==========
July 10th, 2019
Nashville, TN
Off Camera
==========
Backstage in the locker room of the Bridgestone
Arena in Nashville, Tennessee where Breakdown has just come to its conclusion,
“The Phoenix” Marie Annabelle Jones she is staring at herself in a mirror and
likes what she sees; a gorgeous ginger, full of confidence and, for the first
time in a long time, full of hope.
This is a stark turnaround from her previous
condition months ago. She had been manipulated by Ravyn and others within
Infamous, causing her to get isolated by her friends, family, and loved
ones. The fans turned on her and she felt like she was on an island unto
herself. Only her identical twin sister,
the somewhat unbalanced Kimberly Williams stood by her side and tried to talk
some sense into her. But it was too late.
Marie was far too gone when she had finally realized the mistake she had
made. Marie had become a monster but
that wasn’t even the worst part.
Her husband committed suicide.
Jones couldn’t handle anything else. She
wanted the pain and the torment to be over and she wanted it to end by any
means necessary. Thus it hadn’t been too long ago that she was on the
verge of suicide herself until she was talked out of it by a stranger; a
stranger known as Raul Alfaro. This stranger is convinced that he can
provide Marie the help that she needs and while that remains to be seen, Marie
is in agreement with him on at least one thing and that’s the fact that she
does need help.
Her own mother has attempted suicide before and was
later instiutionalzied in a mental hospital due to the insanity she had been
suffering from. Could this all be leading to Marie following her mother’s
path of insanity? Marie had already followed
in her mother’s footsteps by attempting suicide. The next time she
attempts it she might succeed. Or she
may end up institutionalized. Neither of
which seem to be very good options.
Marie recognizes the fact that she does need help, otherwise these two
nightmare scenarios could prove to be reality.
“Hellllloooooo nurse!”
At one time that voice and the shouting would have
startled Marie, but not anymore. The Phoenix is used to this by now
coming from her psychotic identical twin sister Kimberly Williams. Jones
turns around and, sure enough, she finds her sister Kimberly there. Kimberly is wearing torn jeans, flip flops,
and her new “I Groped CHBK” t-shirt. Marie frowns, clearly not impressed
with her sister’s outburst.
“And what does that mean, Kim?”
“It means you look smoking hot, sis!”
Kimberly says with a knowing grin followed by a wink. “Is this for your boy
toy Tommy?”
It is but Marie won’t admit it to Kimberly.
Marie is wearing a tight black leather skirt, black leather pumps, and a low
cut top. She is also wearing a black leather jacket similar to the one
their mother wears.
“So what if it is?”
“Hey I’m not judging! I thought I saw him
down the hole watching Girls Gone Mild…”
“You’re lying…” Marie
furrows her brow as she thinks about what Kimberly just said “...girls gone
MILD?”
“Yes, we got to stay PG and all. Family
friendly show.”
Marie sighs and rolls her eyes. “I seriously
doubt you saw anything. You were probably chasing people around with that
staple gun.”
“I was not!”
Kimberly protests. “I was also throwing things at old people!”
“I figured as much.”
Marie laughs slightly. “Look, I’ll see you back at the hotel, ok? I
want to catch up with mom real quick before I leave.”
“And Tommy?” Kim
asks, still teasing her sister. Marie sighs and nods her head.
“Yes, hopefully I’ll see him. But tomorrow we
get down to business and finalize our plans for Rise To Greatness. This
is going to be an insanely difficult challenge when we have Ravyn and Christy,
Cassidy and Rachel, and of course Abigail and Jordan all gunning for us.”
“Yeah but they’re also gunning for each
other! Chaos!”
“Chaos, sure, but chaos is never good. And we
need this win, Kim. You know that
right?”
“Of course.” Kimberly
nods her head. “Revenge against Ravyn!”
“Uh, maybe there’s a little of that but
honestly? We need this win to get ourselves back into the
conversation. You and me, we’ve allowed ourselves to get distracted by
this war. But a win at Rise To Greatness could prove wonders for our
career.”
“A distraction?”
Kimberly asks, now thoroughly confused. “But I thought you wanted Ravyn’s
head on a platter?”
“Yes well, I’m not sure what I want anymore.”
Marie sighs as she shrugs her shoulders. Kimberly doesn’t say anything
right away but she does step forward and places a hand on her sister’s
shoulder.
“Are you ok, Marie?”
“What do you mean?” The
Phoenix asks, now confused herself.
“Don’t play innocent with me!” Kimberly’s
voice rises ever so slightly, not enough to draw attention to themselves but
certainly enough to show Marie that Kimberly is no longer putting on the wacky,
crazy front she usually she does. Kimberly is now being completely one
hundred percent serious. “You seem more than just a little off right now,
Marie. You don’t sound like yourself.
And considering you tried to kill yourself recently I think I’m entitled
to worry about you!”
“Calm down, Kim!” Marie
exclaims.
“Calm down?! You scared the hell out of all
of us and you want me to calm down?!”
“Geez, Kim, I’m sorry…” Marie’s
voice trails off. Kimberly takes a deep breath and sighs.
“I’m sorry too. I’m sorry for lashing
out. But you did scare us, Marie. And speaking only for myself, I
still don’t handle these emotions well.” She
chuckles. “Funny, it would be easier for me to handle your suicide attempt
if I were still a cold emotionless sociopath. I could just turn off the
emotions with a flip of the switch. But
thanks to you I can’t turn off the emotions anymore and I don’t know how to
deal with them.”
“Oh but you will, Kim.”
Marie embraces her twin in a tight hug. “You will figure it all out because
you are so smart.”
“You’re right, I am smart.” Kimberly
says as they end the hug. “And I noticed the deflection, sis. Nice
try. Now tell me, are you ok or not?”
Marie laughs slightly. “Yes, I was deflecting,
but also I really am ok.”
“You sure?” Kim
asks.
“Of course I am. Now seriously, go on back to
the hotel. There’s no need to wait up on me, especially since I am
hanging around to talk to mom.”
“Fair enough.”
Kimberly nods her head. “I’ll see you there!”
Kimberly turns and skips away. Marie is now
left alone to think. Guilt is the first thing she feels as she recalls
just how much she did scare everyone with her suicide attempt. All of the
pressure going on in her professional life was bad enough but when her husband
Arthur Pond committed suicide himself it became too much for Marie Annabelle
Jones to bear. She wanted the pain to be over and death was the only way
she knew how to end it. Now, with
Kimberly’s sudden outburst, she is beginning to realize just how many people
she would have hurt had she taken her own life. It was more than just an
anomaly though. It was a warning.
Marie knows more emotional and mental problems could be over the horizon
if she doesn’t deal with this sooner rather than later.
“Marie?”
The Phoenix turns and spots her mother walking
in. A warm smile creeps across her face as she greets her mother,
Angelica Jones, halfway and embraces her in a tight hug. “Thanks for coming,
mom!”
“Of course. I got your text earlier, so
what’s up?”
“It’s something you need to know.”
She motions to a nearby chair. “You may want to sit down.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
Angelica says as she sits down on the chair. Marie sighs and shakes her
head.
“You won’t like it. You know some of the
problems I’ve been going through lately, right? And I don’t mean here
with SCW. My career, as much as I love
wrestling, is infinitely nothing compared to my life and after Arthur killed
himself, I was beginning to feel that my life wasn’t worth living.”
“You didn’t?” Angelica
starts to stand up but Marie gently pushes her back down. “Tell me you
didn’t?”
“Yeah, I tried…” she
sighs “...I obviously failed but didn’t keep me from trying.”
“Are you ok?”
Angelica asks. Marie shrugs her shoulders.
“I’m honestly not sure. But I do know that I
need help and I am going to get that help. That’s what I wanted to let
you know. I’m going to get help and I
will be fine eventually.”
Angelica stands up for real this time and embraces
her daughter in a tight hug. “That’s great news, Marie! It took me a
long time to admit I needed help. So you are going to see a psychiatrist
of some sort or…?”
“No, well kind of.” Marie
fumbles with her words as she struggles to figure out how to define this. “It’s
a retreat.”
“A retreat?”
Angelica arches a brow out of curiosity.
“Yes, something about finding peace within
yourself. It’s called The Inner Peace Enlightenment Retreat.”
“It sounds like a hippy commune to me.”
Angelica says rolling her eyes.
“I
spoke to the guy who operates it and he said that they have real live
legitimate counselors there who can help me.” Marie
takes her mom by the hands and grips them tightly. “I don’t want to see a psychiatrist because I don’t think I’m
crazy. I just need a little help.
You do understand the difference, don’t you?”
“I’m
not sure I do.” Angelica sighs. “But as long as you are getting some help, that’s what’s important to
me. So I support you.”
“Thanks,
mom.”
==========
July 13th, 2019
Boston, Massachusetts
Off Camera
==========
“I am so glad that you decided to join us at The
Inner Peace Enlightenment Retreat.” Comes
the soothing voice of Raul Alfaro as he walks side by side with newcomer, The
Phoenix Marie Jones. “As you can see, the campus here at the retreat
is welcoming and beautiful.”
Marie finds it difficult to argue that point; this
place is indeed gorgeous. The campus was not unlike an idealistic,
utopian park. They had miniature formal
gardens, benches, ornamental trees, flowers year round and water fountains in
clear tiny ponds. A slight breeze rustles the leaves making them fall to
the solid ground one by one.The air was warm, the beams of sunlight glowing on
her skin. Flowers are vast, and they conceal the freshly cut green grass. The
pathway is nothing more than dirt littered with random rocks. The Phoenix
can even see others, engaging in friendly dialogue and conversation as they
enjoy the beauty of this campus. Jones
hates to admit it, but a part of her wants to stay here and just forget all
about her problems.
“It is beautiful,” Marie
admits “but remember, I’m not necessarily joining. I’m here to just
check it out.”
“Of course. Inner Peace Enlightenment would
never force anything upon you, Ms. Jones; in fact, the campus never locks down
and is always open. If you ever feel depressed the way you were the other
night or if you simply wish to stand here in the beauty of Inner Peace, you are
welcome to set foot on our campus anytime, any day.”
“I’m not sure how often I will make use of that but
it’s good to know you’re open if I do need to get away from it all.” Marie
remarks.
Raul and Marie continue walking as Jones takes in
the gorgeous scenery. It’s almost too much for her to handle. Her senses are in overload; so much color,
the sights and the sounds of nature. And everyone here seems to be at
peace, and that in and of itself is remarkable for Marie.
“Everyone here seems so happy.”
“I expect nothing less than pure happiness and contentment
from those who are a part of The Inner Peace Enlightenment Retreat.” Raul
states with a hint of confidence that borders on arrogance in his voice.
“How many of them came here with problems similar
to mine?” Marie asks inquisitively.
“Everyone who came to me had come seeking
help. But all of them were too proud to ask for help. And isn’t that the sin that caused the fall
of man in the Garden of Eden? Pride.
We were to proud to admit that we may need help from others. And hence we run ourselves ragged. We destroy ourselves in a vain attempt to fix
things ourselves. These people you see on the campus of Inner Peace
Enlightenment were much like you, they had nearly destroyed themselves in their
prideful attempt to fix their problems on their own, as they refused to accept
help from anyone.”
But now they’re here…” Marie’s
voice trails off.
“That’s correct. They have humbly accepted
that even they sometimes need help and as you can see they are happier this
way.”
“And their problems?”
“All of their problems have been reduced to distant
memories.” Raul insists.
“So you’re suggesting that I can get the help I
need here? And all of my problems will become nothing?”
“As if they never existed.”
“I’m willing to give this a chance, I mean you do
have a gorgeous campus here and I admit that I do need help. So tell me,
how do I get started? How do I set up an
appointment with one of your counselors?”
“I am encouraged to see that you are so eager to
get started.” Raul says with a friendly smile. “But
first we must go over the rules. One of the most important rules for
those seeking help at Inner Peace Enlightenment is that you must spend one
entire twenty four hour period here per week, either a Friday or a Saturday, at
the retreat.”
“What?”
Marie’s eyes grow wide. “You said I could come here anytime I wanted!”
“You can. But if you want the services we
offer then you must follow certain rules and guidelines. I’m sure you
understand.”
Jones frowns. “I hear what you’re saying but I’m
beginning to not like it.”
“Please, just hear me out. You do want help,
do you not?”
“Yes I want help, but I want real help. I
need professional help but…” her
voice trails off. Raul, though grins from ear to ear.
“You’re afraid, are you not?”
“Afraid of what?”
Look around you.” Raul
motions with his hand. “Freedom. The birds of the air, the animals,
the people, all free to live their lives how they want. Yes, you could go
to a so-called ‘legitimate’ psychiatrist, but you realize your freedom is at
stake. They may deem you mentally unfit.
They may restrict you in what you can and cannot do, all in the name of
making money and not in the name of finding a cure. After all, a cured
individual also means less money the doctor makes. We here at Inner Peace accept nothing from
you except your peace and contentment.
And you have no fear of judgmental psychiatrists because we have none.”
“None?” Marie
tilts her head to one side.
“Zero. You will be paired up with a fellow
member of the retreat who also is in need of help. You will help one
another by sharing experiences, memories, and anything else that you two feel
will benefit. As the relationship and bond between you grows, your pains
and torments will slowly start to dissipate.
You lose a problem and you gain a friend in the process.”
Marie turns away from Raul and instead scans the
campus. The people here do seem legitimately happy and content. This place truly is gorgeous, one of the most
beautiful places she has seen in her entire life. Plus Raul is right, she
is afraid. Her family has a history of
mental issues. Her mother spent time
institutionalized. She very well could
be next if she doesn’t get help. All she has to do is put her stubborn
pride aside and accept the help.
“How long does this last?”
“As long as you deem necessary until you are
healed. This is about your inner peace, your contentment. Not mine.”
“Well then,” Marie
sighs “maybe I will give it a chance.”
==========
On Camera
==========
The lights turn on and we find ourselves standing
in front of an SCW “Rise To Greatness” logo backdrop. Marie Annabelle
Jones steps into the scene from stage left. We can safely assume that this is
Marie and not her identical twin because of the way she is dressed; she is
dressed in a knee length black skirt, black high heeled pumps, and a rose
colored silk blouse. She is also sporting a black leather jacket and her
long red hair hangs unrestrained to shoulder length.
It seems as if everyone in this match wants a piece
of Ravyn. Except Jordan Majors, who seems to just want a piece of Abigail
for different reasons. And then there’s Abigail herself who wants a piece
of Ravyn...for different reasons...but all of this shit storm centers around
one individual and that is you, Ravyn.
But I guess that’s how you like it, isn’t it?
You like being the center of the attention.
Everything has to be about you. That’s how it is for you and all
of your pals in Infamous. Every single
thing has to be about you. The spotlight has to be on you. No one else deserves anything, am I
right? No one else deserves
opportunities or respect. You should get it all. And you are willing to manipulate your way
into getting them.
That’s not how it’s going to go anymore. You
have a lot of people here who want your head on a platter and not even Abigail,
who has been reduced to a second rate bodyguard, can help you when the bell
rings at Rise To Greatness.
Speaking of the second rate bodyguard, how does it
feel Abigail to be Ravyn’s “yes girl”? Then again, it probably feels all
too normal for you. The last time you
were the star of any show was back when IWC was still a thing. Ever since
your IWC World Title run you’ve just been simply someone else’s sidekick,
whether it was Cindy Todd, Dawn Lohan, or now Ravyn.
I don’t know about your motives behind why you’re
willing to sacrifice what little dignity you had left all for the sake of
protecting you new bestie, and quite honestly I don’t care what your
motivations are. All I care about is Rise To Greatness and my opportunity
to get my hands on Ravyn. That’s what
this is about for me. Win, lose, or
draw, it doesn’t really matter. I just
want to get my pound of flesh. I want to
hurt her. I want to make her pay.
And that’s going to happen and there’s not a damn thing you or Jordan,
Infamous, or Cassidy and Rachel can do about it.
The Phoenix steps off screen and a few moments
later her identical twin, Kimberly Williams, steps into the scene from stage
right. Kimberly is dressed in torn denim jeans, black boots, and a black
t-shirt which reads “STAPLE!” in hot pink lettering. Yes, she has a staple gun
in her right hand.
That sounded soooooo intense, Marie! You were
soooo fired up and you sound ready to maim, destroy, and stabby stabby
staple! Oh but what about little old me?
I honestly could care less about what happens to any of those other
little people in this match.
That’s right, Marie is the one who cares about
getting this revenge or whatever against Ravyn and pals...hey, that sounds like
it could be the name of a new kids show, RAVYN AND PALS!...but yeah, I don’t
really care. I’m in this for one reason and one reason only…
...loyalty. I am loyal to my sister and I
will fight by her side no matter what. I knew helping those infamously
idiotic idiots was a fool’s errand but Marie insisted we do so and so I
did. She admits she made a mistake, she’s been trying to make up for it
ever since, and who knows, mabye beating the ever loving crap out of Ravyn and
Christy is all part of how she intends to make up for it?
But me? I’ve long since moved on. I
don’t care anymore. And I’m fairly
certain that, had little miss Abi not escalated things by attacking us during our
tag team match against Infamous on Breakdown, then we would have left poor
little defenseless Ravyn alone and we would have moved onto bigger and better
things.
Ravyn must be helpless and defenseless, am I right,
if she needs protections from the “past my prime squad” and Abi…
You wanted me to leave Ravyn alone. And Abi,
Marie and I gladly would have left her alone had we just got closure in that
tag match. Had it ended without controversy we would have walked away.
Even if we lost, had they legitimately beaten us, we would have walked
away. I know this because I know
Marie. She would have been fine with it.
But you escalated things.
It’s your fault that we’re all here now. It’s
your fault that this match at Rise To Greatness is even happening. You
only have yourself to blame.
But I forgive you! I still consider you a
friend and I very much look forward to the bloodletting we inflict upon each
other and upon everyone else in this match…
Kimberly brandishes the staple gun menacingly as
the camera fades to black.
