Darkness

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Scene 1

May 24^th, 2018

Off Camera

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Sunlight streams in from the window, striking the face of Marie Annabelle Jones as she lies down in her King sized bed in her luxury suite hotel room in Lexington, Kentucky.  Marie slowly blinks herself awake and stares into the sunlight with a warm smile upon her face.  In the past the sunlight would be an unwelcome visitor but lately, the sunlight has come to represent how much better young Marie’s life has been looking.

Metaphorically speaking, things do appear to be looking up for Marie now that she rid herself of the threat of Damian Daniel Toole once and for all.  With him out of her life and out of her mind she can focus on what’s important for her wrestling career and that is finally reaching up and grabbing that next brass ring, the greatest brass ring of them all; the SCW World Championship.

Young Jones has been close on many occasions to earning a world championship match but never could position herself where she could rightfully demand such an opportunity.  Every opportunity she’s had has slipped through her fingers.  But now Rise To Greatness season is upon us and that means Taking Hold of the Flame.  If Marie can win that one match then she guarantees herself a world championship match in the main event of Rise To Greatness.

It’s easier said than done; she’ll have to overcome thirty-nine other SCW wrestlers in order to get the job done.  But Marie knows that she can pull off the seemingly impossible task, because she has faith in herself and in her abilities.

Jones is full of hope and optimism in recent weeks, so much so that it would take a crisis of extreme proportions to bring her down from the high she is currently on.  That much is evident from the wide warm smile upon her face as she throws the cover off and sits up, revealing herself in black lace panties, matching lace bra, and sheer nylon stockings.  She swings her nylon covered legs over the edge of the bed and stretches out before standing up…

“Damn…”

She is startled and turns around quickly to spy her husband, the somewhat dapper Arthur Pond, standing there with a devious grin on his face.  Marie wasn’t expecting him back so soon, that much is for certain based on the surprised look on her face.  Arthur chuckles lightly.

“…you look sexy, Marie; damn sexy.  Is all of this for me?”

“It was but now I’m not so sure.”  Marie folds her arms over her chest and frowns. “How long have you been standing there, Arthur?”

“Long enough to get a good show.” He winks.

“Now that’s not nice.” She shoots back with a playful grin on her face. “I did just tell off a pervert for that same thing, remember?”

“How could I forget?” He approaches the bed.  Marie stands up and they greet one another with a gentle embrace a kiss on the lips. “You were brave, Marie.  You were very brave for what you said to Damian.”

“It was nothing.” She shakes her head. “It just had to be said.”

“Yes, and I wish I had been there.  He is a dangerous man and…”

“And he cannot harm me anymore.” She takes Arthurs hands into hers. “He has no more power over me.  I do not fear him.  Just have faith in me, babe.”

“If I say I do have faith in you and I mean it will you feel up to one more session like the one we had last night?”

“You mean right here and right now?!” Marie exclaims.

“Yes, why not?  You are dressed for the occasion.”

“Yes I am but it’s early in the morning.” She gives him a playful shove.

“And why should that stop us?”

Arthur leans in and the two start to passionately kiss.  They drop down onto the bed.  Arthur’s right hand rubs her stockinged leg while his left hand rubs the back of her head while they kiss romantically, and intimately.  His hands start to creep up towards her lace-black panties but then she stops him by gently shoving him off.  He looks somewhat surprised by this stoppage.

“What’s wrong, Marie?”

“Not right now, Arthur.” She shakes her head as she gets up off of the bed and walks over to the closet. “I have too much on my plate and too much on my mind.”

“Wait a second,” Arthur stares at his wife skeptically “are you sure you’re ok about Damian?”

“I’m fine.”

Arthur hears his wife but he isn’t convinced by her.  Her voice just doesn’t sound very convincing at all.  He watches her slip a simple “SCW” t-shirt on over her head as she walks back over to the bed.  She sits back down and proceeds to start the removal of her nylon stockings.

“If you need to talk about anything, you know I’ll listen.” He places a hand on her shoulder. “I’m here for you.”

“I appreciate it, but I’m fine.” She tosses her stockings to the side. “I’m just very busy today, ok?  I’d like to make an appearance at the SCW House Show and meet my sister Jessica to celebrate her being honored and recognized by Global Championship Wrestling for her achievements all before I return to the hotel.”

Marie leans over and kisses Arthur on the cheek. “Then maybe, just maybe, if you’re still up for it you horny bastard, we can enjoy ourselves.  How does that sound?”

“I hate waiting but I am a patient man.” He returns the kiss with one of his own. “Sorry for pressuring you, Marie.  I just care about you, that’s all.”

“Thank you for caring, Arthur.”

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Scene 2

May 24^th, 2018

Off Camera

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Marie is not typically a liar.  Granted this was only partially a lie, but most would say that even a partial lie is still a lie.  Marie did make the SCW House Show appearance.  What Marie did not do and does not plan to do was meet her sister Jessica to celebrate any achievement or accomplishments or anything of the sort.  She is not meeting Jessica at all.  There is someone else Marie plans to meet with before returning to the hotel where Arthur Pond waits on her.

This lovely vision of beauty walking into the bar is none other than Marie Annabelle Jones, but you would have to get a real close up view of her in order to figure that out.  She is not dressed as she normally would be.  Instead of her modest or conservative attire, she is wearing a short and tight black leather skirt with a lace up side, black high heeled boots, and a leopard print halter top.  Her hair is black, but this is not her natural hair.  This is a wig. The black hair of the wig hangs down to just at shoulder length.  Her nails are painted black and she even has black lipstick.

Jones approaches the bar and sits down next to a familiar figure; none other than Blake Mason.  She bangs impatiently to get the bartender’s attention.

“Hey, loser!  Gimme a scotch…” she smirks “...actually, mix something with that, I don’t care what, just make it strong shit and I’ll tip ya good.”

Blake turns his attention to the woman. With his eyebrow raised he says “And I thought I was looking to escape from reality. You should at least know what you’re drinking. Trust me, you’re going to have a hangover the next day. Best to be prepared.”

“Preparation is for losers.” She chuckles. “Trust me, I’ve busted my ass week in and week out and for what?  I’m stuck in a damn best of five series that maybe one or two people even know about and I can guarantee you no one in that battle royal even remember my damn name.”

She winks. “You DO remember mine, right Blake?”

Blake leans in. He whispers in her ear, “I do. But if you don’t want the rest of this bar knowing who you are, talking shop isn’t the best identity concealer.”

“Thanks for the advice handsome, my name is Lynette by the way.  Lynette Williams, it’s what my father was going to name me had he not gone fucking nuts and allowed mom to put a bullet through his brain.” She taps herself on the cheek. “You want to give me some sugar?  You know you want to.”

Blake holds up his finger to show his wedding ring. “Staying honest, Lynette. I love my wife. She may drive me up a wall sometime. What relationship doesn’t come with challenges, right?”

The bartender returns with “Lynette’s” drink. Blake waves at him. “Bring me a scotch on the rocks?”

The bartender nods. He goes away. Blake takes a sip of his drink. “You probably don’t want to listen to me drown on about my situation. What brings you here tonight?”

“Kinda the same reason you are.  I mean, you’re right, relationships are challenging, but they’re only challenging when you decide to play by the rules.  I tried playing by the rules in life and look at where it’s gotten me...or rather, where it’s gotten the public me if you catch my drift.”

She takes a sip of her drink and sets it down. “Look at life, I played by the rules and yeah, I got a husband, but I also had a crazy ass stalker recently.  Is that fair?  But I handled it like a pro, like a good role model for women I did not buckle under pressure.  I continued to play by the rules society laid down.  But then there’s your ‘friends’...what’s her name?  Amy?”

“Lynette” snickers and nods her head and lowers her voice slightly as she continues speaking.

“Yeah, I play by the rules and I get ignored.  I have no grudge against Amy, I know you do, but it does get kind of frustrating when she doesn’t play by society’s rules and yet gets lauded and praised as brave and noble.  I’m not judging her life choices by any means, it’s just frustrating because it isn’t fair.  So why am I out here, Blakey-poo?  Because I want to see what it’s like from the other side.  Fuck, my psychotic twin got by pretty damn well like this, so why can’t I see what it’s like to throw the rulebook out the window and do whatever the fuck I want?”

“Doing exactly what you want comes with a price. I have paid that price ten times over. A former friend of mine hates my guts. I should be used to it, everyone I become friends with hates my guts eventually. Groundhog day, you know?”

The bartender returns with Blake’s drink. He takes a sip of it. “This is my life now. No real friends to speak of.  I come to a bar drinking away knowing full well I’m not going to find the answers I’m looking for. Do me one favor. Don’t say the A-word.”

“Don’t worry, Lynette doesn’t judge.” She sighs and a frowns crosses her face. “I don’t judge either, Blake.  And you do have friends, at least one.  And that’s me talking, not Lynette.”

She laughs lightly. “Funny, I sought redemption so many times in my life and career and now I want to see what it’s like to be depraved yet you seem like you want redemption?” 

Blake shrugs, “Don’t know if redemption is the right word. For so long I crossed so many lines that lines usually run away from me now. I tanked pretty much every friendship I ever had in the name of trying to become successful in this sport. The one person who supports me unconditionally, the path she is on makes me uncomfortable. Just want to find a path gives me peace. That’s all. ”  

“That’s me.” She takes a sip of her drink and sighs. “I want to do things the right way, I want to earn my way to the top, because in my heart of hearts I believe that it is the way I should do it.  Taking Hold of the Flame is coming up.  Who knows what might happen?  Could it happen that night?”

She shrugs her shoulders. “Hard to say, but overcoming thirty-nine others is a tough task.  But I see so many others from the person you speak of, Syren, Ravyn, and even people like Amy and the Helms family all doing things professionally or personally I once would consider heinous.  As I said, that’s the reason for Lynette.  It’s my way of having my cake and eating it too; walking on the dark side and yet still maintaining the perception that Marie Jones is the sweet upstanding person we all know.”

She chuckles. “I have to admit, it was fun for tonight at least.  But have I learned anything about walking on the dark side?  Not really.  Speaking as me, not as Lynette, I think you should give redemption a chance.  I’ve always believed redemption is possible for everyone, no matter how fallen you are.  But tell me, do you think I should keep Lynette around?”

Blake nods. “Yes. I do. What made Tiger Woods great was he showed the public one image. Upstanding family man. Model citizen. Behind closed doors when no one was watching, he let his darkside have free reign. He did get caught. His darkness got brought into the light. Hasn’t been the same since. Would have done a better job telling the world, no apologizes.” Blake sighs, “Since that day he lost his edge. He became a puppy. The Tiger Woods we knew as the most dominant athlete in the world is dead. So I say keep your alter ego around. Be prepared. One day you might get caught. If that day comes, are you going to own your darkside to the world or are you going to be like Tiger, apologize and become a shell of your former self. They say darkness cannot survive in the light. It can, if you own it.”

“Maybe you’re right; because I’m definitely capable of darkness, that’s not the problem.  I was the mastermind of the Ginger Hoax in UWA where Kim defended the tag titles in my place for several months.  I sold my soul to Silas Mason for the goal of becoming world champion in IWC and GCW.  But then I had my redemption and like Tiger Woods I apologized.  So perhaps that’s the problem?  But does redemption have to be saying you’re sorry?”

“I’m not an expert on redemption. It is exhausting saying you’re sorry all the time.” Blake chuckles. “Only apologize if you mean it. Sounds simple enough right?”

“Yeah, but nothing is ever simple.  Even if you seemingly have everything.  You and I both know that.  I was born into a great family and wanted for nothing and yet I’ve been through more hell than any human being should have to endure.”

“You came out of it okay in my book.” Blake smiles. “Part of the reason I have always been an admirer of yours. Despite everything you’ve gone through, the goodness shines through. Plus it's always refreshing knowing there are people in the world who don’t hate me. I don’t mind most of the world hating me, that’s fine. Kennedy.. Yeah, she hates my guts. Kelcey went through her I hate Blake phase too. If I can someone avoid driving the people I actually give a crap about wanting me dead, that’s progress I guess.”

Blake take another sip of his drink.

“People are more forgiving than you know.  Humanity is better than what you may give them credit for.  Be patient, it may take awhile, but if you legitimately try, then eventually you may win some of their trust back.” She laughs. “I came here to party as Lynette and now I’m giving advice as Marie.  So much for the first outing.”

“Practice makes per..” Blake stops himself. “You’ll get there in time. I’ll help. If there is one thing I am good at, it’s being devious. If you can sprinkle your redemption magic on me, sounds like a fair trade.”

“I think that’s a fair trade.”

She takes one final swig of her drink, finishing it off before placing the glass down.  She hops off of her bar stool and pats Blake on the back.

“Your wife is a very lucky woman, that’s me and Lynette talking, but Lynette wants to have more fun next time we see each other.” She winks playfully at him.

Blake nods, “Your husband is lucky as well, Marie. You’re good people. Being a good person doesn’t mean you need to live inside a box. Step out of it, sometime. Lynette will be good for you.”

Marie acknowledges the compliment with a nod as she turns around and makes her way past the tables and people in the bar.  She gets to the front door and makes her exit.  Once she is out on the street she immediately goes back to acting out Lynette, strutting her stuff as she goes down the street looking to hail a taxi.  It appears as if she is in luck as a taxi slowly comes to a stop.  She is about to walk towards it when…

“I wouldn’t get in there if I were you.”

She stops dead in her tracks.  She knows that voice.  She sighs as she looks at the taxi driver with the window rolled down.

“Uh, sorry about that, I’ll just get the next one.”

The taxi driver nods and then proceeds to drive off.  Meanwhile Marie turns around and walks down an alleyway between the bar and another building.  Marie stops near the center of the alleyway and throws her arms up in the air out of frustration.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

It isn’t long until a feminine silhouette appears from the shadows.  She steps out into the light and we see that it is Jessica Jones-Lasiewicz, Marie’s half-sister.  She is wearing black denim jeans, black boots, and a black long sleeved sweater.  Her long black hair hangs unrestrained to below her shoulders.  Marie places her hands on her hips.

“What are you doing spying on me, Jessica?”

“You call it spying but I call it looking out for your well-being.” Jessica smirks knowingly. “I got an interesting call from my brother-in-law.”

Marie rolls her eyes.  Arthur must have called her about something. “What did he want?”

“Oh he just wanted to know if you were ok.”

“He called to check up on me?” Marie asks with some shock. “Doesn’t he trust me?!”

“Of course he does, but try to understand that he called your cell phone first.  You must have it turned off.  I would’ve been worried as well.”

Marie sighs and kicks herself mentally for making such a mistake. “What did you tell him?”

“I told him you were ok.  I played along with whatever lie you told him, Marie.  And for now at least, I will continue to play along, so long as you tell me what the hell you are doing dressed like that.”

“You mean you don’t know?”

“I know you’re up to something, dear sister, because you don’t wear clothes like that, that’s just not your style.  And that wig…” she reaches over and jerks the wig off of her head “…terrible, absolutely terrible wig.  You’re dressed like cheap whore and you’re walking the streets alone going to bars like that.  So what are you doing?”

“Well, I…” Marie thinks about it for a moment, she thinks about spilling the beans, but then she just shakes her head “…I think that this is none of your business.”

“You’re lucky I respected your privacy enough not to follow you into the bar.  I would’ve humiliated you and whoever you’re cheating on your husband with right then and there.”

“I was NOT cheating on my husband!” Marie exclaims. “I am going through some tough shit right now, Jessica, shit that you wouldn’t understand, no one would understand, and I am handling it the best way I know how.  But one thing I would never do is cheat on my husband!”

“Then you should have no problem telling me what you were doing in that bar?”

“It’s none of your business, Jessica.”

Jessica sighs and shakes her head. “It is my business because we’re family and we help each other.  Those are YOUR words, not mine.  And one day maybe you’ll feel like opening up to me, but until that day keep in mind that I am watching you and heed this one word of warning.”

Jessica’s eyes narrow. “Your greatest fear was becoming our mother.  You didn’t want the mental instability she suffered, you didn’t want the Scarlet Letter of having a new lover seemingly every few months because she was so crazy no one could stand her.  Looking at you now I can say that you are walking on thin ice, Marie.  You are close to becoming our mother, whether you like it or not.”

She places her hands on Marie’s shoulders. “Your son has a father figure, you have a loving husband; do not throw that away.”

Jessica walks away, leaving Marie deep in her own thoughts.

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On Camera

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September 28^th, 2016 is a date that I remember very well.  It was the day that I officially made my debut in Supreme Championship Wrestling.  I have changed a great deal since that day.  Back then I was a very bitter, very angry person.  Admittedly I joined SCW not for the greatness or for the thrill of the competition but out of spite and hate, hatred towards the rival company UWA where I had once competed.  I blamed UWA for not giving me as many singles opportunities, booking me instead in the tag team division.  So I took my talent elsewhere, I took my ball and went to SCW, thinking that I could make UWA pay for overlooking me.

I was victorious over Hannah Warr in my SCW debut.  Next I defeated Kara Abheri, albeit due to a distraction.  You could imagine the smile on my face.  It had to be surgically removed.  Two matches in and already two wins under my belt.  I thought for certain that I was going to make UWA pay.

That’s when reality struck.  I lost to Kara in a triple threat that also involved Hannah.  I lost a Television Title eliminator to Brett Sinclair.  And finally, to top off my failures, I had the chance to capture the United States Championship from Amy Chastaine but I could not get the job done.

I was devastated but more than that, I was humbled.  I came to SCW out of spite for UWA hoping I could be successful here and make them regret mistreating me but when SCW started granting me singles championship opportunities, I failed to deliver.  Amy tried to offer me words of encouragement.  She said I could get the job done the right way; without the cheap tricks.

I didn’t have long to think about those words then but I did have time to think about them after I was injured in a match against Syren, putting me out of action for awhile.  I sat at home, not only thinking about my future with SCW but also thinking about why I came to SCW in the first place.

It was then that the words of Amy Chastaine finally hit home and I realized that I came for all the wrong reasons.  This never should’ve been about my petty jealousy and anger; this is about competition and here in Supreme Championship Wrestling is where you find the absolute best competition in the world.  And if I do set my mind to it, if I fight with all of my heart and soul, then I can get the job done.  I can truly defeat anyone SCW puts in front of me because I have all of the talent and the ability in the world to be a world champion.

I have done it seven times elsewhere, why can’t I do it here?

I returned with that very mindset and immediately I defeated Shane Lawson and Craig Thomas in a triple threat match to determine the number one contender for the United States Championship.  Then the following Supreme Saturday I defeated Tyler Tucker to become the SCW United States Champion.

Was it a fluke?  Some may have argued that initially, but I proved them all wrong by defeating Tyler Tucker and Regan Street in a triple threat match one year ago at Taking Hold of the Flame to retain the United States Championship.

The following year would see me enter a world championship series in which I defeated two former world champions Ace Marshall and Christy Matthews.  I defeated Aaron Blackbourne to become the new SCW Television Champion.  And most recently you’ve seen me and another former world champion Katelyn Buehler light it up in a hell of a best of five series.

By the time Taking Hold of the Flame comes around gets here I will have been a part of this company for six hundred and thirteen days.  It has damn sure been a rough and tough journey thus far and I know there will be tougher challenges ahead of me in the future.  It has been a roller coaster ride to say the least but that ride is about to go through Taking Hold of the Flame, the one night where I can finally accomplish what I had set out to accomplish six hundred and thirteen days ago…

…earn a shot at the World Championship.

I have never had a shot at the SCW World Championship; and yes, there are many others in this battle royal who could say the same damn thing.  There are those who have been in this company longer than I have whose journey may have been tougher than mine who can say the same damn thing.  But this is where I get a little bit selfish and say that I just don’t care.

Sorry, but I just don’t care.  There comes a point in your career where you have to look out for yourself; Taking Hold of the Flame is an example of one of those points where you have to be selfish.  It doesn’t matter about the person next to you and their story.  They’ll eliminate you in a heartbeat all for an opportunity to become SCW World Champion because this is every man…or woman in my case…for themselves.

I’ve been busting my ass in SCW trying to prove not only to myself but to everyone else that I can hang and I have not only done that but I have excelled.  Yet I haven’t had my opportunity at the world championship.  Yet I still the same names orbiting around that world championship picture.  Now some people would gripe about that and complain.  Not me.  The way I look at it, if you don’t like it, you need to step up and do something about it.

Taking Hold of the Flame is going to be when I step up and do something about it.

I’m going to shock the world by winning that battle royal against all of the odds.  I’m going to overcome thirty-nine other competitors and become the number one contender to the SCW World Championship.  Then the world will be shocked again because it won’t be a Street or a Helms, it won’t be a Cruze or an Ace, it will be a Jones in the main event of Rise to Greatness challenging for the SCW World Championship.

No, I’m not just talking out of my ass.  I know exactly the kind of challenge I face at Taking Hold of the Flame.  I’ve been to this dance before and come up short.  Hell, I attempted to pull off this exact same feat last year; I defended my United States Championship earlier in the night before trying to win the battle royal.  This year I have the added challenge of having to defeat Katelyn Buehler before going on to the battle royal.

Can I do it?  Can I compete twice in one night?  Don’t bet against The Phoenix.  Just when you think I’m down and out I get back up stronger than ever.  I understand that difficulty in wrestling twice in one night because I did it already.  That’s old news for me.  And I understand just who I’m up against.

I’m up against Sienna Swann who already went one hour, competing in this should be a cakewalk for her right?

I’m up against former multi-time world champion Syren who no doubt have back-up galore watching her plastic ass.

I’m up against Amy Chastaine, the woman who helped get me back on the right track, and now it’ll be my job to derail her Rise To Greatness dreams.

In short, I’m up against the elite of Supreme Championship Wrestling.  I’m against some people I’ve never beaten before and some people I’ve never fought before.  Do I know the difficulty of the challenge I’m faced with?  You damn right I do.  So I’m not just talking out of my ass here, but believe me when I say that I am ready to forever rock the foundation of the world championship picture here in SCW and break the glass ceiling like so many others have done in the past.

But those others who have shattered that glass ceiling fell after a short time.  I’m breaking that glass ceiling and there’s no way in hell you’re getting me back down after that.  Once I break through that glass ceiling I’m going to shoot through the sky like a rocket to the damn moon.

Most of this field of forty will tell you that they want this more than anyone else.  And they may feel it in their heart of hearts to be true, but the reality is that no one wants this or needs this more than me.  Taking Hold of the Flame will be the culmination of a journey that I began over six hundred days ago when I made my debut in SCW; a journey not out of spite or hate, but a journey to get just one more opportunity to be world champion.

All I need is one shot for the championship, anytime and anywhere, and I know I can win it, but up until now I’ve been denied that opportunity.  I will not be denied at Taking Hold of the Flame.  If I have to go through thirty nine other wrestlers then so be it, I will earn this championship match, I will main event Rise To Greatness, and I will become the new SCW World Champion.