so many of those around her. Sean, Alex, now he wanted Sullivan. Hell, he’d even met with James apparently.

Now even she was caught in his snare. Her dreams being led to what he said were worlds in which anything could happen. Alternate dimensions, universes, fucking whatever. Showing her happiness in which James was still alive. Showing her more of the vision she experienced with Sean. The baby, the happy home husband, the loving brother, alive and healthy. Worlds where Alex was making music, and not still wrestling. Worlds where she had never stepped into the ring. Every night was filled with things she wanted to see. To see if they could be real. To see if they were possible.

Everything she asked, he could show her.

And yet, she was still alone. Still hurting. Still drunk and still wanting her brother back. Wanting the baby. Wanting her friendship with Sean back. Wanting everything to be happy, to be warm. To be able to go to the fucking wedding.

“They asked if I wanted to do a guest DJ gig this year. Apparently somebody thinks I know more than metalcore and country.” Alex said, his voice cutting through.

She was ripped from her dissociative state, blinking a little. They were sitting in a cafe, somewhere, having brunch. Mimosa number three having just touched down, some eggs and toast in front of her, untouched. Alex looked like he was off in his own world too. He got like this a lot when he had big matches in front of him. Didn’t matter if he was confident, he was just always trapped in his head.

Maybe that was part of it for her now too. Truth is, this was the biggest pressure she’d been under. A world title, the main event. She’d only been doing this for a little over a year. Compounded with everything else, it was just a lot. Maybe she was right to be a little stressed.

“Remind me to go to bed early that night. I don’t need the rioters coming after me too.” Luna mocked in response, sticking her tongue out at him. Alex looked almost hurt. He couldn’t help but hide the slight smile though.

“Apparently after breaking that guy’s nose a couple years ago, I’m not allowed to run another masterclass. Unfortunate really. I could’ve run back to the Old Fashioned for Billy boy again.” Alex said, trying to keep the conversation light. Trying to coax her back into the world for a little while. It was strange being on this side of the fence. To be the one witnessing the nonsense talk. He must’ve learnt from someone good at it.

“Scream therapy for me. Apparently someone caught wind of the fact that I can do yoga, and that I like to scream. Who would’ve thought I could combine the two?” Luna said with a slight shrug. Alex cocked an eyebrow in response.

“Like that video with the guy dressed up like the Grinch?” Alex asked, slowly pulling his phone out. She knew exactly what video he was talking about, and the sudden dread washed over her.

“Ladies, theydys and Gentlethems only, you’re not allowed to come.” Luna said quickly, the smile not disappearing from his face.

“I’m sure I can find an outfit in your size then.” Alex snorted as he said it, the image clearly incredibly funny to him. Horrifying to her. She watched as he picked up his mug, and took a long sip of his coffee, looking around the cafe.

“I’m not wearing no fucking grinch suit.” Luna said a little louder than she meant to. A side-ways glance coming her way from a nearby table. A mother, father and kids. The kids and the dad found it infinitely funnier than the mother did.

“You never do what I want! I wore that fucking Ronald McDonald outfit for you that one time! This is so unfair.” Alex shouted out. He was definitely trying to get her revved up, but it was just what she needed. There were more eyes on them now, more laughter from some. Looks of disgust and annoyance from others. His smile beamed at her. Reminding her of the happiness in the moment. She reached her hands across the table and clasped them over his free hand, looking into his eyes.

“I’ll wear the grinch suit for you.” She said in response. An uncanny amount of cheers going up in the cafe. Others who didn’t find the humour in the situation quickly finished up and tried to leave, throwing the pair of them dirty looks.

It was moments like this. Moments of reality that grounded her. Reminded her that there was happiness in the moment. Even through the pain, he was still here. That even through his pain, he was going to be there for her. And for a moment, she didn’t feel so alone.

If only for a moment.

Managing Expectations
Scene Two | On-Camera

A small, quaint little room. A black leather chair, silhouetting against a neutral grey backdrop. Slowly transitioning blue and green panels in the background. It’s almost like a studio, but a little more intimate. A woman crosses the scene, settling into the seat. Luna Pasilno, a slight smile on. She looks at something above the camera, and nods a little. Taking a cue.

“It’s kind of surreal, you know? I was always just happy to be there. To sit on the sidelines, watching my brother. Watching who would become my husband. Watching others succeed in this industry. Watching them be juggernauts in this ring. Multi time champions, seeing them fight and claw. Watching as they bled, as they buckled, as their bodies refused to keep on going even if their minds were still cognizant. I sat there in the seats, and I watched. Then I made a decision. At twenty-eight going on twenty-nine, I was going to do more than watch. I was going to fight.”

We get a close-up of Luna’s face. A faux documentary tight camera angle. Unlike normal, her face is bare. No make-up, her hair simply hanging loose. A raw look at the woman who is always so put together. A pain in her eyes.

“I’m still young in most people’s eyes. I think so too. I might have turned thirty this year, to little acknowledgement or fanfare, but it happened. I made a choice to get into this, to learn how to wrestle much later than the prodigies and the veterans that I’m surrounded by. See I get it, over and over. Every time I open my mouth, the young like to point out how much better they are, and the old like to tell me how much more experience they have. The problem is, I’m always going to be a step slower than those who started earlier, and I’m always going to have less experience than those who had this be their whole life.”

“That’s okay though, truly. It doesn’t bother me. See the difference is, whilst the theatrics and the business may be new to me? The actual technicality of it all? I can throw a punch better than almost anyone. I can scrap better than almost any of them. I can fucking fight better than fucking any of them, and I have proven that. This is the second year of my fucking life taking a punt on myself. This is the second year of my life trying to be those who I idolised, that I watched, that I loved, and for better or worse? I don’t think there is a single other fucking bitch walking around that could say that she has come remotely close to being like me.”

“History says I can win ‘em, I just can’t hold on to them. Roulette champion, beaten on my first defence. Internet Champion, beaten on my first defence. I couldn’t win back the Roulette championship, but I don’t think Jessie would say she walked out feeling like a winner when I got my rematch. I couldn’t win back my Internet championship, but I never begged and screamed for Ariana to give me a rematch. I didn’t throw around my weight, I didn’t cry and scream, I didn’t come out here every week breaking into rants about the same horseshit. I wasn’t a Courtney Pierce, a Juliana DiMaria or a fucking Ariana Angelos. I was making myself seen. I was learning, I was getting better. I was taking my lashes and giving back everything I fucking had. I was showing everyone who the fuck Luna Pasilno is.”

She takes a deep breath, her eyes watering slightly. Emotional. Far more than we normally get from the fiery banshee. Seeds of self-doubt manifesting in an attempt to be sure of herself. Her lips pursed in a tight line, a slight shake of the head.

“I earned my way to my championship opportunity. The truth of it? I don’t think there are any other women in this company right now that have done enough to earn what we have. Kayla and I? There’s a reason this match gets the main event. I’ll give props to Juliana for starting a movement. For shaking her fist enough to get the idea of the women being seen as the top draws. Somewhere, and bare with my minor hypocrisy here, between the incessant swearing and woe-is-meisms. She said some truths that were hard to ignore.”

“The women are carrying this fucking company, and the men? They don’t deserve that main event until they can step it up. I beat my own fucking husband to ensure I got my opportunity here. I teamed with, and in turn befriended, the man my husband hadn’t seen eye to eye with. I did what I needed to do to prove that I belong here. Some would say that we had the easier run, and you know what? I’d agree. There was no Bobbie Dahl, or Eiley in my way. There was no Mark Cross or Peter Vaughn in Sean’s way. We had an easier run, but you know what? In the end, we beat them. We won our opportunity to be in the main event on this ship. I won my opportunity to stand across the ring from you, Kayla.”

“And that is what people need to understand. I might be ‘green’, and I might not be the one with the impressive undefeated record in home and away games. But nobody can question my worthiness. Nobody can question that I don’t deserve what I have fucking worked for. Nobody can question that Luna Pasilno is the only woman that deserves a shot at the Bombshell World Championship, and it didn’t matter who it was across from me. I’m glad it was you Kayla, because there ain’t nobody else I think it should be. It didn’t matter if it was though. It doesn’t matter because I know. I can fucking win the big one when I need to. I fucking know that I can be on top of the pile and stand there with my head raised high if only for a minute.”

“I know that I am The Idol of Sin City Wrestling, and when that final bell rings, we’ll all hear the same thing.”

“Here is your winner…

AND NEW!

Bombshell World Champion, Luna Pasilno!”

A smile settles on her face, a few tears sliding down her cheek. Tears of joy, of overt emotion. A twitch in her cheeks, a quiver of her eyes. She tilted her head back a little and looked straight up, trying to blink the tears back, raising a finger to gently dab and wipe them away. A long, slow and heavy breath.

“I’m used to being questioned. I’m used to being doubted. I’m used to being spoken down to and made to feel lesser than. I’m used to the fucking disrespect and I’m used to being hated for simply trying to be true to myself. So colour me surprised when Kayla Richards doesn’t spend her every breath trying to talk me down. Not entirely, anyway. A match based on mutual respect, not embroiled in bitter resentment and hatred. No, this? This is simply a match of two people who want the same thing. To be the one holding the biggest belt in our business. To be the one seen as the leader of the Bombshell division.”

“To be the one with the right to fight whoever they deem worthy. To fight off the asinine and ignorant. To fight until they cannot fight anymore. That’s the truth of it. This comes down to the line, and neither of us is going to give. The Conspiracy threw almost everything we had at the Wolves, and it came down to the line. It came down to my body giving out because my mind wouldn’t let me do it willingly. What I realised? That when it comes down to the line, either of us can be the winner. When it comes down to the line, it will depend on who out of us can hold on just a little bit longer. Can I suck in one more breath before getting to the ropes? Can you scramble away before I slice the calf off the fucking bone? Can you blink the daze out of your head before the hand comes down for a third time? When it comes down to it Kayla, this is a game of fucking millimetres. The winner is just going to be whoever wants it just a little bit more.”

“And nobody wants this more than me right now.”

A flicker of irritation dashes across her features. An anger bubbling in her eyes, the flaring of the nostrils. The twist of her lips, battling within herself.

“Kayla. I do love you, I’ve told you so. Nobody ever acknowledges my ability to stand on my own two legs. Nobody ever acknowledges the work I put in to be my own fucking person. Nobody, but you. Maybe it’s from hearing the same thing. Living in the shadow of someone else. Only being acknowledged when it comes to being the other half of a team that nobody thinks you are the one fighting to make the best. Truth is, I think we’re a lot alike. No matter how much difference there is, we’re fighting the same things. The same fucking people, saying the same dumb fucking things. Doubting us for the sake of making themselves feel better. Minimising what we do, so that they can feel superior.”

“I’m tired of being seen as less. I’m tired of being told I’m living in the shadow of someone better. I’m tired of being torn down because I happen to be a fucking woman. That’s what nobody wants to acknowledge. Nobody ever accuses the newlyweds of being lesser than the other. Nobody questions who has more authority between our corporate fathers. No, any relationship, platonic, corporate or intimate. Two men? Nobody even thinks to question it. But me? I’m no hanger on. I’m not the lesser half. I’m not some shill who is riding the laurels of someone else. No, I am Luna fucking Pasilno. I am the fucking Idol, the masochist, the former queen of fucking vanity. And I am no less fucking vain. So I respect you Kayla, for not taking the low road. I respect you for not belittling my existence.”

“I’m still going to do what it takes to tear you down, and stand at the top. To prove to everyone that there is no lesser in Luna. That there is no riding the coattails of someone. That I am, exactly what the fuck I’ve said I am for months. That I am, exactly who the fuck I say I am.”

Luna stands up quickly, the emotion bubbling over, the camera cutting to a wider shot. She kicks back at the chair, toppling it over as she begins to pace back and forth. Murmurs from somewhere behind the camera, that quickly stop with a sharp look from the now fired up lady.

“Scouting. That’s what they call it. Watching the tapes, watching the matches, being involved. Scouting. I’ve done my due diligence, I’ve done my scouting. I’ve heard the words and I’ve seen the action. You were right in that the Mixed Tag Team championship match was a lose-lose situation, but not for the reasons you think. It was a loss because people got to see a preview of this marquee match a little early. Diluting what they expect. Except, the finish might have been us, but that wasn’t our war. Ironic, after talking about not being in someone else’s shadow, but what people got to see was that Alexander Raven is still good enough to step up to Finn Whelan. What people got to see was that Kayla and Luna have so much more to show. That when they take to the ring in that final match, that when that bell rings, everything goes out the window.”

“We lost, and that stings. But Finn was right. I want this. I want this so fucking much. More than Alex. More than Juliana who is now pretending that she is content with being put on the bench. More than Courtney Pierce who simply fell off the face of the Earth after being devastated. More than Alexandra Calaway, who just couldn’t get the job done. I said that this was going to be my year. I told everyone that this was going to be the year of the Idol, and I am three seconds away from that reality. I am three seconds away from toppling the baddest bitch in Sin City. I am three seconds away from nobody ever questioning me again. You mentioned the pantheon of greats. Alicia Lukas, Amber Ryan and even Mikah. You just had to try and belittle everything I work for. Acting like these women are far greater, and here I stand, ready to be overlooked again.”

“Not this time Kayla. When I won the Internet Championship, I said there were three kinds of people. The inevitable future, the has-beens and the never-wills. I am the inevitable fucking future. Mikah that you are so obsessed with? Has-been. What remains to be seen? Are you going to be the inevitable future with me? Or are you going to be another never-will? Samantha Marlowe’s career is all but over because of me. I’m the only one crazy enough to put my hand up to go toe to toe with Tempest whenever she asks it. I’m the only one batty enough to step into a barbed wire hell with a hardcore veteran, simply to prove a point. I’m the only one confident enough to step to Kayla Richards and Finn Whelan and say ‘I can beat you.’ And I will beat you. I will tear everything down if I need to. I will scrap, I will fight and I will fucking bleed out if that is what it takes to get what I want.”

“Because I need this.”

Flashes of different scenes flicker over the screen. Images of Luna with blood pouring down her face, curled up in the shower, covered in paint, a barbed wire crown on her head. Flashes and moments from different matches, her encounters with Jessie Salco, Ariana Angelos, Kim Pain and the aforementioned Tempest.

And then a flash of light. Blinding white.

“I am the fucking Conspiracy.”

And then…

Darkness.

Silence.

Nothing.

[Dreamkiller]

Chapter 45: The Informant

The sounds of children playing were heard right outside my cabin. I could hear families and fans seeing random sin city wrestling stars and freaking out. This has been my nightmare since we stopped and picked up all of the fans and officially set sail. I had left a few days early enjoying my time on another ship and getting into vacation mode. But now here I was sitting in my cabin, my first-class cabin, because I did not want to mix with the poor people. But, I had someone with me.

Kallie Reznik.

The wife of the douchebag Australian that has been running around SCW  for the last couple of months. And a good friend of mine. One of my only friends really. She likes me, I don’t know why, I like her, and I don’t know why.

She took in a deep breath and folded her arms over her chest. She was clearly annoyed about something. Then again, so was I. I was annoyed that I had to stay in my cabin because all I wanted to do was go out on the deck and maybe have a couple of drinks and relax by the pool. But, when I went out there I was accosted by some fans. Asking me for autographs and asking if they could have a drink with me and asking me if I could insult them. That’s right, they asked me if I could insult them. Took all the fun out of it.

”So, what was this about a church?”

I took a deep breath, shook my head, and ran my hands through my hair before stretching and leaning back. ”Long story. But….why aren’t you hanging out with your husband?”

”I don’t want to talk about it..”

I raised my eyebrow, and for some reason, everything went black. Almost like we did a smash cut to something. And Sharon off, there is a smash cut. Two Aidan Reynolds, sitting by the pool with a beer in one hand and his other reaching over and petting a wombat on the head. Yes, a fucking wombat. ”Awwww whose a cute girl? Yes you are…”

I blinked my eyes a few times and shook my head. Everything was becoming clear again and I was back in the cabin. That was really fucking weird and I hope that never happens again. ”So….the church?”

I laughed. My mind went back because I started to tell her about the previous weeks. After talking to Finn and realizing that I was going to get my hands dirty, I went to an old church, that was a Romani stronghold. It was beautiful. Old stained glass windows, pale brickwork with old wooden struts reaching right up to the roof, wooden benches sitting opposite of each other as they faced the Dias.

It was beautiful.

I remembered going there, walking in with Renée and Jace. As well as a few of the younger soldiers. They told me to wait as they walked and took the priest into the back. The priest came out, but Jace and Renée didn’t. The 20 minutes we waited before they came back up and moved out. I know that priest knew something, I know that the church was something special to them.

I needed to find out what it was. I needed to help. Finn let me help, but he said he needed to come with me. So as I went and did my thing, he sat on one of the benches. Flicking through a Bible with a rather bemused look. After a few minutes, I stepped out of the confessional and took a deep breath. I felt lifted by my own truth that I was able to unburden myself with to the priest.

The door on the other side opened, and the priest stumbled out. He was bright red, sweating, he looked over at me and I gave him a small wink and blew him a kiss. He shuffled away doing the sign of the holy cross over his chest as he moved into his office. Shook his head and rolled his eyes before placing the Bible back into its holder. ”You know the saying is “Forgive me Father for I have sinned” right?”

I chuckled, motioning for Finn to follow me out of the church and onto the street. ”That’s what I said…”

He took a deep breath, flustered with my answer and what I had said ”No, you said “I’m sorry Daddy I’ve been naughty”…” I laughed, folding my arms as I leaned against the wall at the bottom of the stairs.

Finn put his hands into the pockets of his jeans, tilting his head and looking me up and down ”So….find out anything?” I shook my head. I was frustrated. Because the priest had told me nothing. At least, nothing was going to help.

”No, he just told me that any of the Romani that would come and visit did their own business in the basement. He didn’t know what it was. So we’re going to have to find it out some other way.”

My voice cracked and lowered. Finn tilted his head and moved closer. ”You seem disappointed. And don’t say that you aren’t, I know you a lot better than that.”

I swallowed and looked away, throwing my hands in the air before trying to bring up the cars to tell Finn exactly what I was feeling. ”I just… I wish I could’ve done more. You and I have talked about this and you wanted to do it all by yourself. I’ve insisted on helping and I haven’t been able to show anything for it. I got that picture, but that hasn’t helped, I’ve led you to this church and it’s also been for  nothing.”


Finn gave a small nod, he pulled out his phone and quickly sent off a text before sliding it back into his pocket. He reached out and put his arm around my hips, pulling me closer. ”It’s alright. I got this. We’ve got things to worry about anyway. Professional things.” I chuckled. Because he was right. We had so many other things going on in our professional lives that we needed to focus on those. Instead of all of this Romani and Yakuza bullshit that we have been dragged into.

”You really said that to a priest? Kayla, what the heck?”

I smiled, leaning back and throwing my arms over the back of the large couch that was in my cabin. ”Yeah, well it didn’t do anything. We haven’t found anything yet. But Finn has people on it so hopefully we will. But I need to focus on what I’m doing now. I have a championship that I need to defend. But, thank you for listening to me anyway…you….mean a lot to me Kallie”

I could tell that she wanted to bounce up and down, I could tell that she was excited. But she took a deep breath and calmed herself down before nodding at me slowly and then smiling. ”Anytime Kay…anytime…”

Conspiracy Theory.

”Sometimes you have to make your own luck. Not Always, some people seem to have a four-leaf clover or a horseshoe shoved right up their ass. I’ve never been one of those people. I’ve never been someone who relies on simple games of luck and chance.”

Kayla Richards, Sin City wrestling world bombshells champion. Dressed in a beautiful black gown, and black high-heeled shoes, her hair done beautifully with her makeup. She smiles holding a few casino chips before sliding them over onto red. She nods, the dealer spins the roulette table letting go of the small ball as it spins around and round and round and round.

”Sometimes games of chance can be fun. They can be uplifting as you don’t know how it’s going to end. But it’s gambling. That’s what we’re doing here. Gambling. I have never been someone who relies on luck, I’ve never been someone who relies on 50-50 shots or just shooting my shot as the kids say. No. I take Calculator risks, I study opponents, I know exactly what the weaknesses are and then I get ready to strike.”

The ball bounces and moves landing on a red number. Kayla couldn’t help it chuckle as a few more chips got moved over toward her.

”Everyone and I mean everyone has a weakness. I know mine, would you like to know it? Arrogance. And there I am falling into my weakness. Because I am so arrogant that I’m gonna freely tell you this. I know how arrogant I am, I said week after week match after match and I tell every single one of you not just you Luna, everyone, everyone in the bombshells division that I’m better than them.”

“I say it over and over and over again. And when I do say it people believe me because I believe it. I believe everything that I say. And you can tell the difference. When people watch a promo from Me whether or not it’s on the show or it’s before the show or if people read words that I type on Twitter it doesn’t matter because they believe it. They believe it because they know that I believe it and that belief becomes truth.”

“Arrogance is not always a weakness. But in my case it is. A few years ago, at this very event, I was so arrogant that I gave zero fuck about the roulette title. I gave zero fucks about the Ultimate X match. And I acted like I didn’t care. So when I lost so many people thought that it meant nothing to me. And I had to play up to that. I had to play up to that arrogance and that cockiness. I had to tell people that I didn’t care about that title. But you know what Luna? Do you wanna know a deep dark secret?”

“I did care…”

“Not about the roulette championship, I would never care about that piece of shit. No, I cared that I lost. Because I hate it. I hate losing. And for so many other people? They’ve become numb to it. You lose so much that you become numb to that feeling of disappointment and then you just keep losing and keep losing and you can never pull yourself out of it because you get used to it and you get complacent. I never want to get used to used to losing….ever.”

Kayla takes a deep breath, looking down and moving her new stack of chips forward this time landing right on black. She takes a deep breath and weights as the roulette wheel spins and the ball is released.

”That does beg the question, doesn’t it? What have I figured out your weakness to be? Well, yours isn’t that dissimilar to mine. Mine is arrogance based on what I’ve been able to do. Yours is arrogance based off of what you believe you should be able to do. mine is arrogance based on my skill, yours is arrogance based on your potential.”

The ball bounced and turned landing on a black Number, Kayla let out a of sigh relief as more chips were piled on and slid towards her.

”Your delusional arrogance is visible in everything that you do. And I understand it. I really do Luna. I understand your need for validation, I understand your need to be noticed, and your need to crawl out of your husband‘s shadow and become a real challenger and champion. You’ve been able to take so many of those positive steps. And outwardly when everyone looks at you because of what you project and because of everything that you push forward people have started to believe the things that you have said.”

“Much like they have with me. Remember I told you that when I speak people listen and they believe it because I believe it. People have started listening to you Luna, but they don’t believe you. Because you don’t believe it. I can see it in your eyes with everything that you do. You want to so bad and you want to be at the top so bad and you know you have that potential to be there.”

“But not everyone gets to be the champion. Not everyone gets to hold this championship and have their name read out as a new champion. That’s what you want right? That’s what you do want right? You want the entire wrestling world to hear the words. You made such a big deal of it. Hearing "and new". But here’s the thing, everyone has that dream. Having that dream and wanting to hear those words, wanting to cry and hold that piece of gold in front of the world is not a dream that is unique to you. At least it shouldn’t be.”

“It should be the dream of everyone in this company and this business. Everyone should want to climb the ladder and be the best. Everyone should need it.”

“But wanting it and needing it doesn’t always mean you get it. Hell, even deserving it doesn’t automatically mean you’re going to get it. You need to back it up in that ring and you need to be able to do it against someone who is going to overlook you. Someone who is going to underestimate you and look past you and through you. Or, you need to beat someone who you are miles better than. You mentioned Courtney Pierce, you could’ve beaten her. You probably could’ve beaten my car, you could’ve beaten Alicia Lucas. Amber Ryan, you would’ve had a lot of problems with it. Hell even Julianna…”

Again, Kayla looks down at the stack of chips, sliding them across onto the table and this time moving from red and black straight onto a number. Red 14.

” You could have beaten her. But you’re not facing any of them. You’re facing me. And while you could beat me, you certainly have the ability to, I’m not going to underestimate you. I’m not going to overlook you. I’m not going to look past you. I know you want this. I know you need this. That isn’t the problem. Hell, the problem isn’t even you winning it. It would be you keeping it.”

She takes a deep breath and looks down, the ball spins it bounces. And it lands on red 14. She lets out a deep breath of relief as chips are slid towards her.

”Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than be good. And for you to win this championship it wouldn’t be luck. It would be that you are the better woman. But keeping it? That would be a completely new set of nightmares for you. You need to win it, well I need to keep it. See, I have watched this championship become a joke. I’ve seen it get passed around time and time again.”

“Julianna kept the championship for a while and defended it. But she didn’t defend it against the top of the mountain. She didn’t go against the best of the best. And that’s what I want to do. You won the blast from the past and that gave you the right face me. But what about afterward Luna? If you beat me for this championship there is a damn good possibility that I’m gonna get a rematch. And we all know what happens when I get rematches.”

“If someone can beat me and take a championship from me, then I come back 10 times stronger beat the hell out of them, and snatch it back. This title needs stability. This championship needs a real champion. And you needing it, you wanting to hear those words and thinking that this is some kind of fucking childhood fantasy? That’s not how this goes. That’s not what this needs.”

“To beat me you need to be good instead of lucky. You need to be great instead of lucky. And the problem is if you were going to rely on luck? I think your luck has run out. And when that happens the smart ones, the good ones, they know when to cut their losses and get away from the table.”

And with that Kayla stands up, signaling that she wants to take her chips and cash them in. She turns and walks away from the table holding her purse as the eyes of so many of the men in the room seem to follow her. Her body was covered in tattoos, her nose piercing shining with diamonds in it. She can’t help but smile as she makes her way out onto the deck. The CA hits her in the face as she smiles.

”This is a main event. It is a match between two of the best in this company over a championship that means so much. I love Finn. I do. He is a great champion and I know he wants to make that championship mean even more than it does. But right now? Well right now I am the one who is the top champion. I’m the one who has this company on my back.”

“I talked about pressure. I asked if you were going to be able to withstand that pressure and turn into a diamond. Now I’ve asked if you are going to be good or lucky.”

“Now, there is one last question I have fear. And this is the most important one. I want you to close your eyes, Luna, I want you to think about being in the ring with Me, I want you to think about all that research you’ve done and all the scouting that you’ve done. All the matches you’ve watched from other companies as well as this one and what I’ve done to opponents in the past. The horrible things I’ve done, just to get a simple win let alone keep a world championship. Now I want you to open your eyes and ask yourself.”

“Can I beat her?”

“Ask it. Ask it over and over again and say yes or no. And if you say yes then you better believe it. Because if you don’t? Then I’m going to leave you a broken beaten and battered woman on the floor with absolutely no chance of pulling yourself back up again to be anything more than a fake challenger.”

[Luna Pasilno]

Morning Scream Therapy
Scene One | Off-Camera

She wasn’t entirely sure how she had been roped into this one. She knew a bit of yoga. The idea that she was a screaming banshee had somehow become public knowledge, and she was originally just going to lounge around on the cruise, soak up the sunrays and think about better days. Instead, Alex had been given a bar takeover, and she was expected to run a 6AM Scream Yoga session. Part of her wondered if this was just an elaborate rib.

Regardless, the hungover lady rolled out her mat and set herself up in the allocated space on the deck. There was a surprisingly decent crowd who had turned out. Maybe a case of some people thinking it’d be funny. For others a good excuse to just let out some excess energy. Confessional for those who wouldn’t quite understand the scream part of scream therapy. Much to Alex’s disappointment, she had not in fact purchased a Grinch suit to wear.

Much to her sorrow, Alex had brought his giant bird outfit that he had worn to the Triad Draft Party, that she had first bumped into Sean at. Which meant, in the crowd of sunnily dressed, athleisure wearing ladies, and too many blokes in their speedos and briefs, there was her husband.

Dressed up in an outfit covered in feathers, a fake beak and a headpiece. Sweating up a storm in the clearly poorly aerated outfit. Sometimes she truly wondered what attracted her to him. She was certain that in the throng of gatherers that had also gotten up this early, there were a few other SCW talents. Scouting, looking and attempting to discern what it was that these crazy people were doing. None that she could discern from first glance. No time better than the present. She clapped her hands together, gathering people’s attention.

“Alright, ground rules. Keep your hands to yourself, stick to your mat. Don’t look at anyone else, don’t be a fucking creep. Please ignore the giant chicken man, and whilst I encourage you to be liberal with getting your inner turmoils out, be aware that everyone here can and will hear you.” Luna shouted out, looking around at people. Bringing attention to the giant chicken man, in turn made a lot more people notice him. Sitting front and centre.

She already needed a drink. Hair of the dog.

“Alright follow along. Be considerate. You don’t have to make noise, you don’t have to scream. If someone else is releasing, let them have their moment of peace. If I’m talking, you’re listening. If I am moving, you are following. If I tell you to fuck off, the big scary security guy over there is going to rough you up and then politely ask you to fuck off. Alright, stand with me.”

The group stood on their mats watching intently. Something soothing about being the centre of attention. She was more narcissistic than she let on. Even if she did currently look exactly how she felt. She took a deep breath in, holding her palms together, and slowly exhaling. Nobody was being a weirdo just yet. Well, just one. But that was understandable.

Fucking Alex.

She took in another deep breath and at the peak of her breath in…

“My husband is a fucking moron!” She shouted out at the peak of her breath. A few people were laughing, losing focus. A smile settled on her face. She was at least going to have a bit of fun herself.

What she didn’t realise was this was going to unleash the floodgates. Another deep breath, followed by a slow transition into a low lunge. This in turn resulted in a few people just letting out primordial screams. More laughter, and then more screams.

“My wife doesn’t know I know she’s having an affair and likes watching from our nanny cam!” A random person shouted out rapidly. Luna screwed her nose up a bit. A few people fell from the pose as they broke into laughter. The person looked instantly embarrassed.

“Not sure we needed to know that, but you do you.” Luna said, straightening up as she in turn transitioned to a Natarajasana, watching as a few people’s eyes bulged out of their heads. Clearly a lot had turned up to participate in the yelling, not realising that the yoga component was going to be a bigger part of it.

“My wife wouldn’t wear matching outfits, and it hurt my feelings!” Alex shouted out this time. Doing his absolutely best to try and match the pose. His pants had a surprising amount of stretch in them, even if he was going red in the face trying to do it.

“I don’t know who Song is, and at this point I’m too afraid to ask!” Another random voice. Luna was doing her best not to laugh as more and more people started yelling out random things. From the gratuitous and frankly borderline gross, to the dumb things and simple observations.

This continued on for the next thirty minutes or so. More and more people are joining in, non-attendees now standing at the edge of their little circle, listening and watching in. Fifteen or so minutes in, people seemed far more relaxed. Smiles on their faces. A genuine surprise it would seem at the humanity that The Conspiracy couple were capable of. A real split from the on-screen persona that people would be so akin to.

“My wife is going to be world champion, and I couldn’t be prouder.” Alex shouted. A few cheers, a few whoops. A moment of embarrassment for her. There was always going to be part of her that couldn’t handle hearing nice things. A few murmurs and nods, a few agreements. She knew that come showtime, she was going to be booed almost off the ship. She knew that in a scenario where she won the championship, the crowd might be muted.

That was her fear. The fear that if she won, nobody would care. Or they’d be so shocked that they just would reject her. Reject the idea of her as champion. Reject the idea that someone from The Conspiracy was going to be the world champion. That was her fear.

“I’m afraid of the reaction if I win.” She mumbled to herself. Nobody heard, but Alex could see the sudden wash of concern. No rest for the wicked. She went through the rest of the session, more strange admissions from people. More laughter, and by the end of it, most people seemed to be in good spirits. There were smiles all around, and people seemed to be in good spirits.

She was doubting herself. A camera crew were on their way over. She’d front loaded her morning, in order to ride out her hangover for the rest of the day. But she was feeling slightly too lucid for the moment. She had to flick that switch in her head. To turn it on for the cameras. To be slightly less raw than she had been. To be the fighter that people knew her to be.

“You made people like you today. You made an impression. You have a connection now. There won’t be silence when you win. They will cheer or they will boo, but either way. It’s going to be the loudest reaction you’ve ever heard. These waves are going to hold their voices, and you’ll know. You’ll know you’ve made it.” Alex said as he stepped up to her. Wrapping an arm around her waist, his yoga mat in his other hand. The smile, the happiness. The smell of sweat from the man that had been boiling inside his stupid chicken suit.

“You stink.” Luna said back, smiling at him. The words were kind, but the doubt was in her head. The doubt that she would be rejected. The woman desperately craved being idolised. The Idol and The Masochist. Conflicting and competing ideas.

“You need a drink. I’ll grab you one.” Alex said, rubbing her arm slightly, before pulling away from her.

“Grab my sunnies too. I can’t stand to look at that garish outfit in full colour.” Luna said in response, screwing her nose up as she looked at him. He just smiled and nodded. And she breathed out heavily.

This was really it.

Taking Liberties
Scene Two | On-Camera

Luna is sitting cross legged on a yoga mat. There are a few people milling about, but they appear to be leaving. Rolling up their own mats, talking about where they are going next. A few standing around gawping at Luna and the camera crew that had arrived.

“A poignant question. Can I do it? That’s the question you asked me to ask myself. To ask myself, if I do this can I handle the pressure? Can I handle putting the bombshell division on my back? Can I fight off the demons of my past and be the champion you want me to be? To be the champion that this place needs me to be. It’s a question I ask myself over and over. It’s a question that people constantly throw at me. The holding over my head of the bullshit expectation of perfection. To be more full of vanity than I ever was. That’s the expectation, and the insults that come from not matching them.”

“Krystal Wolfe was the queen of asking me to doubt myself. To try and throw my two short reigns in my face. To try and throw this idea that simply because I stumbled soon after picking up my first ever title wins, that I am somehow lesser. That my victory meant nothing. I don’t quite agree. I don’t quite agree with the idea that because someone didn’t hold it for the eons known and made a historic and record breaking run at the top, that their achievements are diminished. We can all have a bad day. We can all have an off day. We can all have a learning experience.”

“That’s what I chose to take from my failings, Kayla. I chose to take them as lessons. I chose to take them as ways for me to better understand what it takes to be champion. What it takes to hold up to that pressure. What it takes to be the one that people are watching and wanting to fail, because then it validates all their negative remarks. It validates every negative thing they’ve ever said. It validates the criticisms, it validates the hatred. See I think the telling thing here Kayla, is the way you talk about things.”

Another raw look at the woman. No make-up again, simple athleisure wear, her hair tied back in a messy and loose bun. The bulk of her hair swaying with the slightest movement, the sway of the ship swinging it about. She rubs a hand over her face, massaging under her tired looking eyes.

“You say you doubt that I can take the championship from you. You backtrack on what you’ve been saying for months, because now you have to play the adversary. You have to be on the same level as all the others that can’t admit that maybe someone can beat them. That maybe someone can be their better. Except… you do think I can beat you. You know why I know that?”

“It’s the words. You’re not asking if I can handle the pressure of being in the main event. You’re not asking if I can handle the pressure of standing across the ring from you. You’re not asking if I can do that. You’re asking if I can handle what comes after. You’re asking me, if I can handle the pressure of being the top bitch in the Bombshell division. You’re asking, because deep down. There’s this little part of you that doubts yourself. That doubts that you can stand up to Luna Pasilno. That doubts you can run it back again.”

“There’s this nagging feeling in the back of your mind. That this might be the end of two belts Kayla. I can hear it, I can feel it. All that confidence, bravado and arrogance. It means nothing when you’re already looking at if I can succeed in being the bearer of the weight. You can hide it with affirmations of belief, you can hide with claims of grandeur. You can hide behind your own protections all you want, but the truth is Kayla. You don’t just think I can win the championship.”

“You know I’m going to win it.”

She raises a hand to her hair, slowly pulling it out from its bun, standing slowly. We momentarily see Alexander Raven, handing Luna a pair of sunglasses with a quick thumbs up before quickly jetting off and out of frame. A quizzical cocking of the eyebrows, followed by a head shake as she puts the sunglasses on. Hiding the growing irritation in her eyes. Scream yoga clearly not doing its job.

“This is more than just a possibility in your mind. This is more than a possibility in everyone’s minds. See I might have lost more in my journey to the top. I might have stumbled more, I might not have the stunning pearl white home and away record. But I do have the ability Kayla. I have the ability to be the upset. I have the ability, the fucking talent and the skill to be the top of the division. Going into that Blast from the Past, there isn’t a single person that would have believed Luna and Sean were going to win the whole thing. Why would they? Luna is just a loser, and Sean was an unknown here.”

“So we went out every fucking week and smashed it. We went out every week and worked in sync. Tandem pins, tandem wins and we proved that we are the danger team. I proved that when the pressure is on, I can fucking perform. I can stand on my own two feet and be the winner. I can stand on my own feet and pull anyone to a victory. I proved that I am the woman of this year. Truthfully? Alex and I are probably on track to be the winners of most hated this year. We’re on track to be the standouts this year, and we are fucking on track to be the two most powerful fucking people in Sin City, and that? That is because we haven’t sat back on laurels. We haven’t rested.”

“We are the workhorses. For better or worse, there is nobody that is here more than us. There is no one getting more reps in the ring. There is no one racking up more wins, and hell we’ll take the losses too. Nobody comes fucking close to us. So yeah, you might be pretty and pristine in your record. So few losses, but they’re always at the big events where it matters. You want to talk about pressure? You want to talk about not being able to handle it? Evidence points to you not being able to handle it when it matters the most. You dragged Juliana to the main event, due in part to her infernal and incessant squealing for recognition. The faux humility of the second most arrogant cunt in this company.”

“Who is number one?”

“You.”

Another quick cameo. Raven hands her a glass, of what appears to be her new favourite, a mimosa. Another thumbs up and then he is gone again. A flicker of irritation jetting across her features, her lips curling into a scowl. Angry, angry lady.

“Unapologetically so, and I don’t blame you for it. I’d be an arrogant insufferable cunt too if I had the record to back it up. I’m already an arrogant, vainglorious insufferable fucking cunt, but that’s just part and parcel for who I am. You know what my issue is, Kayla? I’m too nice to those who I think deserve just a modicum of friendship. I’m too nice to those that I think deserve to have one friendly person in their purview. To have one respectful opponent. To have one person who gives a damn about the friendships that we can actually have in this business. I’m too nice.”

“I was too nice to Ariana, and that cost me. A point you made abundantly clear about your disdain for. A point I hold with vitriol in my heart. A woman who for better or worse, is a selfish and self-idolising bitch. But I’m learning my lesson. I’m learning that if I want to be champion, if I want to be the woman that all others lust after. If I want to be the number one, I have to be ruthless. I have to be hateful. I have to be angry. I have to tear down this semblance of kindness that I build up for those I thought deserved it, because the truth is, they fucking don’t. None of them deserve it. Not Ariana, not Tempest, not even fucking you.”

“My love for people is my greatest undoing, and I am tired of being doubted because I think myself worthy of being respected. Being hurt because I happen to care just a little bit about the woman across from me. I’m the bad guy, and I’m the crazy one. Just because I happen to be able to show love to people. Always love, and in return? Hatred. Doubt. Fear and accusations of being irrelevant. Tied to a shadow, tied to a person who I am soon going to exceed in success. I love Alex, but this is my fucking time.”

“So if I have to break you Kayla? I will. If I have to hold you under the water in a nearby pool, I will. If I have to throw your fucking limp body over the edge of the ship, I will. That’s not hyperbole, that’s fact. I will do anything I need to, to make sure you fail. To make sure that you stumble. To make sure that you fall. To make sure you understand that this wasn’t just another title defence. That this wasn’t just another match for me. That this was the be all and end all. See if I lose here? I don’t know what comes next. I get thrown back to the bottom of the pile. Have to crawl up and through Krystal Wolfe, Ariana Angelos, Alexandra Calaway and hell, probably even Juliana, who at this point probably has a bigger bone to pick with me than anyone else.”

She takes a long, deep drink of her mimosa, as she crosses over to a railing of the ship. Looking out into the sea. Out toward the rising sun. The light reflecting off the water’s surface. A gold and blue morning.

“What you need to remember Kayla, is I fought my fucking way here. I beat Kat Jones, Kallie Reznik. I have repeatedly beaten Alexandra Calaway. Samantha Marlowe hasn’t been seen since I beat her fucking ass. Kim Pain? Gone. I stepped up to Tempest, I got myself thrown about by Courtney Pierce, Krystal Wolfe and Tempest. I have spent this whole year fighting. Clawing and biting my way to this match. I didn’t drag anyone to a match, I made them do everything they could try and escape it. I’ve made every person I’ve fought understand that if they don’t care to show me respect? I’ll claw their fucking eyes out.”

“This is everything to me Kayla. Can I do it? You’re damn right I can do it. I can beat you, I can take the championship, and I can continue bringing the Bombshells of this company to the main event. I can beat the Kayla Richards of the world and remind everyone who the fuck Luna Pasilno is. Because I think everyone is quick to forget. I think you’ve been quick to forget what it took for me to get here. I’m not going to spout off a sob story about doing this for my brother. I’m not going to spout off more woe is mes, and pretend like I am owed the world because of it. I am owed this because I fucking worked for it. I deserve this, because there isn’t anyone who is putting in the work that I am. There isn’t a single person, yourself fucking included, that has done what I’ve done. I’m going to be a three time champion, and I’ll be a fucking grand slam champion. You can peddle about in the Mixed Tag division, and when Alex finally gets his way? Maybe we’ll come for those again.”

“See, this is about more than just proving I belong. This is about proving everything The Conspiracy has said over the last two years, true. About proving that we have been continuously overlooked. That we have been slighted at every turn. That people have done everything they can to deny us, because in accepting us? They lose all their power. They lose all control that they have had, because the Workhorses will not let them ignore it anymore. No one will be able to say I don’t deserve this. Nobody will be able to ignore me any longer. So I hope you’re ready Kayla.”

“I hope you’ve asked yourself can you do it? Can you stop the inevitability that is Luna Pasilno? Can you take another loss? Can you come back stronger next time, or have you achieved everything you can? Have you reached your zenith, and now the only way for you is down? I know what I’m putting my money on, bitch.”

“I am the fucking Conspiracy.”

She stretches her arms out wide, basking in the morning sun. Basking in her own arrogance. Basking in the idea of what is to come.

And then…

Darkness.

Silence.

Nothing.