Thinking About The Future: Interlude

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Off Camera

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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.”

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On Camera

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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.