==========
Off Camera
==========
Angelica
Jones is a competitor to the core. Her
goal is not to put on a great show for the fans. Her goal is to be the absolute best wrestler
she can be. Her goal is to win; maybe
not win at all costs, necessarily, but definitely to win. And ever since she reunited with her younger
sibling Kayla Jones to reform The Sisterhood, her goal has been singular: to
win back the SCW World Tag Team Championship.
And to their credit, The Sisterhood has had some success since coming
back together. Together Angelica and
Kayla defeated the number one contenders Adrenaline Rush at a House Show. But as big as a House Show victory over the
number one contenders is, the primary goal is to get that tag title shot and
win the gold, and when push came to shove, The Sisterhood came up short.
Angelica and
Kayla lost to The Honour Code at Breakdown, failing to advance in the number
one contender’s tournament.
All is not
lost for Angelica Jones, however. It was
at Rise To Greatness that Angelica Jones defeated Justin Davis to become the
number one contender to the SCW Adrenaline Championship. Angelica fought long and hard to earn that
title shot. First she defeated Tommy
Valentine just to convince SCW management to make her match at Rise To
Greatness a number one contender’s match.
Then she had to go on to actually defeat Davis to get the title shot.
Now the time
has come for Angelica Jones to cash in on her Adrenaline Championship match, a
match she will get at the next pay per view offering known as Apocalypse. There Angelica will challenge current
champion Christy Matthews, a new associate of Punk Hazard.
Alexis
Quinne claims Christy is a new member while Christy herself is reluctant to
come out and call herself a member.
Member of associate is just a matter of semantics as far as Angelica is
concerned. The fact that Punk Hazard is
now in play gives Angelica even more reason to be concerned about this match
and perhaps another reason to want to win it.
The Jones
Family as a whole has had its issues with Punk Hazard in the past. Defeating the newest associate to claim the
SCW Adrenaline Championship would definitely be a feather in Angelica’s
cap. Yet, at the same time, while the
prospects of championship glory are going through her head, Angelica cannot
help but ask herself if she is even deserving of this title shot?
Is she
deserving of anything?
Angelica
always has a lot on her mind, she just keeps it bottled up to maintain the
tough exterior. Oftentimes she will use
humor to mask what really hides underneath; a troubled individual.
But perhaps
there is hope for this one particular troubled individual?
The Convent
of Our Lady of the Annunciation towers high in the sky. Despite the fact that she spent her formative
teenage years at this very building, and despite the fact that she still visits
this very place frequently for spiritual awakening and enlightenment, Angelica
Jones is still impressed each and every time she sees the magnificent structure
that now stands before her. White marble
steps lead up to a pair of impressive large brown oak doors. The sides of this building are beautiful red
brick that towers high into the sky, topped off by a white cross at its peak.
Jones stands
across the street from the Convent as she stares in awe at this building. Angelica is wearing a long flowing black maxi
skirt, black high heeled pumps underneath, a white silk blouse, and a matching
floral print black blazer. Her long red
hair hangs unrestrained to shoulder length.
Angelica walks across the street and stops at the foot of the
stairs. She puts one foot on the first
step when she hears it…
“Sister Angelica…I knew you’d come.”
Startled,
Angelica turns her head to the left and sees nothing. She turns her head to the right and spots her
friend, the nun known as Sister Maria.
This time Sister Maria is dressed in full habit, black robe and all.
“I saw it in my prophesy!”
Angelica
tilts her head to one side and frowns skeptically.
“Prophesy, Maria? Really?”
Sister Maria
shrugs her shoulders as a few giggles escape her lips.
“Ok, well, it depends upon if you count
texting me the time, date, and location of our meeting to be a prophesy!”
Angelica
rolls her eyes as she starts back up the steps.
Sister Maria calls out after her.
“Where are you going?”
“Inside.
I thought we agreed to meet inside?”
The nun
shakes her head.
“No, we agreed to meet here. I never said anything about meeting INSIDE.”
“Oh?”
Maria grins
knowingly.
“That’s right, let’s go out for coffee. I know a good place down the block.”
A grin of
her own forms across Angelica’s face as she stares at Maria for a few
moments. Jones then descends the stairs
and begins to make her way over towards Maria.
Angelica steps in front of Maria and places her hands on her hips,
smiling.
“Are you SURE you’re Sister Maria?”
“Of course I am! Now let’s go!”
Angelica
lets out a slight chuckle of her own as she nods and follows Sister Maria down
the street. She trusts Sister Maria
implicitly. Sister Maria and Angelica
Jones had a great deal in common. Both
joined the convent of Our Lady of Annunciation at a very young age, though
Angelica had joined many years earlier.
Maria came along later. In fact,
within a year of Maria joining the convent, Angelica had left to create a new
future for herself. Angelica would end
up creating a future for herself in professional wrestling and the rest, as
they say, is history.
Despite the
fact that it wasn’t long after Maria joined the convent that Angelica quit,
that didn’t change the impact Angelica had upon Maria. Maria was forced by her parents to join the
convents and become a nun. It was very
tough, very difficult for the young girl and Angelica was there for her and to
help her get through the strenuous mental and emotional roller coaster she had
to endure.
After
leaving the convent, Angelica quickly forgot about the young girl she assisted,
the young girl whose hand she held as she walked with her through the trying
times, the early period of her convent days.
But that girl, Maria, never forgot Angelica and never forgot what
Angelica did for her. Maria has wanted
to make it up to Angelica. She just
never had the opportunity.
“How have you been since we last saw one
another, Sister Angelica?”
“Ok, hold up one second.”
“Yes?”
“You keep calling me ‘Sister Angelica’…”
“Yes, and your point is?”
Angelica
sighs.
“I’m no longer a nun.”
Maria laughs
lightly.
“And I told you, I don’t think you can so
easily give up a calling from God.
You’ll always be a Sister, Angelica.
You may no longer have the title of nun and you may no longer wear the
habit, but in my eyes you will always be Sister Angelica.”
“It’s a nice way of looking at things but
it’s simply not the truth. I’m barely a
Catholic. It’s a wonder the Church let
me back in after I came out of the closet as bisexual.”
“You can’t focus on the little things. You have to focus on the bigger picture.”
Angelica
looks at Maria with curiosity in her eyes.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I think our Holy Father Pope Francis has
spoken on this many times, but the way I like to say it is this; little things,
like sexuality for example, are not as important as the bigger picture of you
the human being. You are a human being deserving
of love and compassion and a human being who can give out love and compassion
as well.”
Angelica
throws her head back and laughs.
“Yeah, now that’s a real good one, Maria!”
“What’s funny?”
“Have you bothered to watch any bit of my
career as a professional wrestler? If
you have you’d know that I am not deserving of love and compassion. And you’d also know that I am incapable of
giving love and compassion to anyone else.”
Maria shakes
her head.
“That’s not true.”
“It is true.
Face facts, Maria…when I die, I’m going straight to hell.”
Maria sighs
and shakes her head.
“It’s sad.”
“Yeah, it’s sad but true.”
“No, it’s sad that you think that way.”
Angelica is
about to respond when she spots a familiar sign up ahead. Her face lights up as she recognizes the
sign, a sign that reads “Danny’s Coffee”.
Excitedly she turns to face Maria.
“Danny’s?”
Maria nods
her head.
“Mmmmhmmm, where else would I go but your
favorite coffee place?”
“How did you know it was my favorite?”
“Because it was my favorite too. Have you already forgotten how you used to
take me here for our special talks? This
was where you talked me through some of my deepest depression. You made your biggest impact upon my life
right here at this place. I would never
forget it.”
Angelica
follows Maria up to the entrance of the small coffee shop. Maria pushes the door open and steps
inside. Angelica follows in after
her. Inside we see several tables and
booths. There is a white counter and a
middle age woman with brown hair working behind the counter. Maria and Angelica approach the woman at the
counter who turns to them and smiles.
“Maria…”
She spots
Angelica and her eyes light up.
“…and Angelica! Both of you!”
Obviously,
both women are regulars at this place.
It’s a wonder that they haven’t bumped into one another already. Odds are that they may have seen one another
at this very café but they just did not recognize one another.
“I think you know what I want.”
“A vanilla mocha?”
Maria nods
her head.
“That’s right.”
“And I’ll have my coffee black.”
The woman
smiles knowingly.
“The usual, then.”
The woman
turns around goes to work preparing the coffee.
Angelica turns and looks at Maria.
“So you’re a regular?”
“Of course I am. I have many fond memories of this place, most
of them of you and me.”
Angelica
laughs.
“I still find it so hard to believe that I
had such an impact on you that you would remember something as small as this…”
“You may think of it as small, but to me
this was huge. I needed help, Sister
Angelica. You provided that help. I would not have survived without you.”
“I think you’re making too much out of my
contribution.”
The woman
behind the counter finishes with the coffees.
She passes them across the counter to Angelica and Maria. Angelica picks up her cup and Maria picks up
hers. After each woman takes a sip, they
find their way to an empty table at the far end of the café where they can be
alone and have a private discussion.
“Sister Angelica, there is no making too
much out of the contribution you made to my life. You were my salvation. You are my Angel.”
Angelica
shakes her head.
“I’m not an angel.”
“Sister Angelica…”
“And quit calling me that! Maria, I am NOT a good person! Do you have any idea what I have done in my
life?”
“It’s nothing that God will not forgive.”
“Yeah?
He clearly hasn’t checked out my record yet. Just as a wrestler alone I have set opponents
on fire. I have lied and manipulated my
way to get what I wanted in my career.
And I killed the father of my oldest child in cold blood.”
Maria gasps,
holding her hand over her mouth.
Angelica, with tears now forming in her eyes, nods her head.
“Yeah, that’s right, you call me an angel
but I murdered a man. I got off easy by
pleading insanity and I served time in a mental institution because of it.”
Angelica
buries her face in her hands.
“I am a monster, Maria. That’s the facts.”
“What of your children? Did they forgive you?”
Angelica
does not even acknowledge Maria’s question, though the crafty nun knows that
Angelica heard her. She repeats the
question.
“Did your children forgive you?”
Angelica
looks up and sighs.
“Yes, yes they did.”
“If your children can forgive you, then why
can’t you forgive yourself?”
“I…don’t…”
Angelica
takes a sip of her coffee and places the cup back down. She sighs and throws her arms up out of
frustration.
“Hell if I know, Maria!”
“And you have fans, don’t you? You have quite a following.”
“Yeah, and they’re all stupid as fuck for
cheering me. I don’t deserve their
cheers or admiration. Look at what I’ve
done? Look at who I am?”
Jones
motions to Maria.
“You saw it yourself. You saw me ready to pull the trigger again,
this time on Emma. I was ready to wipe
her out. I was oh so close to murdering
yet another individual in cold blood.”
“But you didn’t murder her.”
“Only because you stopped me.”
Maria shakes
her head.
“That doesn’t matter because I talked you
down. If you were truly a monster then
my words would have meant nothing and you would’ve murdered Emma. But the fact that I did get through to you
means that there is good in you, Sister Angelica.”
A low growl
escapes Angelica’s throat. Then she
balls her fists up. Angelica pounds her
fists on the table.
“Quit calling me that!”
Angelica’s
outcry was heard throughout the coffee shop.
Everyone in the place turns and stares for a few moments. Angelica’s face grows beet red as she shrinks
a little in her chair. Eventually the
crowd returns back to what they were doing.
For Maria’s part, she never moved a muscle. Angelica’s outcry didn’t phase her in the
slightest.
“I…I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to yell at you…”
“No need to apologize. But that’s further proof that you are a good
person deep down inside. It’s a matter
of finding and reconnecting with that good person again.”
“I don’t know…”
Maria
reaches out and grabs Angelica’s hands.
She squeezes them tightly.
“Emma manipulated her way into kidnapping
your child. Would a monster have spared
Emma’s life? Would a monster have
apologized to me just now? But more
importantly…”
Tears form
in Maria’s eyes as she recalls her own past.
“…would a monster have helped a lonely and
frightened young girl who had been abandoned to a convent by own parents?”
Angelica
stares deep into Maria’s eyes. It may be
an unspoken moment of silence but yet this silence speaks volumes as they stare
at one another, deep into one another’s soul.
Angelica breaks the silence.
“Maybe…”
“Maybe?”
“Maybe I used to be that good person. Hell, maybe traces of that good person are
still there buried deep down inside.
But…”
She shakes
her head.
“…there’s too much.”
“Too much what?”
Angelica’s
flare up with a low level intensity.
“Too much of The Dragon.”
Maria nods
her head.
“Ok then, we know what we need to do.”
Maria grins
knowingly.
“We need to get rid of The Dragon.”
Angelica
shakes her head.
“You can’t do it, Maria. That’s impossible. The Dragon has become an integral part of who
I am. It would be like cutting off a
limb. You cannot do it. I am The Dragon, as much as I may not want to
be.”
“What was that? What did you say?”
“I said you can’t do it.”
Maria shakes
her head.
“No, that last part.”
“I am The Dragon…”
“Right, as much as you may not want to be.”
“I didn’t mean it…”
She shakes
her head.
“Slip of the tongue, Maria. Nothing more.”
“It wasn’t a slip of the tongue, was it
Sister Angelica?”
Angelica’s
tears return, her crying returns. Maria
just squeezes her hands even tighter.
“Why, Maria?
Why are you doing this?”
“I’m doing this because once a young nun
took pity on a frightened girl, and now that little girl is all grown up and
wants to return the favor. I want to
help you, Sister Angelica.”
Angelica
shakes her head.
“Quit calling me that. I’m not Sister Angelica. I’m not that person anymore.”
“You may not be a nun but that good person
is there, buried deep down somewhere inside of you, and together we will find
her. That is how I plan on helping you.”
==========
On Camera
==========
It’s dark
outside in a gloomy, creepy cemetery.
Lightning can be seen flashing in the background the wind can be heard
howling off in the distance. Leaves are
blown about and while most of the headstones in the cemetery are upright and
stable, others look as if they could topple over any moment, they look in total
disarray. It is at that moment that a
woman in a long red flowing hooded robe steps into view from stage right. She turns to face the camera and while we
cannot yet see her face, we can see a few of her features and we hear her voice
as she speaks up…
“Apocalypse is the name of the game. Apocalypse is the place. But do you people truly know what Apocalypse
actually means? The term Apocalypse has
falsely been assumed to be a synonym for the end of the world.”
The woman
throws back the hood, revealing herself to be SCW superstar and one half of The
Sisterhood Angelica Jones.
“That is incorrect. Apocalypse is a Greek word which means to
reveal or a revealing. Where do you
think the last book of the Bible got its name?
Well now that we have the vocabulary lesson out of the way, allow me to
REVEAL to you the future of one Christy Matthews.”
She smirks
knowingly.
“My name is Angelica Jones and I have a shot
at the SCW Adrenaline Championship against Christy Matthews. As some of you know, I was a nun once. I learned many things during my time there
but one lesson I will never forget is one taught to me by the Mother Superior
at the convent. She used to always tell
her fellow sisters that blessings can come from the strangest places.”
Jones shrugs
her shoulders.
“Why am I telling you this? It relates to my road to Rise To
Greatness. You see, I had no desire, no
motivation, and damn sure no inspiration to compete in that half-assed Boston
Challenge at Rise To Greatness. I don’t
need a stupid Boston Challenge to prove I’m the toughest bitch to come out of
Boston. And kicking Justin Davis’s ass
definitely doesn’t prove anything, either.
I know I can whip his ass any time I damn well please. So to me, that Boston Challenge against
Justin Davis was pointless. It had no
purpose to me.”
She pats
herself on the chest.
“Until I
gave it purpose. How did I give the
Boston Challenge purpose and meaning?
Glad you asked. I merely went and
put down Tommy Valentine like the dog he is.
A former world champion who was one title short of a Supreme
Championship and I took him down. He
just so happened to be the number one contender to the Adrenaline Championship
at the time, so him losing to yours truly opened the eyes of SCW
management. It forced them to take
action upon this dumb Boston Challenge because after seeing what I could do
inside that squared circle they realized that I deserved more than merely the
opportunity to slap Justin Davis around the ring. SCW management realized that any match
involving The Dragon, The Golden Goddess, Angelica “Firestar” Jones was
deserving of much more than the piss break match that they had tried to force
upon me.”
Angelica’s
face grows with intensity. Her flares up
with anger and frustration as she recalls this time.
“I made them realize that my match deserved
purpose. And SCW gave it purpose because
I demanded it. The winner of my match
against Justin Davis would become number one contender to the SCW Adrenaline
Championship. SCW made that call because
of me and only because of me. Justin
Davis had nothing to do with it. Justin
Davis and his pathetic existence was given a sense of purpose, even if only for
one night, all because of yours truly.”
Jones again
motions to herself.
“That’s what I do, Christy. I am the type of athlete who transcends this
sport. I am much more than simply a
competitor. I can change this sport at
my very whim, I can make things happen with a snap of my fingers. I gave Justin Davis and the Boston Challenge
a sense of purpose; their purpose was to serve as my stepping stone to a shot at
you, a shot at the SCW Adrenaline Championship.”
“Justin served his purpose well. He was a good little stepping stone. And facing him was a strange blessing in
disguise. I never expected a title shot
to come from a piss break match like that dumb Boston Challenge. But just as I said earlier, blessings truly
come from the strangest of places. Thanks
to the Boston Challenge, now I have my shot at championship gold.”
Angelica
points a long slender finger directly at the camera.
“Now I direct my attention towards you and
you alone, Christy Matthews. You have
that championship, the Adrenaline Championship.
You have a title that, to be perfectly frank, has taken a downhill turn
in recent months.”
“Seriously, who have you had a serious
rivalry with over that championship?
Selena Frost was one but, let’s be honest with ourselves, Selena Frost
downgrades everything she touches. The
mere fact that you were involved with her downgraded you and your reign as
Adrenaline Champion. And then there was
Rise To Greatness where you defended against Tommy Valentine. Why was that?
Because he wanted an opportunity to become Supreme Champion?”
Angelica
shrugs her shoulders.
“Big deal.”
“Now one could argue that you have been a
victim of circumstance. No one can help
that you got slammed with half-assed, worthless competition. But still, the buck stops with you. You are the champion. You need to give that title meaning. You need to raise that championship to newer,
greater levels. You need to make people
want to be Adrenaline Championship.”
“I’ll be perfectly honest with you, I damn
near forgot who the Adrenaline Champion was heading into Rise To Greatness
until SCW management made my match a number one contender’s match. I wouldn’t be surprised if Justin Davis had
the same thoughts. That should tell you
the pathetic state your reign as Adrenaline Champion is in.”
“And yet despite these facts, you think you’re
untouchable in this division. You think
you own it. The fact is that you just
haven’t had to deal with the challenge of Angelica Jones yet. You haven’t had to face me, yet.”
Angelica
nods her head.
“Now I get it, many wrestlers make that
claim. Many wrestlers love to say how
someone is champion just because “they haven’t fought me yet”. But when it comes to me, it’s different
because I am a different type of athlete.
I am the type of competitor that ends defining each and every division
she touches. World, Tag Team, Adrenaline,
all you need to do is give me the ball one time and I will put my mark onto
that division and I will forever shape that division.”
The intense
look of determination returns to the face of Angelica Jones.
“If you don’t believe me, Christy, just look
at my record when it comes to the Adrenaline division and the Adrenaline Championship. Back to back years I made the semi-finals of
the Shot of Adrenaline Tournament. On a
recent Breakdown I defeated then Adrenaline’s heir apparent Tommy Valentine,
which led to me defeating Justin Davis in an Adrenaline title contender’s
match. When it comes to the Adrenaline
division, I have been consistently among the best athletes SCW has to offer.”
Jones again
points at the camera.
“And you, Christy, you have no idea what an
athlete like me is capable of. Perhaps
that is why you are suddenly now on board with Punk Hazard? Is it a coincidence that after I become
number one contender to your championship that suddenly an announcement comes
stating that you have joined those group of thugs?”
Angelica
laughs ever so slightly, just loud enough that the camera picks up the laughter
on audio.
“Perhaps I’m giving myself too much credit,
but I do not believe in coincidences and I do not believe your announcement
just so happened to coincide with my becoming number one contender to your
title.”
“What does your membership in Punk Hazard
mean, anyway?”
Angelica shrugs
her shoulders.
“Well…to me it means the obvious possibility
of interference from those goons. Every
match I watched where my family fought Punk Hazard, whether it was my daughter
Corey Jones or my sister Kayla Jones going up against those clowns, they were
never alone. They never gave a damn
about who the better athlete was.
Cowards, the lot of them.”
Jones points
at the camera yet again, accusingly as if pointing at Christy Matthews herself.
“And now you have cast your lot in with
them. You have aligned yourself with
those cowards.”
“Are you scared, Christy? Are you intimidated? You should be intimidated. You should be scared. I’m the woman who will end your title reign
if I choose to. Your fate is quite
literally in my hands, Christy.”
“But whether or not you are scared and
intimidated is not really the question.
The question is, are you intimidated enough to bring your new running
buddies down to the ring to protect your sorry ass? That’s the question I pose right here and
right now and I propose two possible answers to go along with that question.”
Jones holds
up one finger.
“Option One, YES, you are scared, you are
weak, you are pathetic, and more importantly you are a damn coward who will not
fight her own damn battles.”
Jones holds
up a second finger.
“Option Two, NO, you are not scared, you are
willing to do this one on one; may the best woman win.”
Angelica
shakes her head.
“Understand though, Christy, that even if
the answer is no, and you prove yourself to be brave enough to face me on your
own without your Punk Hazard buddies, the outcome will still be the same as if
they came to the ring. Either way, I
will win. Running buddies or not, I beat
your ass to become SCW Adrenaline Champion. The only difference they’ve made is that I’m now
going to beat your ass even more. Just
remember, Christy, when you lie down with dogs, you wake up fleas. Remember that.”
Lightning
flashes behind Angelica. This causes an intense scene which makes Angelica’s
face light up, looking almost demonic in feature when seen with the lightning
off in the distance. The intensity in
her voice also grows.
“I have said it before and I’ll say it
again. Championship gold is what defines
me as an athlete. Anyone who talks about
how this or any sport is just simply about the spirit of competition is full of
shit. Those who compete for the spirit
of competition and yet still lose are losers.
Those who hold the gold are the real winners. The gold, the championships, they represent
greatness in this sport. That’s why I compete.
I compete to be a champion. I
damn sure do not compete for the spirit of the game.”
“So obviously earning a shot at the
Adrenaline Championship at Rise To Greatness, getting to face you at Apocalypse
for the title, that meant a great deal to me.
And what’s more important is that my eyes are on the true prize. Unlike miss frosty priss Selena, I don’t give
a damn about the spirit of competition.
I’ll no doubt be cheered for whipping your ass but, to be perfectly
frank, it wouldn’t bother me much if the fans booed me.”
She pats
herself on the chest.
“I compete for me and I compete to be the
best damn wrestler I can be. I compete
to prove I am the best each and every night I step into that ring. Apocalypse will be no different. I will prove that I am better than everyone
in that Adrenaline division by dominating you at Apocalypse.”
“I am fully confident that I can dominate
you at Apocalypse. How am I this
confident? Simply because you
underestimate me. You think I’m all
talk. You think I’m not good enough to
face you. I already named off my
accomplishments here in the Adrenaline division, so I won’t bore you with that
again. But the fact that you are
overlooking that is proof positive that you are living in a fantasy world. But then on Breakdown you try to bring up the
Ginger Nation?”
Jones
laughs.
“You misread me and misjudge me,
Christy. Just because I play mind games
with a poor deluded soul with fake ginger hair dye doesn’t mean a damn thing
outside of the fact that I’m messing with her head. I am NOT Ginger Nation. I have no association with Ginger
Nation. I am Angelica Jones, one half of
the Sisterhood and matriarch of one of the greatest wrestling families
ever. I am a master strategist inside
that squared circle. I know I can
outwrestle you, but the one other thing that makes me deadly is that I can
outthink you. And the mere fact that you
felt you had to come out to the ring on Breakdown and call me out tells me that
you are falling right into my trap.”
“And since SCW is too afraid to say it, I’ll
say it for them…they desperately want someone other than you to be their Adrenaline
Champion, because you’ve brought it down several notches since you held it, and
so I’ll also do a favor to SCW management by beating you, humiliating you, and
taking the SCW Adrenaline Championship away from you.”
Jones pulls
the hood back over her head, covering her face.
She turns and walks off the scene from stage left. The camera fades to back.
