Volatile Wrestling Alliance

[Shane Lawson]

VWA Rapture
Friday, November 6th, 2009
Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, Virginia

Tag Team Match:
Syn Skyler & Black Rose vs. Paige Michaels & Amy Chastaine

Syn Skyler is the VWA Women’s Champion. Finally. Once and for all. After every bit of torture and humiliation she had to suffer along the way to her prize, forever in the history of the VWA her name will go down in history as Women’s Champion and possibly one of the greatest. She took it from Paige Michaels, that same woman that humiliated, tortured and most of all underestimated the new Champion; Paige clung to the fact that she was perfect to carry her through everything and now she’s got nothing left to back up her claims. Which is what a lot of people have been saying about Amy Chastaine as of late; there’s been doubt since the day she walked in the door and whether she wins, loses or puts on an incredible performance, the doubters still dont appear satisfied. The world watches her waiting for the dominant woman the industry saw so long ago come and take the reigns of the VWA Women’s Division, though there are some-indeed one- who see her lack of success an open door to their own glory. That one, is the VWA Women’s Champion’s Number One Contender, Black Rose; who after a stop-start beginning to her VWA career is clearly back on track and ready to take her career to the next level. This week she gets to team with the woman she’ll challenge at Crisis of Faith for the title and across the ring from them will be their main rivals Paige and Amy; the key to wining this match is going to be teamwork but with these four personalities all in the ring...the smart money just might be on a no contest.

[Paige Michaels]

The scene opens up on a basic door with a thick mahogany frame around the door of the same, filtered with a pane of lightly frosted glass in the top half of the structure. It looks like an office door and little can be sees beneath the pane; this is where the cameraman was instructed to show up for the promo and this is where the was, waiting. He pulls his free arm up and brings his eyes away from the viewfinder to check the time; two o’clock in the afternoon just as he’d been told. Not by Paige however, that was the strange thing of it all and what made him uneasy about coming here; he’d checked with headquarters to make sure that the meeting was official and everything checked out fine. Still he was left with the nagging question of that mysterious voice one the phone; Paige’s sobbing could be heard in the background so her involvement one way or another in the situation was confirmed but the person he’d spoken to had clearly been a man. One with a proper voice and obvious intellect but despite all of that was the one thing that had forced him here and made him most apprehensive at once- the undeniable edge his words had. He’d kept them short and if it weren’t for the authority in the man’s voice it would be easy to believe that they’d been rehearsed but that voice belonged to a man that didn’t need to rehearse anything. No, the man on the other end of that phone either got it right the first time or made his mistake the answer; he wasn’t a conceited, pompous creature like Paige Michaels. In fact he could very well have been the reason Paige was crying. He wasn’t a boyfriend, that much was certain- not that a stuck up bitch like Paige would have much use for one-, his voice was completely void of sympathy or any kind of faked empathy for Perfection Personified’s failure. He was simply there to deliver a message and he’d done it; was it the right message though? In a bid to find out brought on by his impatience, the cameraman reaches out planning to do the one thing the man on the phone had made increasingly clear, in reaching for the door knob. His hand drops down on it and holds on, preparing to turn when the knob itself starts to turn in the opposite direction; the cameraman pulls back as the door pulls back revealing a pair of purple high heels flat against the floor across the room. This sneek peak is quickly broken up however as a maroon dress shirt stretching across the expanse of a large muscular chest comes into view; a pair of black dress pants beginnings just below the waist the camera trains of to show a very tall, incredibly built dark skinned man with black hair and a blank look on his face that communicates more than his words ever could. He shuts the door behind him firmly and the cameraman takes another few steps back, basically to the wall of the dark green hallway to get all of the man on camera as he continues to stare down his visitor.

I told you to wait outside.

It wasn’t a reminder, it was a warning and the impression he got was that this man didn’t give out many; he also probably didn’t deal well with excuses.

I...got curious.

Then perhaps you were a cat in another life.

It didn’t seem like the truth was much more helpful either; in this man’s eyes there was no excuse for denying his orders and he had the growing suspicion that if he wasn’t working for the VWA right now, he’d be learning why almost everyone did to begin with. In a silent plea to skip past the unpleasant beginning, he makes a bid to get things back on track.

So is Paige in-

Miss Michaels is currently indisposed and is attending to some personal matters that are none of you or anyone else’s business. All you need to know is that she’s put me in charge of her public and business relations until she feels she’s ready to address the “Imperfects” once more. From this moment on I speak for Miss Michaels.

And who are you?....If you don’t mind me asking?

The look on his face made it perfectly clear that he did; he didn’t feel he needed to answer to anyone which for a man delivering the messages of professional wrestlings most conceited competitor, seemed strangely ironic.

My name is Hamilton King and if anyone has issue with Miss Michaels or word to be passed on to her, from now on they’ll be required to inform me instead. All promotional material from opponents will be relayed from myself to Miss Michaels and if she chooses to respond it will be through me as well. Due to contractual obligation, Miss Michaels will continue to wrestle physically inside the ring- including in her Tag Team match this week on Rapture- however for the time being she feels no need to address her competition face to face. Miss Michaels’ personal life is that of her own, her choices are that of her own and I personally advise that they be respected.

As polite a threat he’s ever heard, the man’s words could pass openly in a court of law and yet still they ring with a venom that assures they aren’t warning of legal action.

Finally, Miss Michaels has made it vehemently clear that she has no interest in regaining her VWA Women’s Championship at this point in time.

A bombshell goes off and King’s face stays still as ever; the cameraman knows he isn’t an interviewer but there’s no one else here to ask the questions. At the mention that Paige has no interest in the title she became obsessed with attaining dozens of questions pop up in his head, all shot down by the gaze of the man in front of him. King’s face is still unflinching as he stands there, daring the little man to speak from behind his camera and step out of line once more; begging him to earn his wrath. But he doesn’t. Oh well. There’s always next time.

That is all.

The finality of his statement echos through the halls and the cameraman stands there waiting for him to leave on that note, to walk back inside and give him his final shot. Hamilton King stays unmoving, staring at the camera still, right through it to the man behind it who finally begins to move away, looking for approval from the man that stays unflinching in front of the door. Hamilton King watches him with the same face as the second he walked out the door and what could be the same face of his entire life. But by now, the scenes faded out.

[Mandi]

November 3, 2004
Day 10

She sits on the edge of the bed in her room, a setting sun casts a fiery red light to fill the room. Long shadows on the wall, the slight movement of her arm barely noticeable. Her hand gripping the slim black pencil, the pad of paper resting on her leg, her free hand gripping the side of the book, holding it in place. She isn't staring out the window today, no getting lost in her own mind, what she would do to be out there again...What she would do if she were out there once again. No instead she's spending this evening drawing, a very detailed picture. It's something you may not expect her to be drawing, but the woven fabric of the ski mask, the cold eyes and that the seemingly emotionless face on the paper. A drawing of the person that attacked her that night, the man that in the long run, took everything away from her. She adds a bit of hair, just visible under the bottom of the mask. She looks at it, the simple appearance of her own drawing sending chills down her spine. She then starts drawing something in the corner, the same thing she draws on all of them when she's done. A simple black rose, she tears the piece of paper off of the pad, setting it next to herself, another one for the pile. She sets the paper down for a moment, taking her first break in what seems like forever to her. She slides herself further back on her bed, leaning against the cold stone wall of the room. Now she looks out of the window, the vivid autumn colors eye catching. She could faintly see the rooftops for homes in the background, leaves blowing across the empty street, no cars or people. Her eyes soon travel to a very specific location, the place where she saw the person that attacked her. Her eyes stay fixed on that spot, as if waiting for them to simply show up again.

Stop looking, he's not coming back...

Right? I mean, it was just someone else...At least, that's what they want me to think.

Maybe they know more than they're letting on.

Stop it, you're being paranoid...

I think I am...

She was, she found talking to herself in her head was almost a key to stopping herself from going crazy...That, or it was the first major sign that she was crazy, she hadn't quite figured that part out yet.

If he comes back, it means I'm not crazy...Maybe they'll let me out...

Then what?

Uh...I'll figure out something, I always have.

No one even cares you're here, what is really waiting out there? Nothing.

There's a reason, there has to be a reason.

They wouldn't forget about me that soon...Would they?

Still no words from her friends or family, she still didn't have a reason why. Was she cut off from the outside world, or did they really just forget about her? Did they simply forget the fact that she ever existed, the family secret, rotting away out of their sight. Boredom, the feeling of life drawing to an end, it does horrible things to a persons mind. She doesn't know what's real, what's just an idea she had anymore. Things weren't making sense anymore, she had no one to turn to...Well, she had one option, but it wasn't one she was willing to turn to. She didn't want to be examined, nothing more than just another file number in a drawer somewhere. Stillinger was far from gaining her trust, but if that was all she had...Then maybe she'd live with these secrets until she died, maybe these thoughts, this grief would be the things that she carries to the grave...Or be the things that put her there to begin with.

--------------

October 31st, 2009
4:45 P.M

People begin to shift in their seats, some looking out of their windows at the ground below. Then plane was reaching its destination, it seemed pointless, having to fly back out to New York this soon...But, she's forced to do it. She left shortly after the pay-per-view had ended, she always did, never one to stick around like some of the other people. So she was already half-way home when the card was announced, finding out that the woman she's teaming with on Rapture, brings her back to New York. Soon the plane is landing, people filing out of the plane one by one. Rose keeps her head down, not looking for any attention, she wants to get through this without a crowd of people gathering around her. Fame came with its advantages, but it also brought its curses along with it. Sure the perks were nice, going out for a meal, only to find out the meal is free. Companies that send you boxes of stuff, just looking for the possible endorsement, there were others too. Downside was the lack of privacy, the fact that when she went out for those meals, she couldn't get through it with people looking. They'd point, whisper to one another and usually find a bad time to approach her. She never had a moment to herself, if it wasn't a swarm of people in a mall, in a was a autograph signing. It was a photo shoot somewhere else, she loved the business, she loved entertaining...Sometimes though, she wishes she could trade in all of this, just to have a normal life for one day. She's never had that, not recently enough that she can remember what it actually felt like. In a way it was numbing, almost like she was missing some element that made her a person. Some people craved the fame, they used this business just to get a little more, people like Paige and Chastaine. They fed off the attention, they needed it to get through each day. They accepted that numb feeling, they forgot who and what they were, all in order to become the idols they claim to be. Rose could never do that, she convinced herself the numbness would go away...She tried that, she tried becoming like them, she couldn't do it. Some would say that made her weak, however Chaos brought a sign of hope to her. It happened in the form of VWA's new Women's Champion. A woman that like her, simply can't accept the numbness, someone that competes because they love to....Syn didn't need the attention, she needed that thrill of competition, which is all Rose is really looking for. Syn defeating Paige showed Rose something, you can make it in this business without selling your soul. Sometimes it takes months, years of searching yourself for the answers you need. Syn found those answers, Rose was on the verge of finding hers, she could feel it. She could feel that this turn around was just the beginning, at Crisis of Faith she would have to face Syn. Syn stood for everything Rose wanted to be, defeating her? Defeating her would prove that she has changed, that she has found the answers and her key to success. This week however, she must stand beside Syn, which wasn't new to her...So why did she feel so nervous? In her time reflecting on the situation, Rose has already managed to throw her bag into the back of a cab, giving the driver the address and the car quietly pulls away from the airport.

I hope the address hasn't changed, probably should have called first.

It's been awhile since she's had to pay Syn a visit, their friendship was ended rather abruptly the last time. She was taken away, Syn was forced to find herself a new tag team partner...Ever since Rose came back, her and Syn have been rivals of sorts. They didn't resort to cheap shots, but Rose was looking for a woman that didn't exist...She needed Syn to be that darker side, she needed that familiar friend but Syn had changed since then. Rose was forced to accept that, Rose has changed since she came back as well, her failures making it hard to really have an ego. She's been brought down to reality, accepting that she isn't the best woman in this division. She's accepted that she is beatable.

Really should have called first, she probably won't appreciate the unexpected guest. She may not even want anything to do with me, things haven't exactly been calm between us recently. Syn can be reasoned with I think, she's not like her sister....

Her thought trails off, it's been a long time since Rose has thought of her, the other Skyler sister. Where Rose wanted to rebuild the bridge with Syn, she was hoping that her sister remained out of her life. She hoped she never had to see her again, the feeling of betrayal still fresh in her heart. That feeling of family taking everything you wanted away from you, it lingers, it never really goes away. She sighs, shaking her head knowing it's best not to dwell on those moments.

Well, it shouldn't be too long...I'll know soon enough.

About fifteen minutes later, she finds the cab pulling up in front of Syn's home. She hands some money to the driver, not worrying about the change as she gets out of the car, dragging her bag out as well. She looks at the house, taking a deep breath as the car pulls away. She begins walking towards the door, not knowing the greeting that awaits her. Inside the little cream colored brick house, the atmosphere is completely the opposite of the tense trepidation the blond outside is feeling. There's music, loud, upbeat poppy stuff, Lady Gaga, clearly someone's let Faith determine what music plays. But considering that she's the one doing most of the cooking these days, that's only fair. As Rose approaches, the two Skyler girls are in the kitchen, bright, airy room that it is, Syn sitting at the table while Faith rattles through drawers in search of something.

I still don't understand, why you won't watch the tape. I mean, you won, you should be proud of that.

I am...I'm just not proud of what I did to win. Not even Paige deserved the things I did in that ma-

Ha!

Half a second after it comes out of her mouth the girl realizes what she just said and sort of freezes, eyes going wide even as Syn's head jerks around so she can fix a less than amused look on her daughter who weakly waves a mixing spoon at her.

I mean, aha, I found the spoon. Look, Mom, after everything that woman did, she deserved so much worse than you dished out. I dunno what you're all stressed out about...but you need to stop right? Because now, there's like a giant neon bull's eye painted on your back. You're top of the division, which means every new bitch out to make a name for herself is going to be trying to pick a fight with you. Oh...wait, they're already doing that.

One, I don't think Chastaine qualifies as "everyone", at least I hope not.

Oh yeah, good point.

And watch your language.

Faith rolls her eyes, but whatever retort she might have gets cut off by the sound of the doorbell ringing. She drops the spoon onto the counter and darts for the door before Syn can even rise from her chair at the table.

I'll get it!

It probably doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who she's hoping is standing on the other side of the door, or to see that she's disappointed when she throws the door open to find Black Rose standing there on the other side. The silence is a touch awkward, with Rose looking down at the girl with an expression of confusion, while Faith stares at her trying to will her into being someone else.

Okay, first of all, the porch light is off, that means no candy. Second, aren't you a little old to be trick or treating?

I found the concept of free candy appealing. I'm sorry, I must have the wrong house, I was looking Syn Skyler.

Nah, you've got the right house. The one winged angel's in the kitchen. Uhm, right through that door back there, I've got homework, so I'll leave you two alone.

Rose knows her way, she's no stranger to this house, although it's certainly changed from what she does remember. She drops her bag on the end of the couch and heads through the swinging door into the kitchen. And there's Syn, in that oh so familiar pose, sitting at the kitchen table with her chin propped up in one hand as she stares out the sliding glass door into the yard beyond. It's almost easy to believe that nothings changed, almost, except there's a certain serenity to the brunette's expression that wouldn't have been there before.

Hello Syn.

Hello Diana.

Rose looks at Syn for a moment, in all the time they spent together..Even in their reign as Tag Team Champions, Syn had never called her that. It was odd to hear, Rose quickly gets over the surprise.

Hope you don't mind the unexpected company, saw the card and I thought it would be best if I just came over. Oh, congratulations on beating Paige.

Syn smiles a bit, hearing that hasn't gotten old...Not by a long shot, it may never get old.

Thanks.

Rose looks back at the kitchen, where Faith is still managing to cook dinner, without setting stuff on fire.

I assume that's the kid I heard so much about?

Yep, that's Faith. She's insisting on helping while my arm is injured.

And control the stereo it seems.

...Yeah, I figure she can have that at least, with her helping out. You can sit down you know.

I've been sitting the entire trip here, I think I'd just like to stand for a bit. Looking forward to Rapture as much as I am?

Syn sighs, shaking her head a bit.

Oh I'm thrilled. I get to face Paige three shows in a row, I think if I hear the word perfection one more time, my head might explode.

And my third facing Chastaine, at least Paige doesn't try to put you to sleep with her promos.

Chastaine hasn't broken your arm twice.

Yeah, then again she wouldn't have had a chance to do it the second time. You're a little nicer than I am about things, Paige should be thankful you let her walk away with just a broken nose. Good job on sending her into hiding, she's probably trying to avoid mirrors now.

I doubt Paige is going to stay quiet about this match. She'll crawl out of her hole sooner or later, trust me.

Just do me a favor and don't tag me with that cast of yours, I think it might just break my hand.

Syn smirks, looking at the cast on her arm, the blood stains are gone, due largely in part to Faith's insistence that she get her arm recast, because, as the girl kept saying, it was unhygienic. But the stains are still there, in her mind's eye, similar to Lady MacBeth, 'Out damned spot, out.'

Fiberglass reinforced by surgical steel rods, yeah, probably break your hand, and I think one lunatic with one arm is more than enough for the division. You know, since we've already got it on our minds, do you want to shoot something for this match now?

Might as well, get it over with, then we won't have to think about them for awhile.

Try not to burn the house down Faith, we'll be in the living room.

Unlike some people in this family I can actually cook. Shoo, go, do your camera thing, I got this.

Some traits have to be hereditary, there's just no other explanation for Faith showing that stubborn streak of independence so early in life. Syn smiles, chuckling softly as she shakes her head and comes to her feet, leading the way into the living room as she calls back over her shoulder.

At least turn the stereo down, I don't think Lady Gaga is exactly the kind of mood music we're looking for.

The girl rolls her eyes, but obliges in toning down the music to a less ear shattering volume. The living room, by now it's become a familiar sight, and it should be familiar to Rose, given the number of times she's been in it...but things have changed between then and now. The walls are white, off white really more of a cream color, covered with framed photographs, old promotional posters, normal mundane things. The couch, huge, upholstered in a powder blue almost velvet material, complete with matching chairs in lavender. The carpet probably started off white, but near one end of the cherry wood coffee table there's a large bright blue puddled stain with large dog paw prints leading away from it, joined by little bare footprints. Syn gestures for Rose to take one of the chairs, which she does, looking a little uncomfortably out of place as the Women's champion drops down onto the couch.

How does it feel Paige? How does it feel to have everything you cherished stripped away from you? I'm not proud of what I did to you, it reminded me too much of the person I used to be. But it had to be done, you didn't leave me a choice. As champion you were choking the life out of this division, you were a cancer at the heart of this company. I warned you Paige, for months I told you that I would strip away your mask and expose you for what you really are, but you wouldn't believe me, and you just kept pushing, picking away, thinking that you were wearing me down when all you were really doing was creating the instrument of your end. You've been exposed, and now you can't face the world. Without your claims to perfection, you have nothing. Without your looks, you're just another pretentious bitch trying to make herself important. You can have your puppet say whatever you want, you can think, whatever you want, but the fact remains, it isn't your title anymore, it never was. It's not your division, it never was, and I think you know that now. I think the realization has finally sunken in, your star is falling, your time is over. The night is ended, but the day is just beginning.

Syn doesn't have much to say to Paige, she's won the war between them, the belt was hers. Rose now looks at the camera, a faint smile on her face.

Once so dominant Paige, a win streak that not many can say they've beaten. You reached the top of this division, some called you unstoppable, some believed that you were the best female wrestler in the world. After Chaos, that has all changed, hasn't it? You now hide behind closed doors, not wanting to see the world a Paige Michaels that is...flawed. That's all you are now, isn't it Paige? No Championship, your nose not as straight as it once was. Your time as Women's Champion, your time of your self-proclaimed "perfection"...is over. How long can you hide from the world, have someone else speak for you? I'm sure you'd love it if you could hide forever, not face the world knowing that people are about to point and laugh at you. Knowing that their eyes won't be on your body, they'll be looking at that one flaw, that is what will stand out the most to them. No amount of make-up is going to hide that injury Paige, nothing you can do can simply repair your damaged face or your broken pride. You thought you could be at the top forever, you thought you could be Women's Champion for the rest of your career...A poor way to look at things, now that belt is held by someone that cares about this business. It'll stay around the waist of people like that, that belt can't be tainted by another reign by someone like you or Chastaine. We can't allow women like you to have the spotlight any longer than you already have, you're everything wrong with this division, you're both vein and conceited. It's not about the division, it's not about this company, all you care about in your careers are yourselves. It's a sad, pathetic existence you two lead, take it from someone that used to be just like you.

You've never really been much of a team player, have you Paige? It's always been about what you can get out of things, it's like that in every partnership and relationship you've ever had. You don't care about those around you, because they're all just the same, imperfects. They're not worthy of being graced by perfections presence. I doubt your attitude will change, some people are hopeless, forever wrapped in their own beliefs. That's what you're doing now Paige, licking your wounds, clinging to those ideas that you've tried to prove for so long...Not wanting to accept that they're been proven wrong, your world is crumbling down around you, you can't handle it. It's an experience that can make people stronger, people like Syn and myself, ones that fight through the despair. We find the light at the end, others get lost in the darkness, they allow it to consume them. You won't find your way out of this, you will never escape the darkness that has now engulfed you. It eats away at you Paige, day after day you'll feel less and less whole. You'll become more of a shell than you already were, nothing human left inside you, only arrogance and darkness. You'll become nothing more than a monster in the end Paige, it's so pathetic that I'd almost offer to help you...

Sounds a bit crazy, doesn't it? Rose trails off for a moment, Syn looking at Rose like there's something seriously wrong with her. Rose takes a moment to think, perhaps trying to decide if Paige is even worth helping.

But after all you've done, all the times you disgraced the Women's Championship. All the times you needed to attack people from behind, just to get the upper hand...Why should I help you? Why should anyone want to try and help you to victory? They shouldn't, face it Paige your only friend was that belt. Now you have nothing, you will never have more than that because you've burned your bridges. You've isolated yourself from the world, I think you've forgotten what it means to really care about people. I think you've forgotten what it means to help another person, what it's like to have a heart. Your downfall has begun Paige, you've lost your belt and your beauty...All you have left is this career, and when you fail to walk out of Rapture victorious...What will you have then? You'll have to face that you are no longer at the top of this division, that you're no longer perfect. What you're looking at now Paige, is the future of this division, the future of women's wrestling...Your time is indeed up Paige, with that said I want you to think about something...Was it worth it? I hope it was, because your actions in this business are going to be the reasons that you have to friends. You'll be left with nothing when this is over, while the day when Syn and I finally leave this business? We'll have friends, we'll have respect, which is more than you can ever hope to have.

While Rose speaks, Syn regards her with an expression that is both curious, and reflective. After she and Black Rose are no strangers to one another, they once bled for each other, they stood shoulder to shoulder against whatever the world tried to throw at them. Then things changed. Rose went away, Syn's happy little family unit crumbled, she lost herself, and found herself all over again. The women she's look at, isn't the Black Rose she remembers, and there's something...satisfying about seeing someone else finally find themselves. Her lips curve the faintest of smiles.

You thought yourself a Goliath, Paige, you convinced yourself that you were invincible, untouchable. I can only imagine how you must feel now, with your world crumbling around you. Everything you've ever said, or ever claimed to be has been stripped from you. You have been left vulnerable, tripped of your armor, your shield, how sharp of an edge can your tongue have now? Now that you've fallen, now that the world has seen you for what you are. I've said everything that can said to you Paige. I implored you to change, I tried to help you see the error of your ways before it was too late. You've condemned yourself and all the world knows it.

Surprisingly there's no...anger in Syn's tone, merely reflection. She sounds almost sad, regretful. Perhaps she is, while the Women's division of VWA has gotten a recent injection of much needed new blood, it's still pitiably small. It could be so much more if the girls involved would just simply...get over themselves. If they would only stop struggling to destroy one another and bend that energy towards the performance...well, while we're on the topic of getting over themselves.

Amy Chastaine. Sometimes I wonder where you get your deluded ideas, sometimes I wonder if you listen to the words that come out of your mouth and wonder if you might have said something a little better. Let me ask you a question Amy, do you know what ego means? Do you understand what it is? Because I don't honestly think you do. Please tell me how an exaggerated sense of self importance is the driving force behind walking down that ramp and climbing between the ropes. Explain to me how conceit has anything to do with a professional wrestler taking their bumps and bruises and coming right back out to the ring the next week without a word of complaint. No, we don't all have an ego, we don't all fancy ourselves important. You however, do. Your conceit oozes from every word that slips past your lips, it's dictated in your every action. From the first moment you set foot in this company you've radiated ego, you've just been part of a spreading cancer. Because pray tell Amy, what exactly have you done since coming here to warrant your attitude? What exactly have you accomplished here? No one here cares about what you accomplished in HVW, or FTWO. No one here cares about whatever titles you might have held there, who you might have beaten. This is the place that matters, and what have you done? What have you accomplished? You waltzed in here banking on your name. Isn't that what you told Black Rose in your match against her last week? That Jude Lawson brought you in on the grounds that "VWA needed a big name to fill September's slot"? An oh how glorious you've been in your career here too haven't you?

You're full of grand ideas about "comebacks", and everyone else being "lost in your shadow". But you aren't half as talented as you think you are, you delude yourself into thinking that your so called "experience" makes you better than everyone else, but it doesn't. You claim that you've battled your demons...but you're the same now, as you've always been. You don't change, you're rigid, you refuse to adapt. You don't accept that you might have flaws, you don't acknowledge that there are things that might need to be changed about yourself. And that's your error, I'm done trying to convince people to see their own faults.

Really, it's a tiring thing, to keep trying to get people to understand, to make them see. Syn sighs, shaking her head as she leans back on the couch, crossing her arms over her stomach.

I wonder if you know the difference between ego and confidence Amy. Ego is believing that there's no possible way that you're going to lose, confidence is knowing that you might, but being determined to do everything in your power to keep it from happening. You, have an ego. I have confidence. I have a passion for this business, I don't do what I do because I need the fame, I don't do it because I need the world to fall at my feet and worship me. I don't need to be important, I didn't win the Women's title because I needed it, I did it because it needed me. The division needed a hero, it deserved a champion who isn't just out for herself. This division deserves so much better than you Amy, this company deserves better than you.

I'm sure you have plenty of things to say, but I want to leave you with a thought. While Rose and I might not have seen eye to eye when she first came to VWA, I think it's safe to say we do now. She and I have danced this dance together once before, there's no one in this division who understand how I work inside that ring better than the woman sitting with me before you now. We understand each other, and we can adapt to each other's work in the ring. Not only that, but unlike you, and your partner this week, we know how to play well with others.

Rose nods slightly in agreement, it was kinda nice being back in this house. She finally had someone to talk to, someone she could rely on and not worry about being stabbed in the back.

What is there for me to say, Amy? Purgatory, you claimed that would be your night. That you would become the number one contender, that you would prove to the world that you're not a joke. That was supposed to be the night that you made your impact on this company. You failed, I walked away number one contender, you walked away with nothing. Chaos was then supposed to be your night, it would be the night that you stopped being a joke, that would be the night that you walked away victorious. You were determined, you were vicious in your search for victory. You convinced yourself that you couldn't lost at Chaos, that it would truly be your night...But it wasn't, was it Amy? There's determination, then there's being foolish, you've passed the point of determination. It's time for you to accept the truth, your night will never come. Not as long as Syn and I are here, if you think that's going to change on Rapture, think again. If you think you can pin one us in that ring, you're sadly mistaken Amy. You have a partner that would rather stab you in the back than fight beside you, do you think you can really win this, when you need to constantly be looking over your shoulder? Face it Amy, no matter what you do, what attitude you bring to that ring...You're always going to come up short, you're always going to falter when people like us are standing across the ring from you. Rapture won't be your night, your career will never be on track. So Amy, why don't you sing a new song if you choose to stand in front of a camera, hm? Do the smart thing, admit you aren't the best, admit that despite all the years you've put into this business..You aren't better than me, you aren't better than Syn. It's time to show the world you're not hopeless, that you're just not another Paige Michaels, another woman too wrapped in her own ego to save herself. Accepting you're not the best, is the first step towards maybe turning things around. It's what it took for me, now look where I am...A spot you crave so desperately. Amy, you showed me on Chaos that in that ring, you can be vicious. You have all the tools needed to become something, but your ego is your downfall...You need to destroy it Amy, before it destroys you.

Syn and Rose look at the camera, both of them without so much as a grin. They're ready for Friday's match, ready to prove why they are now at the top of this division. Paige and Amy aren't about to stop them...Not now.

Hey Rose, you got a place to stay for the night?

I was going to get a room when I left here...

Don't bother, we've got an extra room here, you might as well use it.

Well, this is certainly a strange turn of events, but it isn't as if they aren't old friends after all. In any case, the scene fades out.

[HardyGirl]

Amy flips closed her laptop, having just seen Rose and Syn’s promo. Shaking her head, she just doesn’t understand how two women can have it all wrong. Amy didn’t have an ego; far from it. She’d struggled with feelings of inadequacy and failure her entire life, the majority of that neurosis being beaten - literally - into her by her ex-husband.

You want ego, you should have met Blane before he died… I don’t think the man knew any other way to be; selfish, controlling, and everyone else be damned… now that was an ego.

She leans back into the soft cushions of her couch, setting the laptop off to the side and letting her mind wander years into the past. How she had some how foolishly thought she loved that man - the one who hovered over her every move, and never hesitated to shove her, hit her, or even throw her into a wall if she made a wrong move, or spoke out of turn. It had taken her a long time to overcome the bullshit he had put her through. For years, everything he did, everything he said to her, had filled her with the notion that she was nothing, would never be anything, and she was lucky he stuck around to take care of her in spite of it. In hindsight, the idea was preposterous - why the hell would a man stick around with a woman if he thought she was shit? But at the time, she utterly believed him because she didn’t know better. It took one completely out of hand fight that ended with her in the hospital for weeks to finally break through to her that she wasn’t the problem - he was.

I still remember the look in his eyes when I finally fought back, and he ended up in the hospital instead…. Fucking bastard.

Although in a very indirect way, her ex was responsible for her getting into the wrestling business at all. It was a self-defense class her best friend pushed her to take, that revealed her love for physicality, her passion for the action and the skill it takes to outmaneuver an opponent and take them down. That class instructed by her daughter’s father, led to wrestling school taught by that man’s brother, the man that became her best friend and was now dead. At the risk of sounding cliché, the rest is history. All those years flash by in Amy’s head in about a second - everything from her in-ring debut nearly five years ago, through her involvement with one of the most psychotic yet brilliant people she’d ever known, right through meeting her now-husband and breaking away from the psychopath. Through it all, she’s always gone about business and work with an air of confidence, put on a strong front of believing that she is better than at least most of the people she’s ever faced. But the people who know her best, know that deep down… there’s a part of her that’s still just a scared girl, fully entrenched into the idea that she’s nothing, and will never be anything.

And these two idiots want me to go on camera and admit that I’m not the best… they want me to be just like them. Well, fuck that. I’m not going to go out there and play the victim. I’m not going to use my failures as some sort of crutch to get people to rally behind me. I’m a fucking person, not a cause!

She didn’t quite get the rationale behind baring one’s soul in front of a camera for the world to see. Sure, everyone had weaknesses, and she was no different. But she was a firm believer that a person is only as good as they think they are, and she knew that if she did what Rose said, and claim to be anything less than the best she possibly could be - she would live up to that and utterly fail. Granted, she’d lost her last two matches, but she hadn’t exactly laid down for them, either.

Okay, so Rose isn’t the pushover she used to be. I can admit that at least… but as I told her before, live, lose and learn. Some lessons come harder than others, that’s all…

Amy was confident that this time, when faced with two women who had both beaten her one on one, she had all the tools to be able to beat them alongside the former Women’s Champion. Whether or not Paige would be a team player - and she had no doubt that she wouldn’t - didn’t matter. Amy had once banked her career on the idea of being able to win against someone she had previously lost to, simply because she had lost to that person, and had figured out what to do different next time. Back then, it earned her a world championship. This time… she was fighting for her own pride.

Pride… not ego. Syn just doesn’t get it. Ego and confidence go hand in hand. If you have no ego at all, how can you have confidence in yourself? How can you have the gumption to keep going no matter what? They’re confusing ego with being egotistical.….. but it’s just semantics at the end of the day. Who has the bigger or smaller ego ultimately doesn’t matter, because the size of a persons ego has nothing to do with their talent….

She could sit here for days and rattle off names that solidly proved that claim - the main ones coming to mind being Lynn Brewster, who’s ego and talent level were inversely proportional; the other being September, a woman who as far as Amy could tell, was the same way, in the opposite direction. Sure, there were egotistical bastards who had talent, like half the people on any given roster, but the ego didn’t make the talent - the talent made the ego.

Pride was another animal altogether though. A person didn’t have to be the most talented in the world to have a sense of pride in their work. Amy had always known and admitted that she was not the best in the world, and to say otherwise would be silly. No one was the best in the world, especially in this industry, because so many different variables could affect each match. But pride… the knowledge that she went out there every match and gave it everything she had, and no matter the result, knew she had done the very best she could. Sometimes that ‘best’ was better than other times, but that’s the nature of the game - a person can’t be at top physical shape one hundred percent of the time. It just so happened that Amy’s professional best came at a time when her personal life was at it’s worst. She’d heard from hundreds of fans that they thought she was at her best when she, Dustin and Grave Digger made up the Dark Army. She’d been handed a place at the top on a silver platter-

Well, not really…. Being kidnapped and brainwashed isn’t exactly a gift….

- but she’d taken the role thrust upon her with vigor and ran with it. The way it came about wasn’t exactly the best thing that could have happened to her - she lost her then-boyfriend, daughter, and best friend (who was killed) in one fell swoop… but the way everything eventually turned out had worked out in her favor in the long run. It gave her this ‘never say die’ attitude, that she could do no wrong in the ring, or out of it. It gave her an opportunity to learn from quite possibly the most gifted psychological manipulator she’d ever met, no matter how insane he was. It led her to meeting the man who would become her husband. And even led her to the rivalry and matches that earned her a world title. If not for the time she spent entrenched in that darkness and the lessons she learned from it, she’d never have been able to overcome the deep sense of utter failure she felt and nearly succumbed to after failing to win that world title the first time. Granted, she had a lot of help in getting through that depression, namely from Dustin. But she couldn’t deny that a lot of what she’d learned in the business, she learned when she had welcomed the dark side of her soul instead of fighting against it. Ever since reigning in that side of herself, her career had slowly, but steadily, declined.

And at the time I thought I had done the best thing for my career ever… I had gotten away from a controlling psychopath, and found real love…. So why did everything seem to go downhill after winning that title…?

It wasn’t immediate, she held that title for almost a year. But then something unexpected happened - she got pregnant, and had to take a year off. But even before that, she hadn’t been as successful as before. The one big accomplishment she made during that time, other than not losing her title, was winning a title in another company. And she did so in part by literally getting inside her opponent’s head, messing with his dreams, playing with things she knew would take her back to that dark side of herself. At the time she stopped just short of going ‘too far.’, either out of some weird sense of morality, or out of fear-

Don’t bullshit yourself, Amy… it was out of fear. I didn’t want to go to that place again, because I had lost so much the first time… but I get something now I didn’t get then… the first time I walked that path wasn’t by choice… I was manipulated into thinking I had nothing left but that darkness. But now…..

Amy grins slowly with a realization she started to grasp roughly a week ago, but now understood fully. Now… she could make a conscious decision to release that part of herself, the side she had suppressed years ago, the side she had been afraid to let out again. But at this point in time… she had nothing to lose, and everything to gain. This time… she was the one in control. And these women here? Had NO idea what they were in for.

[HardyGirl]

The last of the days light winks through the small circular window, a single beam through the air, highlighting the dust particles in the air. The beam comes to rest on the floor, lighting up a round rug, on which Amy Chastaine sits, legs crossed. The rest of the room is dim, the beam of light enough to show a bit of detail about the room - an old couch directly behind her that’s seen much better days, an antique looking armoire to her left, near the door. To her right, the circular window, and a low table under it, looking very much like an altar. Amy’s wearing black jeans and a dark gray shirt, her hair loose around her shoulders and barefooted. Along with her legs crossed, she’s leaning back on her hands, looking completely at ease with herself.

You know what I find amazing? How just about everyone in this business claims to know everyone else so well. Everyone knows Syn is a tough old bitch for fighting with a broken arm. Everyone knows Black Rose is starting to come out of a shell she was encased in long ago. Everyone knows that Paige is almost as perfect as she claims she is. And everyone knows that I carry around an ego the size of Texas. Yet all these assumptions are wrong. No one really knows anyone in this business. All we know is the persona that any given person chooses to project when the cameras are on. For all we know, Syn might go home and cry her little eyes out in pain over her injured arm. Diana might go home and rock in a corner muttering to herself, every bit as crazy as she used to be. Paige might wipe off her perfectly applied makeup to reveal scars from god only knows what. And I might be just as human and fallible as everyone else.

But no one really knows. We all choose what side of ourselves we want the world to see, we all choose what we want the world to believe we are. And in turn, we all decide on if we are going to fall for whatever front everyone else projects, or if it’s even a front at all. I admit I’ve put on fronts before - that of a victim, that of a heartless bitch, that of an unstoppable force. Everyone has played more than one role in their lifetime. It’s up to everyone else to decide which is the real person and which are just masks that people wear.

I’ve been branded with the persona of an egotistical opportunist, someone who takes advantage of other people’s positions, to further my own career. And no matter what I say to the contrary, there are people who will believe that to their dying day. I’ve given up trying to change anyone’s mind. It’s a waste of my time, to try to throw that mask that’s been forced on me away. But at the same time, still stress that no one in this company really knows me. There are a few people who have known me for years, who worked with me before, either as allies or foes… but I can guarantee you that there is quite possibly only one person currently in this company who truly knows what I have been, and what I can be.

She’s talking, of course, of the darker side of herself, the part of her persona that she had buried long ago, and had suddenly brought itself to the surface again.

It’s been a long time since I’ve felt backed into a corner like this. Since someone has stood in front of me and demanded that I accept my true self and admit to it, that I expose my soul to the world. It’s happened a few times in my life, and only once in my career until now. The first time, was before I ever thought of being a wrestler, and got my ass kicked on a daily basis by a man who was supposed to love me. It took a lot of convincing by a lot of people to convince me that I was not the meaningless weakling that man made me believe I was. And when I came out of that mindset, boy did I give him a surprise. He had no idea the fight that was inside me, no idea the bitterness and hatred I was willing to unleash to just get him to leave me the fuck alone. But he found out, the hard way.

That’s ancient history though, and enough has been said about that. The next time it happened, was less than a year into my wrestling career, and I was practically forced to recognize and even embrace the dark side of myself, the part of my soul that just doesn’t give a fuck about anyone or anything but myself and my career. I literally had no choice… it was either accept it, or remain tied to a tree and left to die in the elements. Looking back, I’m almost certain I wouldn’t have been left for dead at all, for multiple reasons that have no bearing here, but in the moment, I was made to feel like I had no choice whatsoever. Once again, everyone in my path were surprised, even dumbfounded, at the dark, almost evil depths I was able to go to. Even the one person who knew me better than anyone else at the time, just couldn’t believe that person - the one going in the ring and on camera week in and week out, talking about shadows and darkness and stealing souls - could possibly be the true person I was on the inside.

Amy pauses here, reflecting on that period in her life, in which she and said person, who had been her best friend, barely spoke unless it dealt with business, and even then it wasn’t very civil. That was one thing she wished she could take back, knowing what she knew now. But the rest…

I eventually came out of that dark period, foolishly thinking that following that path of life was wrong, that because what led me there was nothing but a tangled web of lies, that it had to be a false way to live, and I and Dustin would be better off if we turned our backs on it completely. And it seemed to work for a while. But here I am now, failing in this place, some would say struggling to keep my head above water, and with people like Syn and Black Rose telling me, demanding, almost begging me to be who I truly am, instead of putting on a front.

Amy smirks a bit to herself, as well as to her opponents, current and future.

You really have no idea what you’ve just started. You think you have me all figured out, that I’ll do what you ask and admit to wrongdoing here, being inept there… and believe me, there is some of that in me, I am not perfect, nor will I ever claim to be, unlike my partner. But if you think you have any idea of who I am… of who the person is you’re asking me to be… you are dead wrong. There are very few people left in this business who even have an inkling of what’s to come.

I came to a realization recently, and it’s because of your words asking me to just admit to being who I am, to be myself. It’s been a long time since I really felt like myself, and now I know why. I’ve been trying so hard since making my return two years ago to present myself as sort of this ‘everywoman’ persona. Woman, mother, wife, wrestler. I’ve been trying to be someone that everyone can relate to, someone that has been through darkness and returned to light, who overcame all the demons in her life and succeeded. Well, we can see how well that’s worked out… not very well at all. And the reason for that is because it’s been all a front. A lie, even. I am a mother, a wife, a wrestler. But underneath all that, deep down, at my core…. I am a creation of the events of my life. I am at my best when I give myself over to that hatred, to that dark, seedy, uncaring side of my soul.

I know what some of you are thinking…. We’ve seen this before, what makes it so different this time? What makes Amy Chastaine more dangerous now than she was three years ago?

That’s easy to answer, and when I tell you, you’re all going to feel like idiots for not realizing it yourselves.

Each time before, when I allowed the heartless bitch inside me to emerge and become my public face to the world, it was forced out of me. Coerced forth either from people who cared about my safety and were trying to help, or a person who only cared about himself and what I could do for him. But this time… I choose to become that person. I’m making a conscious decision to give myself over to that darkness, to let it come forth from my soul again, and take precedence over everything in my life. It’s a very misunderstood path to follow, and one can never understand it unless they’ve lived it.

I’ve lived it.

And I know what it can do for me if used the right way. And believe me… I know the right way to use it. Oh, don’t worry…. You won’t see me engaging in silly theatrics, walking in moonlight or cemeteries…and I’m not going to prattle on about stealing souls. As for your souls… most of you are doing a fine enough job of ruining them yourselves, you don’t need me to do it for you. I’m far beyond the need for such simple mind games. What you will see… is an Amy Chastaine no one in this company, save one or two people, has ever seen before. And none of you are going to know how to stop it, until it’s too late.

This time an amused grin spreads across Amy’s face.

Are you regretting what you asked for yet?

Amy gets up and walks out of the room, where she finds Dustin standing near the top of the stairs to the attic, a strange look on his face.

What the hell was all of that?

I thought you, of all people, would understand…

Oh, I understand… but are you sure you want to go there again?

It’s too late… I already have.

Without another word, she heads down the stairs, leaving her husband to look on with the same strange look.