No More Secrets

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Off Camera

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Marie and Arthur are supposed to be on their honeymoon right now.  Marie Annabelle Jones, the oldest child of Angelica Jones, and Marie’s new husband Arthur Pond, were planning on making a honeymoon out of a cruise to the Caribbean and back.  And not just her, but Marie’s sister Corey as well got married, to her longtime boyfriend Kyle Butler.  All in all, it was supposed to be a wonderful day of joy and celebration for the Jones family.

Unfortunately, the Jones Family can never have anything perfect and it can never have anything good without also having bad accompanying it.  In this case, the bad eclipsed the good, turning the wonderful dream of a wedding ceremony into nothing less than a nightmare.

What was so awful and nightmarish about this day?  It’s complicated, but for starters the ceremony itself was interrupted by Marie Jones herself, who freaked out in the middle of the wedding march and ran away, exiting the church and then tripping over the steps, falling down and knocking herself unconscious.

It was a shocking event to say the least.  You don’t always see a bride attempt to run away in the middle of the wedding.  It was a miracle that they still managed to get her married off in a small ceremony at the hospital, upon the insistence from Marie herself.  And yet, as shocking as that event was, there was an even bigger, more troubling news that would come later that evening…

…Angelica Jones, along with her sister Kayla, had traveled with Marie and Arthur to the hospital to keep them company and to wait on the news of how she was doing.  Angelica was upset, at first with Marie but, after talking it over with Kayla, Angelica saw that she was really and truly angry with their situation; the situation of the Jones family.  She called it a curse; a curse that Jones women never could get with Mr. Right without something bad happening.  And here, just as with everything else that has seemingly come down to ruin the happiness of Jones women, Marie’s wedding day was a pure disaster.

Little did Angelica know that the situation was about to become even worse.

Kayla received a phone call from the police who would give her and Angelica the worst possible news.  Bart Jones, the father of Angelica and Kayla Jones, was dead.  His body had been found by the police.  He had been murdered.

Bart Jones had been kidnapped by the Russian Mafia several weeks earlier due to a trade-off, an exchange in which the mafia would return Angelica’s youngest child, Kelly Jones, in exchange for the person they really wanted; Bart Jones.

The Jones family had not heard from Bart or the mafia in a very long time.  They could only guess at what they would do to him but there was never any solid proof.  No one had heard from them and thus they continued to hold out hope that Bart could potentially be returned safely…

…and then, on the day that was supposed to be a day of celebration and joy for the family as they celebrated Marie’s wedding and Corey’s wedding, that was the day that they learned Bart Jones had indeed been murdered.

Several days later and the grief is still there, the pain is still stinging, and the reality is only now beginning to settle in.  Angelica and Kayla, along with the rest of the immediate and extended Jones family and friends, gathered together for a special visitation as they comforted one another and remembered Bart Jones’s memory.

Many came but all have left; all except for Marie Annabelle Jones and her new husband Arthur.  This is Angelica’s home, so she is still here as well, for obvious reasons.  Arthur is wearing a white button up shirt and black vest complete with black pants and black shoes.  Marie Annabelle Jones is dressed in a petite navy lace dress with a scalloped hem and capped sleeves.  They sit next to one another on the light brown colored sofa in the living room.  Sitting across from them is Marie’s mother, the legendary matriarch of the family, Angelica Jones, dressed in her ankle length black dress with half-sleeves.

“How late is it?”

Marie asks this, looking around for a nearby clock.  Arthur checks the watch on his wrist and sighs.

“It’s…um…eleven at night…”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

Angelica furrows her brow.

“What?”

“I’m tired and that’s why.  It’s eleven at night.”

Angelica shakes her head.

“Then just go home, sweetie.”

“I can’t…”

“Sure you can.”

Angelica smiles politely.

“You’ve done all you can, Marie.”

“It isn’t about doing anything, mom.”

The younger Jones squeezes her husband’s hand tightly.

“This is about my grandfather’s memory.  I mean, you know how having a father was to me…”

Angelica, the woman who murdered Marie’s father, bows her head in shame, as she is unable to even look her daughter in the eyes.

“…yeah, I know…”

“I never got to know my real father. I did have my grandfather, though, and he was the closet thing I had to a father.  But now…”

Marie chuckles sardonically.

“…now he’s dead.”

Angelica looks up into her daughter’s eyes.  Both women have tears rolling down their cheek and, as tough and stubborn as both are, they are also fighting to keep themselves from crying.

“It’s ok, Marie.  Your grandfather’s spirit will always be watching us from above.  I know it.”

“I hope you’re right…”

Marie says this before Arthur lets out a loud sigh.  Angelica and Marie turn to face the newest member of the family who has his own statement to make.

“I just think…I think…”

Arthur shakes his head, unable to finish his thought as his voice trails off.

“…I think it’s crazy.”

Angelica frowns.

“What’s crazy?”

“I think it’s crazy that the Russian Mafia of all people were the ones who killed your father.  I mean…”

Despite himself he laughs lightly.

“…it almost sounds like something out of a crime novel!”

Angelica and Marie both stare at Arthur for a few moments before turning to look at one another.  Both Jones women laugh in unison, which prompts confusion from Arthur.

“What’s so funny?”

“You have no idea, darling.”

Marie kisses Arthur on the cheek.

“No idea.”

Arthur turns away from his wife to face Angelica, looking for answers from the matriarch.

“Huh?”

“My daughter is simply implying that this kind of thing is normal for our family.”

Arthur cocks his head to one side as he studies Angelica closely and intensely.  He isn’t sure whether or not he wants to believe what he just heard.

“You are kidding, right?”

“I wish I was…”

Angelica sighs.

“…but the fact is that this is just the latest in a string of tragedies and nightmares that have plagued this family.”

The redhead shrugs her shoulders.

“And you know, maybe it’s dad’s own fault?  Or rather his career’s fault.  He was an FBI agent and that brought drama to our doorstep.  I just…”

She shakes her head.

“…I don’t know.”

Marie reaches out and takes her mother’s hands.  The two look into one another’s eyes.

“You’re right, mom, grandfather was an FBI agent.  The Russian Mafia was after him.  But now he’s dead.  So…”

Tears roll down her cheek as she stutters through the sobbing.

“…so…is it over?  Is…is the craziness over?”

The look in Marie’s eyes is one of hope, hope that perhaps the drama and nightmare in the Jones family has ended with the death of Bart Jones.  Angelica hates to dash these hopes but she is prepared to do so right now as she shakes her head.

“I doubt it.  Trouble seems to follow us wherever we go, Marie, and I don’t see that changing right now.”

Angelica and Marie remain silent, as does Arthur, as the three contemplate that has gone on over the past few days.  But the silence does not last for long as the sound of the front door opening and subsequently slamming shut is heard.  This catches all three by surprise.  Arthur  Pond is the first to speak up.

“I thought everyone left?”

“Apparently someone came back.”

Marie turns to look at her mother.

“Who has a key to your house?”

“Kayla has a key to this house.  It’s probably her.”

Angelica, Marie, and Arthur watch the doorway, expecting Kayla to be coming back.  The footsteps get closer.  The trio are taken by surprise when Mary Ford walks into the living room, decked out nowhere as nice in a plain floral print blouse, blue denim jeans, and white tennis shoes.

Mary Ford is the sister of the original Kelly Jones, Angelica and Kayla’s mother.  This means Mary Ford is also Angelica and Kayla’s aunt.  And surprisingly enough, she never made it to the visitation.  And no one had expected her to come at all in the first place.  Mary Ford and Bart Jones never did get along too well.  Plus, Mary Ford has been on the outside looking in when it comes to family situations.  She has been blackballed and disowned from her own immediate family as well as from the Jones family.

Needless to say, Marie and Arthur are shocked and Angelica is angry.  We can see this as Angelica shoots up from her chair and glares angrily at Mary with death and hate in her eyes.  She points back towards the direction of the front door.

“Get out of my house!”

Mary shakes her head.

“No, not until we’ve talked.”

“We have nothing to talk about!”

“Sure we do, Angelica.”

Angelica walks away from the chair and makes a beeline to Mary where she immediately and with a great deal of force slaps her across the face.

“You have destroyed the Braddock family.”

She pokes Mary in the chest.

“That’s YOUR immediate family, Aunt Mary, and you are responsible for the chaos they are going through.  Glory and Julia, YOUR children, have both denied you and disowned you, and that’s YOUR doing.   So why should I listen to you?”

“Maybe we should listen to what she has to say?”

That’s the voice of reason coming from Marie Annabelle Jones.  Angelica turns to face Marie and shakes her head.

“No way, Marie…”

She turns to face Mary again.

“…my Aunt Mary does not deserve to be heard.  We are through with her.”

Mary sighs and nods her head.

“Angelica, you are absolutely right about me.  I did play a major role in the Braddock family’s downhill turn and it eats me alive.”

Mary points a finger at Angelica.

“That’s why YOU need to listen to what I have to say!”

Angelica narrows her brow.

“Get…out…of…my…house…!”

Mary is about to respond but Marie cuts her off.

“Wait…”

Marie stands up and walks over to stand in between Mary and Angelica.  Marie ignores Angelica and instead focuses on Mary.

“…I want to hear what you have to say.”

Mary smiles but Angelica rolls her eyes as her aunt begins to speak.

“Your mother is right.  The Braddock family is on a downhill slide.  They are in chaos.  And it’s my fault because of my secrets.  I kept secrets from Glory and Julia for so long and when those secrets finally came to light, it nearly ruined them.”

Mary wipes a few tears from her own eye.

“I hate to say it, but I fear that secrets have been the true reason why trouble, drama, and danger have been constantly plaguing the Jones family.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“I do, Angelica!  I know pretty damn well what I am talking about!  Secrets will be the death to your family, Angelica, and you need to heed this warning.  Your father didn’t heed the warning, he kept a secret from you, and you see what happened to him.”

Angelica rolls her eyes.

“Big deal!  It means nothing!”

“You would like to think that, wouldn’t you?  This is a big deal, Angelica, and there needs t o be no further secrets in your family or else you could end up like Bart.”

Marie turns to look at Angelica.

“What is she talking about, mom?”

Angelica shakes her head.

“I don’t know, Marie.  As far as I’m concerned, it’s just the ranting of a crazy person.”

“You know damn well what I’m talking about, Angelica.  Whether you like me or not, you are still my niece and I will still do whatever I can to protect you, even I have to protect you from yourself.”

“I don’t need protecting.”

“Oh yes you do, because you still have a secret you are keeping, one that could destroy you.”

She points at Marie.

“A secret that involves her.”

Marie’s eyes grow wide.

“What secret, mom?”

Angelica shakes her head.

“It’s nothing.”

Arthur now stands up and joins his wife by her side, placing his arm around her shoulder.

“Ms. Jones…if you know a secret about your daughter that you have been keeping from her, you should tell her.  She has a right to know.”

“Angelica…”

Angelica turns her attention back to Mary.

“You can either tell your daughter what this secret is or I will.  Either way, this final secret of the Jones family must be known and it must be known now.  No further secrets.”

Angelica can be heard growling angrily under her breath.

“Just tell her, Ms. Jones…”

“Yes, mom, please tell me.”

Angelica sighs and finally relents, nodding her head.

“Fine…fine, I’ll tell you…”

The matriarch takes her daughter by the hand and guides her back over to the sofa where the two sit down.  Angelica places her hands in Marie’s, gripping them tightly.  She gazes deep into her child’s eyes.

“Marie, your father and I…we…I…”

She slumps down and shakes her head.  Marie pats her mother on the back to comfort her.

“….this is hard.”

“It’s ok, mom.”

Angelica looks back up at Marie.

“Marie, when your father and I met he was a practicing Catholic and I was a nun in the Catholic Church.  So needless to say, our relationship in and of itself was very sinful in the eyes of the Church and when I got pregnant, that was quite scandalous…at least it would’ve been had anyone found out…”

“Right, that’s why you hid me away.”

Angelica nods her head.

“Right, you were our little miracle.  What I neglected to tell you is that you were not mine and Sean’s only little miracle.”

Marie holds her hand over her mouth.

“You mean…I have another brother or sister?”

“Yes, but you already know about her.”

“I do?”

Angelica nods her head.

“It’s your twin sister…Kimberly.”

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On Camera

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Angelica steps into the scene wearing a black sleeveless jumpsuit with a surplice neckline that pleated with a self-tie sash belt at the waist.  It has a wide leg but you can barely make out her toes peeking out from underneath the wide leg, her toes painted a dark red.  Her long gorgeous red hair hangs unrestrained to below the shoulders.  Her fingernails are painted the same shade of dark red as her toes.

“Over the course of the past several weeks, my sister and I have tried to make it clear to everyone that The Sisterhood has turned over a new leaf, that The Sisterhood has changed, that The Sisterhood is going to do things the right way from now on.  But does anyone believe us?”

Jones shakes her head.

“No, of course not, but then again we get the opportunity to prove to the world that we have changed and, maybe in the process, become SCW World Tag Team Champions for a second time.”

She holds up two fingers.

“That’s twice!  But you know what?  I think the memory of certain people in SCW is a little rusty.”

Angelica smirks.

“You see, Taking Hold of the Flame is coming up.  It will be a forty-person rumble match to see who gets a world championship match.  And my sister is right.  There are certain names on the lips of wrestling fans and observers as to who they think could win this whole thing.”

The redhead points to herself.

“The name at the top of everyone’s list damn sure should be me!  Just because I have been a tag team wrestler with my sister in recent months does not for one second change who the hell I am.  And the other thirty-eight pieces of dead meat…and Kayla…need to remember that I am not just The Golden Goddess and I am not just Firestar.  There was a name I had long before any of that.  There was a name I went by long before the tag team championship came to my attention.  There was a name I went by on my first day here in SCW.”

“The Dragon.”

“Yeah, I believe it, I believe that there are those who are gimmick thieves, and I believe that there are those who wish that the real Dragon would have just simply disappeared.  But the truth is that there is only one Dragon is SCW and it’s not that fraudulent female Justin Bieber.  The real Dragon isn’t some overgrown smurf running around UWA.  The real Dragon is standing right here in front of you and the real Dragon is hungry…”

Jones smiles with a hint of sadism.

“…hungry for blood.  And that should scare the hell out of you.  Me as The Dragon doesn’t care.  Me as The Dragon doesn’t give a damn about myself or anyone else.  It just wants to inflict as much violence, pain, and destruction as humanly possible.  And that’s precisely what you need in order to maim the field of competitors that might stand in my way to victory in Taking Hold of the Flame.”

“Facing me in Taking Hold of the Flame isn’t just as simple as that.  You may want to think it is, but it isn’t.  As yourselves, are you just facing The Dragon?”

Angelica shakes her head.

“No, unfortunately for you, you all get to go up against all three faces of Angelica Jones.  You will see The Dragon but you will also see Firestar, because that is the face, the persona if you will, that originally brought me to the dance.  Firestar is the never say die attitude.  It’s the side of me that will never ever quit and will never ever give up on anyone.  Firestar sacrificed her body and her years just to get here and when I am in that mode you will have to kill me in order to stop me.”

“Then after Firestar survives the field and endures the pain and suffering that is inevitable in Taking Hold of the Flame, and after The Dragon cleans house and destroys anyone and everyone in  its path, burning their hopes and dreams, reducing them to ash; after all of that has been completed, next up is The Golden Goddess…”

Jones smiles proudly, very confident in her abilities to accomplish what she says she will do.

“…The Golden Goddess will clinch it.  The Golden Goddess will stand supreme in the center of the ring after finishing off the remaining competitors, because the fact is that The Golden Goddess Angelica Jones belongs in the main event of Rise To Greatness and it doesn’t matter if you’re Adrenaline Rush, Casey Holliday, Kelcey Wallace, Shaun Cruze, AJ Helms, the list goes on and on.  You line them up, The Goddess will knock them all down, because at the end of the day Taking Hold of the Flame is about showing the world who is the best.”

“And time and again, over and over, I have repeatedly told each and every one of you that I am the best.  Taking Hold of the Flame is my time to prove it, because whether it is a Dragon, a Firestar, or a Golden Goddess, it’s all still one person…”

“…it’s still me.  It’s Angelica Jones.  And I need this win.  I have to have it.  Being the best is all I’ve ever known.  It’s what drives me.  I live and breath wrestling because I live and breath being the best there is in this business.  And I can’t let anyone stop me.”

Angelica sighs and shakes her head.

“That includes you, Kayla.  I heard what you had to say, and I echo some of those sentiments, but I’m also no idiot and I know you’re not an idiot.  If we can work together in Taking Hold of the Flame and eliminate everyone else, then we should do it.  That gives us an advantage because one of us, someone within The Sisterhood, would get that world championship match at Rise To Greatness.  Now whether you agree with that, that’s your call, but I suggest you take me up on that offer.  We could do a lot of damage working together as a team.  But the question still remains, what would happen in the event that it came down to the two of us?”

Jones shrugs her shoulders.

“I think the answer is obvious.  All bets are off, sis.  There can only be one winner and when all the smoke has cleared I will do anything and everything within my power to make sure that person is me.  Just as you will do anything and everything within your power to make sure you are the last one standing.”

Angelica winks at the camera.

“See you soon, sis.  And to the rest of you…”

Jones scowls.

“…I’m coming to Ontario and I am coming to Taking Hold of the Flame where I will take no prisoners!”

Fade to black.