==========
January 19th, 2020
Boston, Massachusetts
Off Camera
==========
The sunlight streaming in through the window
doesn’t immediately wake up “The Phoenix” Marie Annabelle Jones, who sleeps
rather soundly in a king size bed all by herself. Being alone is all too
new for Jones. For the longest time she
had her husband, Arthur Pond, and even after his suicide Marie stuck with her
identical twin sister Kimberly. She justified it, claiming that Kimberly
needed someone to look after her, but the truth of the matter is that Marie
needed Kimberly just as much as Kimberly needed Marie. And as if that wasn’t enough, Marie started
dating Tommy Cook and later joined The Inner Peace Enlightenment Retreat where
she would spend several days a week with her newfound Retreat friend Julianne
Buchanan. Unfortunately almost all of this has begun to come apart. The Inner Peace Enlightenment Retreat proved
to be nothing more than a sex cult.
After failing to recapture the SCW World Tag Team Championship it was
Kimberly’s desire to pursue a singles career.
And her boyfriend, Tommy, isn’t living with her. Outside of Marie’s young son, Sean Connor
Jones, Marie is practically alone.
Except for the few times that Kimberly comes by for a visit.
Marie needed to be woken up but it wasn’t just the
warmth of the sun’s rays that did the trick, for loud noises from downstairs
also has seemingly disturbed The Phoenix’s deep slumber. Jones turns her
head and yawns deeply and loudly as she gazes upon the face of the digital
clock on her nightstand. It reads:
“10:00 am”...Jones, who is typically an early bird, has slept much later than
she had planned. Today is one of those few days in which her sister
Kimberly has come by for a visit. The
idea is to do some mutual training and sparring together. Both have matches with a lot at stake; in
Kimberly’s case, she is facing Bree Lancaster for the SCW United States
Championship. And for Marie, it is the opportunity to stake her claim to
a Trios Opportunity as she teams with Selena Frost, Tommy Valentine, and Jay
Gold. If they win, they are all part of
the Trios Tournament. With so much on
the line for both of them it was Marie’s idea for the two of them to train
together for this event and she expected her sister to be enthusiastic about
the idea as well. Oddly enough, The Woman Scorned did not seem as
enthusiastic as The Phoenix had hoped.
In fact, it took some arm twisting on Marie’s part to get Kimberly to
agree to this.
It stands to reason that this is probably Kimberly
who is making the noise at this time of day. Marie’s son, Sean, is
typically quiet. Kimberly, on the other
hand, is wildly unpredictable. Nothing
she does surprises Marie.
The Phoenix swings her legs over the side of the
bed and then pushes herself up. She walks over to the closet and pulls it
open. She produces a pair of workout
pants and and slips them on. She finds a plain white t-shirt which she
tosses on the bed. Jones goes to a set
of drawers and opens the top, finding a sports bra. She immediately puts
it on. The redhead then retrieves her
the shirt from the bed and slips the white t-shirt on over her head. Marie exits her bedroom and turns left.
A few feet down the hall and she reaches another bedroom, and the door is
standing wide open. Jones steps inside
and finds her son, Sean, sitting on the floor playing a video game on his on
his X-Box.
“Sean?”
“Yeah, mom?” Sean
asks without even breaking eye contact with the tv screen or the action of the
game itself. Marie cannot help but feel somewhat impressed at his ability
to be so focused on the game and her at the same time.
“Have you seen your Aunt Kim?”
“Uh, yeah, she got up early this morning...”
“Thanks, sweetie.” Marie
blows her son a kiss as she turns and starts to walk away but she stops when
Sean calls out after her.
“Mom?”
“Yes?” The
Phoenix, her maternal instincts kicking in, turns and faces her son with an
inquisitive stare.
“Is Aunt Kim ok?”
This question catches The Phoenix off guard. She
tilts her head to one side and studies her son curiously. She approaches
Sean slowly and sits down next to him on the floor. “Sure. I think
so. Why do you ask?”
“Aunt Kim seems...different…”
“How so?”
“I don’t know.” The
youngster shrugs his shoulders. “She’s just been...different. Y’know?”
The Phoenix nods her head. She never really
thought about it until Sean mentioned it just now but Kimberly has seemed
different lately. For the past several weeks she has been a different
person; more stand-offish, colder, and bipolar in the sense that she would be
emotionless and stoic one moment and the next moment freaking out.
Ordinarily Marie would have been very concerned for her sister’s well being but
she never even noticed; at least not until her son mentioned it.
“She used to be fun…”
Sean says, his voice trailing off. Marie smiles broadly as she thinks back to
the fun times she and Kimberly had as Twin Magic, teaming up in Supreme
Championship Wrestling and Global Championship Wrestling. Working with her
sister inside of a wrestling ring is like a Jones family tradition; their
mother Angelica teamed with her younger sister Kayla. Marie also once
teamed with her half-sister Jessica Lasiewicz.
It only stood to reason that Marie and Kimberly would form a team as
well. But now just as suddenly as it
developed it also suddenly came to an end.
It is then that the real guilt hits her.
This entire time while she has been wallowing in self-pity over her
problems and her issues, issues ranging from the Inner Peace cult and her own
refusal to let go of Arthur’s death, Kimberly has been there all along,
probably with problems of her own, and Marie was too caught up in her world to
notice.
Looking at the concern on the face of her son Sean
does bring a smile to Marie’s face. There is hope for the next generation
at least. The Phoenix leans over and
kisses her son on his forehead. “You’re a good kid, Sean. I love you.”
“I love you too, mom.”
Jones stands up and exits the room. She
quietly shuts the door behind her. She turns towards the stairs and
slowly descends, making her way down. As she goes farther and farther
down she begins to hear the sound of her sister’s voice. Kimberly is
talking...to herself? That’s odd. But then again, nothing about her identical
twin sister has ever truly been normal. When she makes it to the bottom
she follows the sound of her sister’s voice…
“We don’t need her!”
“Shut up! She is my sister!”
“But she ruined you!”
Marie is now thoroughly confused. Both voices
are Kimberly’s but one seems slightly...different. Kimberly is arguing with
herself, but why? Is this some sort of game? Were it anyone else, Marie would be very
concerned about her mental state but then again, this is Kimberly. Has
she ever had a clean bill of mental health?
“We both have matches at Day of Infamy!”
“This is true. It does make sense for you to
practice together. Just understand where your loyalties lie.”
“My loyalties lie with my family.”
“Your family does not accept you, child. Only
I do.”
The Phoenix furrows her brow in confusion.
She stands just outside of the living room and it is in the living room where
this argument is taking place. It is in the living room where Kimberly is
arguing with herself for some ungodly reason.
Instead of sticking around for more of this craziness from her sister,
Marie decides to confront her about it. The Phoenix enters the living
room and finds that Kimberly has her back turned towards her.
“Kimberly? Who are you talking to?”
“Huh? Marie?” Kimberly
is taken by complete surprise and it shows as she turns around and shock is
written across her face. That shock is replaced by fear. “Marie!
Run!”
“Run? From wha…”
Marie’s eyes grow wide as she just now notices that her twin is holding a human
skull in her hands “...what the hell is that?”
Just then Kim’s face goes blank. Her eyes
roll back into her head and for a moment Marie believes she is about to
faint. Jones rushes over just in time to catch her sister from
falling. Kimberly then looks up at Marie
with pure hatred in her eyes.
“DIE!”
Before Marie can react Kimberly shoves her off and
then decks her with a hard right hand that sends Marie tumbling to the
floor. Marie pushes herself up but is taken right back down by an enraged
Kimberly who lifts her up and charges her back first into the nearest
wall. From there Williams spins her around and drops her to the
floor. Kimberly mounts her twin and
wraps both hands around her throat and begins to choke her.
“You ruined her!”
“Ruined...ack...ruined who?”
Marie is having trouble breathing, let alone forming any words, but she does
barely manage to get those words out.
“You ruined Kimberly!”
Kimberly exclaims loudly and angrily. Marie struggles to breath as her
enraged and psychotic twin sister begins to choke the life out of her.
Jones isn’t sure what to do until she spots the skull that Kimberly was
holding. She reaches out for it.
She is close...so close...and finally The Phoenix snatches the skull and smacks
Kim in the side of the head with it. The force of the impact knocks
Kimberly off. Marie realizes that she
has bought herself a little time and she uses it to push herself back up.
By then, however, the enraged Kimberly is also up and charges. Jones sees her coming just in time, so she
sidesteps her and Kimberly runs into a table holding a lamp and tumbles over
the top of it and to the floor below.
“What on earth is wrong with you, Kimberly?!”
Marie exclaims angrily as she watches Kimberly pull herself back up to her
feet. The Phoenix prepares herself, bracing for another attack from her
twin sister.
“You ruined her! You…” Kimberly
is still enraged but only for a moment. Her face glazes over and her eyes
roll back into her head. Just then Kimberly shakes her head as she gazes
back at Marie, this time a look of shock is upon her face. “...Marie!
Uh…” The Woman Scorned shakes her head “...you should leave. Now.”
“No.” Marie
folds her arms over her chest and stands her ground.
“I am not sure how much longer I can control
myself. Take Sean and get out of here.”
The mention of her son immediately makes The
Phoenix consider taking Kimberly’s advice and leaving. Sean is precious
to her and doesn’t want harm to come to him.
But Sean is Kim’s nephew, surely she wouldn’t do anything to him.
But then again, why would she freak out and attack her? None of this makes any sense but Marie does
eventually decide to stand her ground. She shakes her head.
“I am not leaving, at least not until I get some
answers out of you.”
“LEAVE!”
Kimberly shouts angrily. Her face contorts, it looks as if she straining,
stressing even. “If you care for your son then leave! I don’t know how
long I can contain this!”
Jones shakes her head, stubbornly refusing to give
up on her twin sister. She approaches Kimberly who tries to back away but
she ends up backing into a corner. Marie reaches out and gently grabs Kim
by the hand and squeezes tightly. “I do care about my son but I also care
about you…”
“Liar!” Kimberly
shouts, jerking her hand away and shaking her head vehemently. “She says you
don’t care for me!”
Who the hell is she talking about? Marie has
no idea what is going through her sister’s head right now but she can tell
Kimberly is frustrated, enraged, and angry. Marie again considers packing
Sean up and leaving but she still opts not to go. She cannot leave her sister in this condition. Marie shakes her head.
“I am not leaving until I get some answers out of
you.” She points over to the sofa. “So go, sit down;
we’re going to talk.”
“Why?!”
Kimberly demands angrily.
“Because despite what you may think, I do care
about you.”
“Fine…” Kim’s
voice trails off. She shakes her head “...but it’s your funeral.”
Marie steps aside and watches cautiously as her
identical twin sister makes her way across the living room, stepping over the
fallen table and lamp, and finally over to the sofa. Kimberly sits down
in the center and then Marie approaches slowly and carefully. Jones sits down next to her, to Kim’s
right. Marie places a comforting, gentle
hand on her sister’s knee.
“I spoke to Sean this morning. He is worried
about you, Kim, and so am I.”
“Bullshit.” Kimberly
spits out. “You never noticed anything was wrong. You never do.”
“Ok, maybe I didn’t notice before, maybe I didn’t
notice until Sean pointed it out. But I do notice it now. Especially after all of this…”
The Phoenix motions to the wreck caused by Kimberly’s unprovoked attack.
The Woman Scorned doesn’t seem bothered at all.
In fact, she just shrugs her shoulders.
“So what? You are talking to the person who
once kidnapped you. You are talking to the person who tried to replace
you. You are talking to the person who tried to staple Abigail Lindsey,
Bree Lancaster, and pretty much everyone else in SCW. You should expect
anything from Crazy Kim.”
“You’re not crazy.”
“What do you call of this? Sanity?”
Venom drips from Kimberly’s voice. “And quit acting like you care because
you don’t!”
Yet again Marie is accused of not caring about her
identical twin sister. This is very unusual and doesn’t sit well with The
Phoenix. Jones then casts a gaze over to
her left and notices the skull still lying on the floor. She looks back
over at Kim. “Is that a real human skull?”
“Yes.”
“Whose skull is it?”
“Emma’s.”
Marie knows of Emma. Emma Storm is the woman
who is largely responsible for Marie and Kimberly being separated at
birth. Emma Storm is the one most responsible for Kimberly being as
unstable and dangerous as she is. Emma
hated the Jones family and raised Kimberly, eventually training her to be a
weapon against them all. Emma hadn’t been seen from or heard from in a
long time, thus Marie isn’t surprised to find out that she is dead, nor would
it surprise her to find out that Kimberly murdered her. Still, it is just a suspicion that Marie must
first confirm.
“How is it that you have her skull?”
“I killed her.” Kimberly
says through gritted teeth as tears form in her eyes. “I had her tied up and
I beat her again and again until she died. She died at my bare hands,
Marie. But she’s not gone…” The
Woman Scorned points to her head “...she’s still here. She’s always
been here.”
“Kimberly…Emma is gone…”
“Maybe she is? Maybe she isn’t?” Kimberly
shrugs her shoulders, still sobbing softly but looking indifferently. “But
it doesn’t matter does it? It doesn’t matter because she is still here.”
Again Kimberly points at her head.
“So what you’re saying is that you’re hearing
voices in your head?”
“That or there’s an actual fucking ghost possessing
me!” Kimberly snaps angrily at her twin sister. “Which
sounds more logical to you right now? Which makes me less crazy because
right now I feel pretty fucking insane! I feel like I’m losing my damn
mind Marie!”
“Listen to me, Kim. First of all, you are not
crazy.”
“I feel pretty damn crazy right now!”
“You may feel that way and maybe that is what Emma
wanted you to be, a crazy psychotic person to hurt this family, but she
failed. She failed because YOU made such awesome progress. You worked hard and healed yourself.”
“You’re right, I did heal myself.” Kimberly
nods her head and then points an accusatory finger at Marie. “Unlike
you. You needed help...from the church, from the family, and finally from
a fucking self help group that turned out to be a sex cult...and after all of
that you still haven’t been able to help yourself. You still have your
own problems that you haven’t been able to move on from and you sit here and
tell me to forget about it and move on?” She shakes her head. “You’re
such a hypocrite.”
“Kimberly, listen…”
“NO YOU LISTEN!” Kimberly
shouts angrily. “I was there for you when you decided to throw side with
Syren and Katya and her friends. I knew they were bad news. I knew they were nothing but con artists
because I was raised by a fucking con artist and if there is one thing I know
better than anyone else is a fucking con artist. But I stuck by your
side. I stayed loyal to you. I wanted to start a singles career of my own
for a long time but you needed a tag team partner so that you could go after
the tag titles. The tag titles was one
of three championships missing before you could become Supreme Champion in
SCW. So I set my singles aspirations aside so that you could achieve your
goals. I remained loyal to you,
Marie. The one and only time I ever
spoke out against you was when you joined that Inner Peace crap and you told me
to get lost. So do not lecture me,
Marie! You have no room to stand!”
Marie bows her head in shame. A great deal of
what her twin sister has just said is correct. But she is far from
done. Kimberly points over at the skull.
“Emma separated us at birth and yeah, manipulation may have played a role,
but the fact is our beloved mother gave me to her. And despite Angelica
knowing full well who I was, she still denied it even after I came back into
her life. It took hard evidence before
she would admit that yes, I was her daughter, and even to this day she never
fully accepted me. Our half-sisters, Jessica and Kelly, they don’t accept
me. I’m not even sure you fully accept
me but at least…” she sighs deeply “...at least you tried.”
Even more good points. Most would argue that
a distrust of Kimberly is to be expected, considering what she has done in the
past. Still, she is family. Should
she not be accepted? Marie then takes
initiative and embraces Kimberly in a tight hug.
“Look at me!” They
break the embrace and Kimberly gazes into Marie’s eyes, which are now flooded
with tears. “I love you, you idiot! I would do anything for you!
But you’re right...maybe I have been too selfish, too caught up in my own world
and my own problems. You have done a great deal for me, and while I do
appreciate that, I have to admit that I have not done nearly as much for
you. This has been a very unfair, one-sided relationship and for that, I
apologize.”
“It’s nice hearing you admit that but…” Kimberly’s
voice trails off as she struggles with her words “...but it’s still just
words.”
“I know. What mom did, manipulation from Emma
or not, was still wrong. And take my word for it because I spoke to her a
few weeks ago, she does feel guilty about everything she has done and if there
was any way to make it right she would do it.”
“Maybe if she treated me like a daughter...maybe if
Jessica and Kelly treated me as sisters...but all of you treat me as Crazy
Kim. All of you treat me as a weapon that you can call upon if you need
me. Stabby, stabby, right? You’re no better than Emma, because that’s
all she wanted. She just wanted a weapon to use against this family.”
“It’s a matter of trust, Kim. They don’t trust
you. But trust can’t just be
given. Trust is earned.”
“Not this crap again!”
Kimberly shouts, rolling her eyes. “I’ve heard all of this before! I
know I’ve done terrible things! I know
why they don’t trust me! I know…”
“I’m not talking about you, you idiot!” Marie
shouts, shouting over her sister. “I’m talking about me!”
“What?!”
Kimberly is taken surprise by this response. Marie nods her head.
“I can’t speak for Jessica and Kelly, or even for
mom, but I can speak for myself when I say that I am deeply sorry for taking
advantage of you in our relationship. I am sorry for taking you for
granted. And I am sorry for not caring
about you as much as I should. And Kim,
I am going to bust my ass from here on out to hopefully earn your forgiveness
and earn your trust, because I do not want a weapon or a tag team
partner. I want a sister. I want
my best friend back.”
Marie stares hopefully into her twin sister’s
eyes. Eventually Kim breaks down into tears and embraces Marie in a tight
hug. “I...I want that too…!”
“And you know what friends do? Do you know
what sisters do?” Marie asks as Kimberly looks up at her
sister with tear filled eyes. “They help each other. And I am going to
help you through whatever issues you have right now, I will do whatever I can
to make those voices go away, if you help me through my issues. Deal?”
Kimberly smiles and nods her head. “Deal.”
==========
January 25th, 2020
Chicago, Illinois
On Camera
==========
The cityscape was a jumble of shapes, like a child
had cast blocks down randomly and then swept them so close together they
touched. There were rectangles, domes and mini-castles. There were spires,
weather vanes and satellite dishes. Between the dwellings and businesses the
roads were so narrow that they frequently became blocked by trucks brining in
wares. These juggernauts were designed for highways and the metropolis.
Between the chaotic buildings ran a network of paths wide enough for two skinny
people to pass. This city is Chicago and it is a living machine spread over
once green land like a microchip grossly enlarged. The roads run in their
predictable grid pattern and the lights of the stores, restaurants and places
of vice shine neon into the night.
We then cut to the outside of a hotel room,
specifically a balcony. The balcony grew from the walls of the house as
generous arms from a host, or perhaps those of a mother to cradle her infant
child. The metal had a patina of ocean greens and blues, or perhaps it was more
the hues of a mossy forest floor in softened early light, yet either way it was
beautiful. It isn’t long until a lovely femine figure steps out onto the
balcony. The camera zooms in and we see
that this is none other than “The Phoenix” Marie Annabelle Jones. The redheaded Boston native is wearing a knee
length black skirt, black stockings, and black patent leather high heeled pumps
with an open toe. She is wearing a red sweater and her signature black
leather jacket. Her long red hair hangs
unrestrained to below her shoulders.
“So here we are in Chicago, just one day away from
Day of Infamy. Just one more day until I get the opportunity to make my
own luck with the Trios Buy In. And that’s what gets me to thinking about
the people of this fine city. Chicago is
a place where the competitive spirit is alive and well. You have World
Series Champions Chicago Cubs, Super Bowl Champion Chicago Bears, and NBA
Champion Chicago Bulls. The Monsters of
the Midway, Super Bowl Shuffle, Michael Jordan, all of it came from right here
from a city that knows all about success in the world of sports. But
that’s not all…” Jones shakes her head “...you see,
with any competitive environment you have to take the good with the bad.
Hell, with all aspects of life you have to go in expecting that there will be
good days and bad days, there will be wins and there will be losses, because
let’s be honest, you cannot win them all. And I know that too. I mean, look back at my history, I already
have had quite a successful wrestling career with seven world championships to
my name. I am two championship wins away
from the coveted Supreme Championship in SCW. But I also understand that
I have had my bad days. Wrestling, like
life in general, is a roller coaster of good times and bad times, coupled with
good decisions and bad mistakes. What
makes you either a stronger, better, tougher person or just another weak coward
is whether you decide to press on, fight on, or if you choose to make excuses.”
The Phoenix narrows her eyes in an intense gaze at
the camera, as if glaring deep into the very soul of the viewer. “I have
chosen to fight on! I do not choose to live in the past, to constantly
live in my glory days, that is why I have only just now even mentioned my seven
previous world title wins. That is the first time I ever mentioned them
since signing with SCW years ago. I
never brought it up because I live for the here and the now while also
preparing for the future. All that matters in SCW is what I have done in
SCW and what I have done is win the SCW Television Championship, United States
Championship, and World Tag Team Championship.
My career in SCW has been very successful.”
Jones shakes her head. “But I am not done and if
you think I am satisfied then you are dead wrong. I know that with hard
work and dedication to my craft that I can do so much more in this great
company and I know that I can become SCW Adrenaline Champion and that I can
maybe even become SCW World Champion, my eighth world title overall and
completing my goal of becoming Supreme Champion. But I am not going to
live in the past and I am definitely finished making excuses for why I
fail. I will leave the excuse making for
the experts at excuse making, people like Gavin Taylor who are so good at
failing that they become masters at the art of making excuses for each and
every failure. That is why I am better than someone like Gavin
Taylor. I am better than him in every
way imaginable because I will not only take ownership of my past mistakes but I
will also learn from them and use those lessons, those experiences, to improve
myself as a competitor, so that going forward I will not have to worry about
making excuses…”
“...because I will have won…”
a confident smirk forms upon her lovely face.
“The Day of Infamy Trios Buy In is a great concept
because it eliminates the whole idea of making excuses. Four teams of
four in two eight person tag matches, the two winning teams guaranteeing themselves
a spot in the 2020 Trios Tournament and from there a battle to determine
seeding for a draft. Unlike previous Trios Tournaments, where LUCK played
a huge role in the tournament outcome, this time luck is taken out of the
equation almost entirely. If I want a
guaranteed spot in the Trios Tournament then I need to do my part to help
Selena Frost, Tommy Valentine, and Jay Gold get the job done for our
team. And if I want to get a top draft choice and put together an
absolutely unbeatable Trios Team then I need to go on and defeat those same
three individuals to ensure my top seeding position. Whereas before in previous years LUCK
determined my Trios opportunity, this year I determine my own Trios opportunity. And if my team loses, it isn’t on Selena,
Valentine, or Jay…”
Her voice trails off. Marie pats herself on
the chest “...it is all on me. It falls upon my shoulders to fight and
claw with every last breath I have in my body to get the job done, and never to
settle, never to be content, and damn sure never to let anyone carry me over
the finish line.” She shakes her head defiantly.
“I will do my part, I will carry my load, and if I
will even carry the whole damn team if I have to, because this year, 2020, it
is going to be my year, the year of The Phoenix, and I am going to start with
Day of Infamy, go on to win Trios with an absolutely unbeatable Trios Team that
I put together, and then complete my goal of becoming Supreme Champion.
Impossible dream, you say? I say nothing
is impossible if you put your mind to it.
If you say it is too lofty a goal then I say you are just trying to make
excuses and I am done making excuses. I
am setting my sights to the highest of the highs, the biggest goals, and if you
don’t believe that I can get the job done then watch me. Watch me when I get the job done at Day of
Infamy and then eat your words when I go on to victory at the Trios Tournament,
eat your words and know that with the Trios Contract I can accomplish my goal
in one...single...night…”
