Sunday, February 28, 2016

Learning From Your Mistakes



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Scene 1
Off Camera
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The Shot of Adrenaline Tournament this year was a rocky road for Angelica Jones as she started with a draw against Jake Starr and a loss to Tyler Tucker.  Jones was stunned that this was happening to her.  She had made it to the semi-finals of this same tournament last year and had hoped to at least repeat if not win the whole damn thing this year.  Many had even predicted her as an early favorite to win the whole thing.  And yet people began to doubt her as she failed to deliver against Starr and Tucker in her first two tournament matches.  The wrestling world had begun to question whether or not she would make it past her block at all…

…one person who never questioned and never doubted was Angelica Jones herself.  She knew she could make the semi-finals again.  She knew she could go on to win the whole thing.  Something was holding her back.  Something was missing, some fire, some spark, or some kind of magic that Angelica had last year during the tournament that helped propel her to the semi-finals had been missing.  Angelica knew that if she could just rediscover that something special, then she still had time to run roughshod through the rest of her block and make the semi-finals of Shot of Adrenaline.

What she lacked was a killer instinct.  Last year during the tournament, Angelica had been willing to do anything and everything necessary in order to advance and get points.  Last year Angelica had even gone to the point of getting her opponents intentionally disqualified; it was a cheap and easy disqualification win, but a win was a win and it was still two points regardless.  But this year was different.  This year Angelica went into Shot of Adrenaline wanting to win it the “right way.”  She had wanted to “earn it” properly.

It took a draw with Jake Starr and a loss to Tyler Tucker for Angelica Jones to realize that the only “right way” and “proper way” to earn a win is to just plain win regardless of how it comes about.  Angelica needed to throw the rulebook out the window and become the old Angelica Jones, the vicious bitch who didn’t care about anything except winning.

After this change in attitude and change in strategy, things began to go quite well for the self-proclaimed Golden Goddess.  She would go on to defeat Felicity Lansing, CHBK, Colin Cole, Kordy, and finally James Evans to earn a total of eleven points and an automatic bid to the semi-finals of Shot of Adrenaline.

Angelica had succeeded in part of her goal; she had made the semi-finals of Shot of Adrenaline in back to back years.  The Retribution pay per view is now coming up and the semi-finals and finals will be held in that same night at that same pay per view.  Last year Angelica lost in the semi-finals to Selena Frost but this year she hopes to change her luck.  This time Angelica faces James Evans in a rematch from the tournament.  Then if she can defeat Evans she will face the winner of Christy Matthews and Selena Frost.

Unfortunately, Retribution and the Shot of Adrenaline Tournament are the last things on Angelica Jones’s mind right now.  She knows she should have taken a flight from Boston, Massachusetts to Kansas City, Missouri today, but she missed it and got a later flight.  She needs to stay in Boston because she just now got the news about her daughter being attacked by some thugs in a park.

Many wrestling fans may hate her and despise her for the dirty tactics she uses to get her way, but at the end of the day Angelica is still a mother and that maternal instinct will always supersede anything and everything else that may be going on in her life at that very moment.

At this very moment Angelica Jones is storming her way through the front doors of Massachusetts General Hospital.  The matriarch of the Jones family would normally want to be glitzed and glamoured up as she went out in public, but the thought of what may have happened to her eldest child put everything else on the backburner, including public appearance.  Angelica just threw on the first thing she could find in her wardrobe; denim jeans, black boots, and a red sweater.

Following closely behind Angelica is her sister Kayla Jones and Angelica’s wife Lindsey Carter.  Kayla is similarly attired as her older sister, wearing denim jeans, grayish tennis shoes, and a black long sleeved “SCW” t-shirt.  Lindsey Carter is wearing black leggings underneath a floral print dress with a hemline that stops just below the knee.  Carter is perched atop black high heeled pumps.

Angelica makes it to the front desk first and pounds her fists upon the marble counter top.  She receptionist turns and smiles politely at the clearly enraged Boston native.  One can only imagine what is going through her mind…

“May I help you?”

“Damn right you can help me!” Angelica exclaims. “Where is my daughter?!”

The receptionist frowns.  She knows Angelica is upset but she tries to maintain some semblance of a professional appearance and attitude through this ordeal.

“What is your daughter’s name?”

“Jones.  Marie Annabelle Jones.”

Angelica says this through gritted teeth.  She wanted to shout but her younger sister Kayla’s comforting hand upon her shoulder sent her a message telling her that she needed to calm herself down before this got out of hand.  The receptionist just smiles politely as she knows exactly what Angelica needs to hear.

“Oh yes, Ms. Jones and Mr. Pond; they were taken back awhile ago.  They should be out anytime now.”

The receptionist points towards a waiting area with comfortable looking brown chairs and a matching brown leather sofa.  Potted plants, a lamp, and a few pictures decorate this waiting room area and there are various magazines located on a couple of tables located in the room.

“If you could just wait there in our waiting room, I am sure they will be out soon.”

Angelica would rather just shout obscenities right now.  She is very hard to control, especially when her oldest daughter is concerned.  Angelica has said on more than one occasion that Marie is the glue that helps her to maintain some level of sanity.  No one knows quite sure what sets Marie apart from Angelica’s other children, but she does.  So when Marie is attacked and hurt like this, it sets Angelica off into a rage.  Kayla knows this and continues to massage her older sister’s shoulders in an attempt to calm her down.  Angelica finally sighs and just nods her head.

“Fine…”

Angelica leads the way as she, Kayla, and Lindsey make their way over towards the waiting area.  Angelica immediately sits down in the center of the brown leather sofa.  Kayla Jones sits to her sister’s right and Lindsey sits to Angelica’s left.  Lindsey rests her head on Angelica’s shoulder, hoping this will comfort her.  Meanwhile Kayla stares directly into Angelica’s eyes.

“Angel, you know what Marie told you earlier.  She is fine.”

Angelica nods her head in agreement.  Kayla is referencing a twitter exchange Angelica had with her eldest daughter in which Marie assured her that, despite a few bumps and bruises, she was fine.  But whether she is physically fine or not is irrelevant to Angelica.  The fact is that someone hurt her daughter and she is enraged.

“I know…”

“Then calm down.”

Angelica glares daggers right through Kayla.  If looks could kill, her sister would be dead right now.

“It’s not that fucking easy, Kayla, and you know it!”

Kayla continues to stare directly into the eyes of her sister, refusing to back down.  Eventually the tension lifts as Angelica sighs and just shakes her head.

“I…I’m sorry, Kayla.  I’m just upset…you know?”

Kayla places a hand on her sister’s knee.

“I know and you have every right to be.  But Marie is fine.  She said so herself.”

“Yeah, she is fine, but someone hurt her, Kay.  You know it, I know it, and I want to make whoever hurt her pay for this shit.”

Kayla shakes her head in disbelief.

“You’re overreacting, sis.”

“Like hell I’m overreacting!”

Kayla frowns.

“Even if Marie knew who it was that assaulted her and her boyfriend tonight, it would be absolutely ridiculous of you to track them down and exact revenge in some Frank Castle style beating.”

“Kayla is right…”

Lindsey’s voice breaks its silence.  Angelica turns her head to gaze into her wife’s eyes.

“…let the police do their job.  The only job you have right now is to be a mother to your daughter.”

“Look at me, Angel…”

Angelica turns to face Kayla know. Kayla is looking deadly serious at this point as she prepares to chime in.

“There was another person who thought exactly the way you are thinking right now.  Do you know who that person is?”

“No…”

“Our father.  The ever-illustrious Bart Jones took the revenge route after mom was murdered.”

Tears are welling up in Angelica’s eyes as she remembers the day her and Kayla’s mother was murdered.  Kayla’s eyes begin to well up with tears as well but she does a better job of maintaining her composure as she continues speaking.

“Don’t you see?  You are becoming our father.  You are making the same mistakes he made.  And you remember what happened to you, to me…to both of us…”

Lindsey hands Angelica a tissue.  Angelica thanks her for it before taking the tissue and dabbing her eyes.  Angelica wads up the tissue and then looks at Kayla, trying to force a smile upon her face.

“You’re right.  I shouldn’t take the revenge route.  I do not want to make the mistakes dad made.”

In a spontaneous moment, Angelica and Kayla and Lindsey join in a giant three-way hug.  Angelica may be on an emotional roller coaster right now but that is to be expected for a mother who hears about their child being hurt.  Kayla and Lindsey are just thankful that they have finally talked Angelica down from the cliff she was standing on.  She was ready to jump off, throw everything away in favor of revenge.  Luckily, they have calmed her down.

It isn’t very long after the hug commences that the door opens.  The trio do not notice anything until someone else in the room clears their throat loud enough to make their presence known.  Angelica, Kayla, and Lindsey all three look up simultaneously in time to see Marie Jones with her boyfriend turned fiancée Arthur Pond standing there in the waiting room.

“Marie!”

The surge of emotion returns to Angelica Jones as she jumps up from the sofa and rushes to greet her daughter with a tight hug and kiss.  While Angelica gives Marie as much love as she can, Kayla and Lindsey go to Arthur to check on him.  Angelica and Marie break the embrace and both mother and daughter share a light-hearted laugh.

“You act as if I was dying, mom.”

“You know me, I worry terribly about you.”

Marie chuckles and nods her head.

“I know, you worry about me too much.  I told you I was fine.”

“I know but I’m your mother and it’s my job to worry.”

“Well I’m fine.  Besides, don’t you have a flight to Kansas City to catch?”

Angelica shakes her head.

“I scheduled a new flight.  Kansas City and SCW Retribution will be there regardless of when I arrive.  And I have plenty of time to prepare for Shot of Adrenaline.  And hell, even if I lose to James Evans in the semi-finals or to Matthews or Frost in the finals, there’s always next year and there’s always another Shot of Adrenaline Tournament.”

She runs a hand through Marie’s long red hair.

“But I only have one of you and you are more important to me than the Shot of Adrenaline Tournament or the Adrenaline Championship.”

Marie smirks knowingly.

“I’m kind of surprised to hear you say that. I thought winning was all that mattered to you?”

“Winning means a great deal to me and yes, I will do whatever it takes to win the Shot of Adrenaline, but I’m not going to try to win at the expense of my own daughter’s livelihood and well-being.”

Kayla approaches Marie next and embraces her with a tight hug.

“Great to see you are doing ok, Marie.”

“Thanks, Aunt Kayla.”

“So, we know you and Arthur were assaulted but specifically what happened?”

Arthur knows the story so he doesn’t really listen, but Angelica, Kayla, and Lindsey all listen closely and intently as Marie recounts the events of the evening…

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Flashback
A Few Hours Earlier
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Arthur turns and, with Marie still in his arms, walks down from off the grassy knoll in the field and begins to head towards his car, which is located not too far away.  In fact, it can be seen from the knoll where they were just sitting.  It is parked on a dirt road a few yards away.  And Marie, all she has to do is relax and allow herself to be carried.  All she has to do is relax and allow herself to be treated like a queen, like royalty.  Someone loves her for who she is and she enjoys this.  It makes her feel special.

The pair make it to the car and Arthur gently puts her back down on her feet.  He then reaches over and opens the passenger's side door for her.  Marie kisses him again on the lips before getting inside.  Arthur leans over and whispers into her ear...

“I love you...”

Arthur shuts the door and walks over to the driver's side.  He opens the door and gets inside.  He reaches for his keys but is then startled by the sound of screeching tires off in the distance.

“Did you hear that?”

Marie nods her head, looking out the window for the source of the sound.  Then she and Arthur look forward and notice one car coming their way...

“LOOK OUT!”

Marie turns around and looks out the back window and sees another car coming that direction...

“BEHIND US TOO!”

Marie and Arthur try to get the doors opened but are too slow.  The cars slam into them at the same time, one in front and one in back, sandwiching them inside in what appears to be a really bad wreck.  It isn't long until two men, one from each car, gets out.  Neither looks too good as they are stumbling about.  Both are wearing dark clothing, perhaps to avoid being recognized.

One of the men goes to the passenger's side door and notices Marie slumped over.  He calls out to his friend.

“The whore is over here...”

The man's partner walks over and joins him.  They open the passenger's side door and jerk Marie out of the car as roughly as possible. One man holds her in place as the other punches her as hard as he can repeatedly, again and again, over and over, in her stomach.  Eventually the drop her.  She tries to push herself up onto her hands and knees and but one of the men kicks her hard in the ribcage.  Marie begins coughing up blood...

“LEAVE HER ALONE!”

Finally Arthur has managed to pull himself out of the vehicle.   He stumbles over to the passenger's side, hoping to defend Marie, but in his current condition, and against the two on one odds, you can guess how this will turn out.

As soon as Arthur gets over there, one of the men turns and blasts him with a right hand that drops him to the ground.  He tries to get up but the other man kicks him in the head, knocking him unconscious.

“Our advice, comrade...dump the Jones bitch, or your life will become a lot more exciting, and not in a good way.”

The man who said that looks over at his partner.

“Do you think the message will be received?”

The other one nods his head.

“Loud and clear, comrade.  Loud and clear.”

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End Flashback
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Marie sighs, she’s told and re-told this story to the police several times tonight and it still gives her trouble.

“And that’s what happened.”

Angelica frowns.  She gazes at Marie as if a lightbulb is going off in her head.

“Wait…they knew who you were?”

“Well they knew I was a Jones at least.”

“Did you see their faces?”

Marie shakes her head.

“No, it was too dark.”

“Did you recognize their voices?”

“Quit interrogating her, Angel.”

Kayla scolds her older sister but Angelica is insistent as she shakes her head.

“No, it’s important because this could be someone we know.”

“Remember what I said about not seeking revenge?”

Angelica ignores her sister’s pleas as she repeats her last question.

“Did you recognize their voices?”

“No but…”

“But what?”

“…I did notice one rather odd thing about them.”

“What was it?”

“Well, they had Russian accents.”

A cold, angry glare grows across Angelica’s face.  All of Kayla and Lindsey’s attempts to calm her down earlier have now gone out the window in failure.  Angelica is once again enraged as she has a sneaking suspicion as to what is going on.

“Angelica…calm down…”

Kayla’s words fall upon deaf ears.

“Anastasia.”

“We do not know that. Do not jump to conclusions.”

“She warned us, Kay!  She threatened us, remember?”

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Flashback
One Week Earlier
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“So you wanted our father, but you found us instead?”

“Right, because I want you to arrange a meeting between me and our otets.”

“Why?”

“Revenge.” Anastasia’s smile turns cold and sinister. “He abandoned me in Moscow.  Surely you can empathize with my plight.”

She points at Angelica. “He abandoned you to a Catholic convent and mental illness and attempted suicide.”

She points at Kayla. “He abandoned you to an abusive drunk who beat and molested you damn near every night.”

Anastasia motions to herself. “He abandoned me as well and all I want is revenge.  I can get revenge for all of us.  All you need to do is to tell me where he is and our business is done.”

Angelica and Kayla exchange looks.

“What do you think?” Kayla asks.

“I think our answer is pretty clear.”

“I agree.”

Kayla turns and glares back at Anastasia.

“No way!”

“But our otets has hurt you in much the same way he hurt me…”

“We may have our issues with our father.  Sometimes I hate the man’s guts.  But he is still our father and one thing me and Angelica will never do is betray our blood.  And you, you are NOT our blood.”

Anastasia sighs and shakes her head. “Wrong answer, sestra.”

“Wrong answer?”

Anastasia grins, despite being rejected.

“Yes, that was the wrong answer.  You have set yourselves up as my enemies and now I must go to greater lengths to achieve my goals.”

“What are you going to do?” Angelica demands.

“Wait and see!” Anastasia says giggling. “All I shall say is this, you will regret your rejection and  before the year is out, I will not only have my revenge but you will beg and plead on your hands and knees to be my family.”

Anastasia walks off and Angelica and Kayla stare at her, nervously.

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End Flashback
==========

“She threatened us and set this up to get at us!”

Kayla frowns.

“So you’re suggesting that Anastasia put a hit out on your daughter?”

“Yes…I mean no…I mean…”

Angelica sighs and shrugs her shoulders.

“I don’t know.”

Kayla wraps an arm around Angelica’s shoulder.

“You’re overreacting.”

Angelica nods her head.

“Yeah, I guess I am.  Those were just thugs who happened to be of Russian descent.  They recognized Marie because she is a celebrity.  It doesn’t mean Anastasia had anything to do with it, right?”

“That’s right.”

Angelica looks up at Marie.

“Have you and Arthur been released?”

“Yeah…”

“Great, then let’s go.”

Angelica leads the way out of the waiting room with Kayla and Lindsey following behind and Marie and Arthur behind them.  Angelica feels some relief as she hopes and prays that this ordeal with her daughter being attacked is just a random attack and has ended.  Kayla, Lindsey, and Marie just hope that Angelica will not overreact and blow another gasket.  They are relieved that, at least for now, she has once again calmed down.

The family walks on past the receptionist. Lindsey Carter stays behind to inquire about and to take care of any bills that may have been incurred.  The rest exit the Massachusetts General Hospital, entering the nighttime parking lot area.  Once they are outside…

“Hello, sestra…”

Angelica and Kayla both turn their attention towards the sound of the voice.  Off in the distance, barely visible in the dim light of the street lamp, is a feminine figure.  The voice sounds Russian and Angelica knows it must be Anastasia.  Kayla can sense Angelica’s anger returning so she snatches her older sister by the arm.

“Don’t go anywhere, sis…”

Angelica jerks her arm away and then glares at Kayla.

“Stay here.”

“Don’t you dare go over there!” Kayla exclaims. “You are not in the right frame of mind!”

“Trust me…”

Angelica pulls away from Kayla and then walks over towards the female figure standing under the lamppost.  Angelica approaches not so cautiously, but instead with a determined stride.  As soon as she gets there and can see the woman face to face, she can tell she was right…it is Anastasia.

“What do you want?”

“Is that any way to greet me, sestra?”

“Considering the events of tonight…yes, that is a perfectly acceptable way to greet you.  You’re lucky I didn’t just take your head off.”

Anastasia smirks.

“So angry…”

“Quit with the bullshit and tell me what you want.”

“I heard about little Annabelle.  I wished to check on my plemyannitsa.”

“Your what?!”

“My niece,” she winks at Angelica “I wished to check on my niece.”

Angelica reaches out and snatches Anastasia by the throat.

“She is NOT your niece!”

Anastasia surprisingly shows no fear of what Angelica might do.  All Angelica has to do is squeeze and it could be over.  Realizing this, Kayla comes rushing over to intervene.

“Angelica…let her go!”

“No!” Angelica exclaims. “She knows something about this!”

“You don’t know that!”

“I’d listen to your sestra,” Anastasia says with a slight chuckle “besides, do you really want to do this out here in such a public place?”

Angelica pauses to consider those words and the veiled threat.  She is right.  This is too public of a place to do this.  Angelica releases her.  Anastasia backs away, smirking knowingly.  Angelica can sense that knowing smirk and points an accusatory finger at her.

“Tell me, what happened to my daughter tonight and how were you involved?”

“Which one?”

Angelica glares angrily at her.

“Don’t play games!”

“I am not playing games.  I am asking you a simple question.  Which daughter are you referring to?  You have been placing so much focus and so much attention towards your one child you seem to forget the other two.  I would hate to think that something has happened to them.”

Angelica’s eyes grow wide as a sense of fear washes over her.  She looks over at Kayla.

“Kayla…call Corey’s cell phone.”

Kayla, who had already figured that was the best move, puts the phone to her ear, nodding.

“Already on it.”

Angelica and Anastasia stare at one another as Kayla waits for an answer.  She receives one...

“Where are you?...Durham?...Ok, just checking…no don’t ask.  Bye.”

Kayla hangs up the phone and looks at Angelica.

“Corey is in North Carolina at Duke University.  She’s safe.”

“And what about Kelly?”

“She was still at the house when we left.”

“Call the house.”

Kayla once again has the phone pressed to her ear.

“On it…”

Kayla waits.  And she waits.  The longer she waits the more and more worried and nervous Angelica and Kayla both grow. Finally Kayla gives up and hangs up the phone.

“No answer.”

Angelica and Kayla both turn and glare at Anastasia who is now backing away slowly with a knowing grin on her face.

“It appears as if you need to check on little Kelly.  It’s ok…we can catch up later, my sestry.”

Angelica and Kayla watch as Anastasia disappears into the night.

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Scene 2
Off Camera
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It is normally a rather fast drive from the hospital back to the familial Jones home in Boston, Massachusetts but tonight it seems to take longer than ever, mainly because Angelica needs to get home as soon as she can to check on her daughter…

“Drive faster!”

That’s the voice of Angelica Jones shouting at her wife Lindsey Carter.  Lindsey volunteered to drive, primarily because she is the only one in the right frame of mind right now.  Had Kayla, Angelica, or Marie been driving they would be breaking every speed law in the books, and Arthur is still in no condition to drive period.

“Try to calm down, Angel.” Lindsey says soothingly. “We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

“That’s not good enough!” Angelica exclaims. “Something may have happened to my daughter!”

“If something has happened, then getting there quicker will not make things any better.”

Angelica remains silent.  She knows Lindsey is right, as painful as it may be to admit.  Still, she wants to get there as soon as she can so that she can at least try to do something.  Kayla meanwhile shakes her head with disappointment…

“I…I’m sorry, Angel…”

“What are you sorry for?”

“I’m sorry I doubted you.”

Kayla sighs as she tries to wipe tears from her eyes.

“It appears you were right about Anastasia.”

“Well we…we still don’t know for sure.  We don’t know if anything has happened to Kelly and even if it something has happened to Kelly, maybe Anastasia was just being mean?”

Kayla shrugs her shoulders.

“Maybe…”

The sisters know that they are deluding themselves.  They have a sense that there is something seriously wrong with Anastasia.  They just cannot put their finger on it.  Marie, meanwhile gets up close to Angelica and Kayla gets up close as well.  The three Jones women try to comfort one another until, finally, Lindsey pulls into the long drive of the Jones estate.

“We’re here.”

Lindsey pulls the car to the front door.  Angelica quickly leaps over her daughter and sister and then exits the car before anyone else can get out.  Angelica makes a bee-line towards the front door of the home and notices, rather disturbingly, that it is already open.

“Not good…”

Angelica pushes the door open and steps inside.

“KELLY!”

There is no answer but the lights are off.  Angelica walks over towards the living room area and flips on the lights as she steps inside. She gasps at what she sees. The entire room is damn near turned upside down with overturned coffee tables, smashes plants and smashed windows, overturned sofas and chairs.   There is one other thing that she takes notice of…a note, stuck to the side of the wall with a dagger.

Angelica rushes over and snatches the note away from the dagger.  A photograph happens to be attached to the note.  She stares at the note blankly, for it is in Russian…

Мы хотим, чтобы Симпсон. Дайте нам Симпсона в обмен на вашей дочери.
(Translation: We want Simpson.  Give us Simpson in exchange for your daughter.)

Angelica drops the note and then looks at the photograph.  She starts crying as she notices the photograph is of her daughter Kelly…



==========
On Camera
==========

The sky is bright and blue in Kansas City, Missouri on this lovely day.  The sun is shining allowing us to see the brilliance that is this lovely monument before our very eyes.  On the far left and far right of the screen are two marble buildings and in the center is a towering spear like structure reaching up high into the heavens.  Underneath the center tower is a memorial placard which reads “World War 1 Memorial” in gold lettering.  From stage right Angelica Jones walks in, wearing a sophisticated black stretch-knit boat neck sheath dress that gives off the impression of a woman who is all business.  Her feet are encased in black high heeled pumps.  Black sunglasses cover her eyes.

“Behind me is the National World War 1 Museum and Memorial.  Work on the site began in 1921 and was not completed until 1926.  Eighty years later, in 2006, it was declared a National Historical Landmark and then in 2014 finally US President Barack Obama signed legislation recognizing the memorial as a national memorial.  And what you see behind me, that towering pillar reaching into the heavens towards God himself, should stand as a stark reminder of what happens when we do not learn from the past.”

Kayla Jones walks into the scene from stage right, carrying a German flag with her.  She walks across the scene with the flag until she exits the scene stage left.

“Germany should be the main focus here because they started all of the trouble in World War 1.  They stirred up all that shit and got the war started.  Due to Germany’s actions across Europe, so many other European nations and even the United States was pulled into it.  And we know the rest of the story, right?  They got their asses handed to them, they were defeated, and that was that.  The world thought that no war could match the violence and bloodshed of that war.  That was why they called it the War To End All Wars.  And had Germany learned from their past mistakes then maybe that truly would have been the War To End All Wars, and the allied victory would have meant something…”

She motions to the monument behind her.

“…now don’t get me wrong, the men and women who died fighting for the United States didn’t die for nothing, but consider the fact that the world allowed Germany to go back to their old tricks and return to making the same old mistakes again and again, consider the fact that Germany was allowed to start yet another war, another world war, and more American, British, and other brave allies had to die to stop Germany again.”

Kayla starts to march in from stage left carrying a Nazi flag.  Angelica begins to freak out when she sees this.

“What the hell is that?!”

“You told me to bring this out when you started to talk about World War 2.”

“No I didn’t.  That was Marie’s idea.”

Kayla frowns before tossing the Nazi flag aside.

“The people watching  probably think I’m a racist now?”

“Yeah, probably.”

Kayla shakes her head with disgust.

“I’m gonna kill my niece.”

She marches off screen angrily looking for Marie.  Angelica turns her attention back to the camera.

“Trust me, folks!  My sister is NOT a racist!  She is a Bernie Sanders supporter!  Now where was I?”

Angelica scratches her chin as if in deep thought.  Then she snaps her fingers as she suddenly remembers.

“Oh yeah!  Germany!  Germany was allowed to make the same old mistakes once again and once again they had to be defeated.  Only this time they were punished much more severely for their crimes.  After starting two world wars their country was split in half for an entire generation.  It wasn’t until October 3rd of 1990 until Germany reunited again.  By that time Germany had definitely learned from its past mistakes because it has not caused any problems since then.”

Jones motions to herself.

“I am Germany…

“So you’re a Nazi?”

The voice comes from off camera.  Angelica turns to the right and glares angrily.

“SHUT UP, MARIE!”

“Sorry…”

Angelica turns back to face the camera.

“Anyway, I’m the one who made it to the semi-finals of The Shot of Adrenaline Tournament last year and last year I came so close to winning it all and I probably would have had it not been for a few dumbass mistakes I made against Selena Frost…I’ll get back to you in a moment Ice Bitch…but my mistakes, such as overconfidence as well as being too weak to fight a submission hold, caused me to lose in the semi-final round last year.”

Angelica shakes her head.

“Not this time.  This time is going to be very different, because unlike Germany during World War 1 and World War 2, and unlike everyone else, I learn from my mistakes.  I can recognize my faults and my errors and I can fix them.  I made it a point after tapping out to Selena Frost last year that kind of humiliation and embarrassment would never again happen to me and that the next year I would avenge that loss.”

Angelica extends her arms, outstretching them to either side in almost a crucifix like pose.

“So here I am, one year later and I have returned to Retribution, I have returned to the semi-finals of the Shot of Adrenaline Tournament along with my fellow semi-finalists James Evans, Selena Frost, and SCW Adrenaline Champion Christy Matthews.  Now Selena, I do hope you manage to make it to the finals, because the finals is the only way I will get to have my ideal ending and my ideal ending is against none other than you, sweet-cheeks.  You made me tap out…”

She shakes her head.

“…no one makes me tap out.  You can talk out your ass all day long about how you are believer, you believe this and you believe that, but the fact is that all you did was motivate me to run through every other obstacle in my path for an entire year until the Shot of Adrenaline Tournament came back, so I could destroy anyone and everyone in my path just to avenge my loss at last year’s tournament.  And if I could avenge that loss by defeating you, well that’s just icing on the cake.  And if it is you and me in the finals, then let me tell you that it will take more than your fucking belief to save you from me breaking you in half.”

She shrugs her shoulders.

“But who knows if you will even make it to the tournament?  You lost already to Christy Matthews, didn’t you?  And that’s just the person you’ll be facing in your semi-final round.  Christy Matthews melted the little ice bitch.  Oh well, knowing you, you’ll probably fail once again, so maybe I’d better focus on Christy instead?”

Angelica waves at the camera.

“Hi there, Christy!  You apparently have taken Red Rayne’s spot as the dominant figure in this year’s Shot of Adrenaline Tournament, or so everyone else says…”

Angelica shakes her head.

“…but I’m not everyone else.  Last year the only reason Red Rayne won the tournament is because she never fought me.  Had it been me and her in the finals, it would’ve ended differently for Red.  And you’re not the only dominant figure in this year’s tournament. I have only lost once in this entire tournament and I have NEVER been pinned or made to submit in this year’s tournament.  So if it’s you in the finals against me, I will prove to you and to the entire world watching that the only reason you have been so dominant this year is because you haven’t fought me yet.  I do not lose unless I make a mistake and this year I have been flawless!”

Angelica grins.

“Oh but here I am, getting way ahead of myself.  I should be focusing on my semi-final  opponent, shouldn’t I?  I should be focusing on James Evans.”

Angelica removes her sunglasses and tucks them away in the neck of her dress.  We can now see the intensity in her eyes.

“You’re lucky to be going into these semi-finals, James.  The hard, sad truth is that you don’t really belong in the semi-finals with the rest of us.  Do you want to know why?  You’re pathetic.  You are a loser.  And no, I’m not underestimating you, I am just stating who at what you are.  You had to ride Jake Starr’s coattails to even get a tag title bid.  Don’t think I forgot how you helped that jackass feud with The Sisterhood.  How did that little tag team experiment work out for you, by the way?  Not too well, I take it.  And so here you are, back in singles action, where by some damnable miracle you made the semi-finals of Shot of Adrenaline.”

She shakes her head.

“It’s pathetic because you are coming in as a loser.  You lost to me once already and yet me and everyone else watching is supposed to think that this semi-final match somehow someway could be different?  It isn’t going to be any different, James.  You were lucky to make it this far, perhaps the luckiest son of a bitch in of the four of us remaining, but your luck will run out right here in Kansas City when I kick your ass at Retribution for a second time and this time kicking your ass won’t award with me a mere two points, it will award me with an appearance in the finals of the Shot of Adrenaline Tournament…”

She points a long slender finger at the camera.

“…because right now you are the only person standing in my way of not just avenging a humiliating loss from last year, but you are standing in the way of retribution itself.  I will have my vengeance, I will have my retribution, and I will win the Shot of Adrenaline Tournament, and there is nothing you, Selena Frost, or Christy Matthews can do about it except take notes, watch a master at work, and try to learn from the mistakes you make, because next year might be your year…if I allow it.  But this year is not your year, ladies and gentleman.  This year is my year.  Live with it.”

The camera fades to black.

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