Post by Alicia Lukas on Jun 19, 2017 0:49:57 GMT
Oh Lord can't you save me from my twisted little mind
Oh Lord won't you please show me
How to turn the water to wine
Oh Lord won't show me
Am I the sinner or the saint
Oh Lord won't you please tell me
Was all my suffering in vain?
Scene One- The Bright Lights Don’t Hide Your Scars
Off Camera
Southampton, New York
3 Weeks Ago
“You’re not going to do it are you?”. Travis’ voice rang out across the room as he stared at the letter. A small hint of anger coming off the back end making the question seem more like a demand. It sent a small shiver up Alicia’s spine. Her long blond hair flowing down her back and shoulders as she turned her head to the side looking at Travis from the corner of her eye. He set the letter down and folded his arms over his chest.
His hair was tied back, his tattooed hand stroked his long viking like beard as he gave out a small sigh waiting for an answer.; Alicia turned not even making eye contact. Her arms crossed over her chest, her body language not showing the confident champion she had become. At this moment, with the tone and feeling in the room she had shrunk to the scared little girl she had been as a teenager. Travis didn’t see the signs, he stepped forward and shook his head.
“Alicia, tell me you’re not going there.” She stepped back sheepishly looking away from his gaze. Travis deep blue eyes staring a hole through her. As she turned her head her hair flowed down in front of her face as the memories came flooding back. The walls seemed to close around her as Travis voice seemed to be replaced with one from the past. Her nails dug into her arms, the pain shaking the reality back to the present day for a time, but it wasn’t enough. The walls closed in closer. Her mind screamed enough but her heart wouldn’t listen.
The memories became real. The control. The hands around her throat like a leash stopping her from being free. A chain held her down as her hands hit the cold concrete and became weighed down but nothing physical. It was the pressure, the hatred, the pain. She looked around panicked, unable to breathe. Travis wasn’t there. Instead it was spirits. Ghosts from her past. The original stood taller than the others. One with a demon mask, one with a cowboy hat, one with a smaller demon in the shape of pikachu but black and distorted.
A larger demon stood behind them all with white eyes, leashed around their necks all leading to the larger demons fingertips and he played them like marionettes. She stared into the eyes. The outline was red with black over white uncaring cold eyes. There was no soul no kindness. Just manipulation and control. Alicia felt the anger rise, she felt it pulling her up away from the concrete prison keeping her locked. As she rose to her feet the original demon, the largest stepped forward, his huge black fist connected with her face sending Alicia down. She looked up wiping the blood from her lip the shot fueling the anger as she stood, her eyes flashing black as she got to her feet.
“You will not control me….” She chanted the words, a personal mantra over and over, the four demons in front all slid back behind the largest holding their leashed. He seemed to laugh at her, mock her. His hand reached out and instead of some kind of abusive shot, physical or mental his finger moved across her cheek tenderly, and in a moment of weakness she saw the demon smile and the black faded from her eyes. He had her and she felt the pull of his power. She stepped closer with a smile
“Alicia”
She heard a voice. It wasn’t the demon’s, it wasn’t the voice of the devil in all his seduction. It was something else. Something pure. The demon turned black, his eyes glowed red as his false illusions faded away. She turned away from him and a blinding white light sung to her like a chorus of angels singing her hymn. Her fingertips reached out into the light and it didn’t burn, it didn’t hurt. It felt like….
Home
“Alicia!” The light flashed. She felt hands on her shoulders, everything blurred but slowly came to focus. Travis stood above her, she felt the rug beneath her back. He breathing was heavy as she heaved up and down. She stared up into his eyes. The sorrow and worry poured through as she reached up pulling herself up to him and their bodies together. Travis rubbed her back and scooped his hands underneath her picking her up in his arms. She clung onto him and calmed herself. Her heartbeat slowing with her breathing.
She sat down and took a sip of water as Travis dropped to a knee, his hand finding hers as his finger ran over her engagement ring. “Lic, what happened?” She smiled slowly and shook her head clearing her throat. “It doesn’t matter, I’m ok.” Travis sighed and looked over at the letter he shook his head and slid his hand up to her face, his thumb caressing her soft pale cheek. “I’m sorry, babe it’s your choice if you want to go there. I just….I want to know why?”
Alicia chuckled to herself before standing up, she walked over to the cabinet where they kept their trophies, their accomplishments A replica of the the titles they had both won sat there. Alicia’s trophies from Japan. Her WWH title, Travis’ two WWH international titles and his Hellsgate. She reached up pulling a championship belt down turning to Travis holding it in her hands. Her fingertips sliding over the silver faceplate and across the small screwed in nameplate at the bottom.
“This championship is the first one I got on home soil Travis.But the one belt I ever really wanted in this business. Was a IWF championship. The Shieldmaiden or the Diamonds.” Travis gave her a small smile and a nod, he pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead before leaning close to her ear whispering. “I’ll always be by your side, you know that. Just promise me one thing….” He pulled back and Alicia raised an eyebrow confused. Travis couldn’t help but chuckle under his breath before staring into her eyes.
“Win”
Scene Two-Arrogance like Ignorance is bliss
On Cameras
Manchester, England
Present Day
Alicia stepped back and away from the crowd that had gathered to greet the IWF roster as they had landed. She was travelling alone as always because her Fiance worked on Monday’s for another company. She snuck around the corner to find somewhere private. Her hand shaking as she opened a large can of Monster Assault as she sat against a brick wall sliding down.
“Manchester England. If there is one place on earth right now where you can see the resilience of the human spirit it’s here. People are out there right now greeting the IWF roster like returning heroes. They want autographs, pictures and selfies with all of us. I needed to slip away for a moment. I needed to stop and think. See in life you only get one shot. You can change while it’s happening but if you get to your last day on this earth and you look back with regret then you know what true tragedy is.”
“Last week I needed time away. I needed time to think so I opted out of appearing on the open fight night. But this week I came back with a resolution of fire in my stomach ready to get back to doing what it is that I do better than anyone on this planet.”
“Wrestle”
“And believe me I know how arrogant that sounds but I’m a firm believer in appreciating yourself and your own skills before appreciating others and trust me, it’s not that much of an exaggeration. For years I worked and toiled and trained. I ate shit and was forced to like it and since the moment I got back on home soil all I wanted was to have success in america for a major company. And I had that….I held it in my hands….”
“But one company and one division I always admired was the IWF diamonds division. I’ve told the story before about sitting in my shitty little apartment in Kyoto watching IWF pay per views with the other girls who I wrestled with and we all agreed that one day we’d be in the Imperial Wrestling Federation. So far I’m the only one that made it. I suppose I have the advantage of being a westerner.”
Alicia takes a huge sip of Monster sighing again as she leans her head back against the brick wall. The commotion around the corner being loud and celebratory.
“But now here I am and almost every monday night I get to go out there and wrestle under the gold leaf banner of IWF. And what a splash I’ve made in my small tenure here. I’ve had great competitive matches and I’ve had an amazing time. I got to face Eternity, I got to face Shae and they both beat me. They are two of the best I’ve ever seen and now this week I get to team with a woman who intrigues me in Rowen MacDonnough. You know Rowen I look at you and can’t help but be impressed. You have the look, you have the skills and you have that ability to be intimidating….”
“There’s very few people I could’ve asked for that would be a better partner. You’re strong, vicious and you have a need to win. Together we can beat Astrid and Shae I have no doubts about that. And I am all about the win. I’m all about the competitive nature of this business so when I say I have your back in this match Rowen…”
“I mean it…”
“But standing on the other side of the ring is the current Shieldmaiden a woman who holds a one on one victory against me which trust me..is a rare thing. Shae O’Hara. And the other is the biggest strongest woman in IWF who has just begun to show her potential in Astrid Hall….”
“You know Astrid. All I wanted was to see you live up0 to that potential. For you to break free of the pre conceived notions you had about the wrestling business and just show your natural ability. The ability we could all see. I mean you would go out to the ring and throw people around and really give us glimpses of that warrior within but then...then you’d lose because you didn’t have that killer instinct.”
“But two weeks ago. Two weeks ago you showed us all just what a motivated Astrid is capable of. You beat four other women one of them being me in a five way match to show dominance and you stood tall at the end with your arm raised. I’m glad you’re finally listening Astrid, I’m glad you’re finally starting to see what you’re capable of and this tag match should be amazing because of that…”
Alicia pushes up off the ground and stretches out with a deep sigh before continuing.
“Then there’s little Shae O’Hara the shieldmaiden. I have to congratulate you Shae, you beat Eternity. You did what I couldn’t and I watched that match and I saw you overcome the tricks, the mind games and her inherent skill. I saw you be the irish firecracker we all knew you were. A tough woman looking for a fight and not only did you find one...you won it…”
“You’re one of the women around here that I see as like minded. Now I say alot of arrogant things and I try and back them up in the ring. I’ll trash talk you while beating you around, I’ll insult you, call you weak. But that is in the ring, that’s just what is done….”
“Outside the ring I’ll probably buy you a whisky, thank you for the match, win or lose and just have a good time. Cause as I said at the start of all this you only have one shot at life. I choose to be remembered as one of the toughest females in this business but someone who fought with honor and respect. I respect any woman who will step between the ropes and I really respect those who take this business seriously and who don’t treat it as a last resort or a stepping stone somewhere else…”
“So this tag match is what it is. Four very tough, very violent women doing, tough violent things. I look at my partner and I see someone ready to be unleashed. I look at my opponents and I see two hungry women ready to go. And then I look at myself and smile. This will be a knock down drag out fight and honestly…”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way…”
Well howdy there pardner.