[Eiley]

OFF CAMERA
Location:San Diego, California.
Date: October 2, 2023.
 

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Eiley knew that it was stupid to have come back to San Diego when they had not had a show in the area for a long time and her and Oliver had been training in Hawaii since Mikah had gone to the island a few weeks ago so that the baby could be born there. Eiley originally had been happy to have gone back to Hawaii, but her curiosity about Dean and his family wouldn’t leave her alone. She wondered if they were even worried about their son’s whereabouts but when she had walked down the street of the home that they lived in, it was pretty apparent that nobody was home and by the looks of it, they were on vacation somewhere. There was only one car in the garage and from staking out the place, she noticed that a neighbor had collected their mail and took it inside on a daily basis. It made Eiley nervous to know that they weren’t home and it made her wonder if they were out, searching for their deceased son. Or supposed deceased son; Eiley wasn’t too sure that he had died when he fell overboard, and his body hadn’t washed up on any shore but that didn’t necessarily mean anything either.

Eiley sighs as she tries to find her footing in the backyard in the dark as she carefully makes her way to one of the windows that she knew they left unlocked because they always forgot about it. Or that’s how it had been nearly five years ago when she had lived with them. She carefully pushes the window open and hoists her upper body up and into the window and carefully lets herself into the house. She hesitates in the spot she stands up in, hoping that the alarm system wasn’t set off but after what seems like forever, nothing happens and she grabs her phone to use the flashlight on it. She carefully and quietly walks into the dining room where she spots the mail that had been brought in by the neighbors. She glances around as if she was scared that there was going to be somebody that pops out from behind a corner to catch her in the act of what she was doing. She didn’t even know what she was doing here or what she was looking for. Other than Dean’s obsession with her, she hadn’t had anything to do with the Clemsen family in years. But she wanted to make sure that Dean’s disappearance couldn’t be linked back to her.

She goes through their mail before frowning when she comes to an unmarked envelope with the names, ”Evelyn and Daniel Clemsen” written in a scratchy handwriting. She glances around before opening the letter carefully to see what it was. She reads it before her eyes widen slightly as she sees Dean’s signature on the bottom and it was just a letter signaling that he was okay or at least, that’s what the note was telling Evelyn and Daniel. But Eiley knew that it couldn’t be possible, but she couldn’t tell if it was Dean’s handwriting or not as it had been years since she had even seen his handwriting. She reads it again, clutching the letter in her hands as the fear and anticipation settles in the pit of her stomach as her eyes read over the letter a few more times as she tries to process what she had just read.

•EILEY• “It’s…not possible.”

The words were barely above a whisper and practically inaudible as she thinks about what to do with the now opened letter. She didn’t know what to do about it or how to think but she knew that she couldn’t get caught just standing in the Clemsen’s dining room, reading their mail, which she knew was a federal offense. But instead of putting the letter back in the pile, she puts it back in the envelope and shoves it in the pocket of her jacket.

OFF CAMERA
Location: Kaneohe, Hawaii.
Date: October 5, 2023.

Eiley had not been focused for most of the day as she had been in Mikah’s gym, and she had not been doing well in the ring against Kendall. She knew that if Mikah were here, there would be dire consequences for how poorly she was doing in the ring and Eiley knew that she would deserve whatever it was that Mikah would say to her.

•EILEY• “I know, I know, I’m unfocused. I’m really trying, I promise.”

She knew that the Barnharts weren’t exactly a huge challenge for her and Oliver but she knew that she couldn’t go into the match, unprepared. She didn’t want to give them any excuse to find a way to get the win over them because she felt that if they were to get the win, it would discredit her and Oliver’s reign as the Mixed Tag Team Champions and even though her mind was not in the ring, she didn’t want to be the reason for it.

*KENDALL* “It’s really not me that you have to worry about. Mikah’s going to be here in about fifteen minutes and she’s going to want to see some sort of progress out of you. It’s her and Kris’ legacy that you and Oz are in the shadow of, not mine.”

Eiley gives Kendall a look as she leans back against the ropes in the ring. She was trying to catch her breath and had been trying to prove that she was fine and could hack it in the ring. But Kendall had always been one step ahead of her and had knocked her down every time Eiley had tried something.

•EILEY• “I thought she wouldn’t be cleared medically for six to eight weeks after having the baby…”

Kendall gives Eiley a confused look.

*KENDALL* “I didn’t say that she was going to get in the ring with you but she wants to see how you’re doing in the ring. Where’s your partner anyways?”

Eiley shrugs her shoulders at Kendall. She wasn’t sure where Oliver was at this particular moment in time and she wasn’t his babysitter or in charge of his whereabouts.

•EILEY• “I really don’t know. But I wasn’t aware that I was supposed to know his location at any given time. It’s not like he and I are married.”

The statement had come out a lot more snippy than Eiley had wanted it to and she grimaces as she sees the unamused look on Kendall’s face. They both look up as the doors open to Mikah’s gym and in walks Mikah with the baby car seat slung over her arm. They both watch as Mikah is quick and effortless as to setting the seat down and getting the baby out of the seat. Eiley had yet to meet the baby and was apprehensive about doing so as babies weirded her out, but she could see the excitement on Kendall’s face as she is quick to get out of the ring and goes over to wash her hands as Mikah walks over to the ring. Eiley doesn’t move from her spot in the ring as Mikah stands outside of it. Eiley could see that the baby is dressed in a pale purple ruffle romper and a cream-colored bow on her head. However, Eiley didn’t move closer to get a better look as Mikah seemed pretty content in holding the newborn.

;MIKAH; “How are things going Eiley?”

Eiley knew the tone in Mikah’s voice was serious but also curious and Eiley wondered how much Kendall had told Mikah over the past two days. She knew that her head was not in the right place and she needed to work to get to where she needed to be mentally and physically to be prepared for the match against the Barnharts. Eiley opens her mouth to say something but is cut off by Kendall, who had walked back over and Mikah easily placed the sleeping Ridley in her arms.

*KENDALL* “This is the most perfect baby I have ever seen. She is so well blended between you and Kris.”

Eiley watches the two women look at the sleeping baby and she couldn’t understand the fascination with the baby. If Eiley was honest, she was a little scared of babies.

;MIKAH; “I want her to have Kristopher’s eyes. But they’re still baby blue right now but she definitely has his temperament.”

Eiley sighs before getting out of the ring, figuring that Kendall was going to be infatuated with the baby and that the training would wait a little bit. She goes over to the station where the sink was and washes her own hands before grabbing a fresh bottle of water and walking back over to Mikah and Kendall. Eiley couldn’t help but notice that Mikah had seemed a lot calmer now since she was no longer pregnant, and she was not sure if it was a good thing or if there was something brewing.

•EILEY• “Babies’ eyes change colors?”

Eiley knew the bare minimum about babies and even less about their eyes and changing colors. She looks at Kendall, who was still holding the newborn before looking at Mikah. Mikah didn’t seem to be bothered by the question and Eiley just shrugs her shoulders as if it was normal for her to not know the answer.

*KENDALL* “Sometimes if their eyes aren’t going to be blue. My older sister had bright blue eyes as a baby but she now has brown eyes. It usually happens in the first year of their life. Do you want to hold her?”

Eiley freezes up a little but doesn’t have much time to refuse as Kendall places the baby in Eiley’s arms. Eiley struggles for a moment to get used to the feeling of the newborn in her arms, the panic settling in. Mikah smirks, sensing the discomfort in the young woman.

;MIKAH; “You’ve never held a baby, have you? It’s not that hard and she’s not going to bite, yet. Give her about ten months and she might. Here…”

Mikah reaches out and helps Eiley get better control of how to hold a baby. Eiley just looks at Mikah, that wide-eyed panicky look in her own eyes. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hold the baby but the baby didn’t seem to mind the jostling that was happening, either.

•EILEY• “How is she sleeping through the moving?”

Mikah chuckles as she sits down, and Kendall follows suit. Eiley thinks about sitting down but she doesn’t think she can manage to do so without dropping the newborn.

;MIKAH; “She’s become used to Myles holding her and he’s a little wild for a four-year-old. Out of the kids under ten, she prefers Lindsay because she’s the calmest when holding her. Myles can’t sit still long enough to be still with her as he always has to chase after KJ. But if we’re talking about all of the other four, Leighton would be the other obvious choice because she’s eighteen and has handled babies before. She probably does a better job than you.”

Eiley wasn’t going to object as she still felt uncomfortable holding Ridley, but she looks down at the newborn’s face and studies it. She could see that the baby had a blended number of features from both parents and could only wonder which one she was going to be more like. Eiley is quick, however, to hand Ridley back to Mikah, not wanting to hold the baby any longer.

•EILEY• “Yeah, well I haven’t been around babies before.”

Eiley just gives Mikah a tight-lipped smile before sitting down. Mikah moves so that she can sit on the floor with her back against the ring and her feet on the floor with her knees bent. She carefully positions Ridley on her legs so that the baby could be stretched out while asleep.

*KENDALL* “Eiley here is struggling with focusing today. I’ve knocked her on her ass several times.”

Mikah raises an eyebrow at the information that Kendall had spilled before looking at Eiley, a serious look on her face.

;MIKAH; “You can’t lose to the Barnharts, Eiley. You’ll be the laughingstock of the entire company. And nobody will let you live it down. You can’t have that blemish on your record, trust me, just ask Kristopher.”

A small smirk passes across Mikah’s face, but she is quick to replace it with a serious look. Eiley sighs and runs her fingers through her hair.

•EILEY• “I know, I know. And I’m trying but it’s hard. I don’t even know why I’m so unfocused today.”

Eiley wasn’t trying to be unfocused in any sense, but it was just happening and while she knew why, she couldn’t tell either of them the true reason as to why she is so unfocused.

*KENDALL* “Look, we know that the Barnharts are not the biggest threat to you and Oz’s championship reign. But you still have to treat this match like it is a high caliber match. It’s going to prepare you for the match you have at High Stakes against Finn Whelan and Kayla Richards. Plus, you and Oz need a little tune up before that match anyways. And this match can be just that.”

Eiley nods her head, knowing that Kendall was right.

;MIKAH; “Plus, you need to get your head in the game because whatever you’re thinking about right now? It is not as important as not losing to the Barnharts. Trust me.”

Eiley couldn’t deny that she was right. She didn’t want to lose to the team of Bill and Bea Barnhart as they were not somebody that her and Oz couldn’t beat when they are focused.

•EILEY• “How did you always stay focused?”

Mikah chuckles at the question that Eiley had asked. Eiley looks confused for a minute but doesn’t say anything as Mikah begins to speak.

;MIKAH; “Oh, I had plenty of distractions throughout my career. Most of the time Kristopher was a walking distraction but I also am really good at compartmentalizing and it’s something you need to learn to do in order to be successful in this career.”

It definitely seemed easier said than done. Or at least to Eiley as she didn’t know if she could push something to the back of her mind enough to focus on the match.

•EILEY• “Okay…I can try that. Are you ready to go again, Kendall? I think I’m ready to focus on what needs to be done.”

Kendall smirks and nods her head, getting up to her feet. Mikah carefully picks the sleeping baby up and moves to sit in a chair to watch, laying the baby across her lap.

*KENDALL* “You’re the one that needs to be ready, Eiley.”

Eiley nods her head as the two of them get in the ring.

•EILEY• “I will be.”

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ON CAMERA
Location: Kaneohe, Hawaii.
Date: Friday, October 6, 2023

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The scene opens up to the view of the ocean as Eiley stands in front of it in a simple orange summer dress with her mixed championship sitting in the sand in front of her. She shakes her hair out a little bit as the camera shifts a little bit to focus on her after getting a good glimpse of her championship in the sand.

“Is it going to be worth it? Is it going to be worth leaving the beautiful island of Hawaii to travel to Reno, Nevada with Oliver for a match against the Barnharts? I can’t really say in good faith that the sight of the Barnharts is going to be anything worth looking at compared to the view of the beach in front of me.”

The camera pans away from Eiley to get a glimpse of the view of the beach and the ocean before it moves back to Eiley.

“The Barnharts are anything but impressive when it comes to the competition here in SCW. Their record speaks for itself but if they are one thing, they are consistent with being the most disliked on the roster. And I’m not talking about their behavior or how they act on screen but it’s because they do not try to put any effort in to beat any opponent they face. They don’t change or adapt to the culture in the company, they just keep doing the same old shit that gets them nowhere. Has Bea Barnhart even won a match this year? Because if not, I’m not sure why Mark Ward and Christian Underwood continue to renew their contracts unless they enjoy employing glorified easy wins for their opponents.”

Eiley smirks a little bit.

“Bea will compare me to some sort of animal as she did the last time I faced her because she has nothing else to say that’s worth listening to. She’ll ramble on about how she’s going to beat me even though it hasn’t happened yet and I doubt she’s even beat anybody above her own caliber. I don’t know what more I can say that would make it easier for her to realize that I’m better than her.”

Eiley looks down at her championship that is still in the sand before she looks back up at the camera, a smirk still on her face.

“Oz and I have been the Mixed Tag Team Champions since July and have not had any problems in defending our belts. Sure, there may have been some close calls, but at the end of the night, we retained our championships and are on our way to cementing our own legacy in SCW. What can the Barnharts say? Except that they are old, outdated, and out of touch with what is real and what is fantasy. In real life, they do not amount to the high caliber that SCW expects out of its superstars. If anything, I do not even know where the Barnharts would belong when it comes to the totem pole of SCW. Definitely nowhere near the middle or the top and I’d definitely say they were either at the bottom of the totem pole or even lower, if at all possible. I mean, what do they expect when they get booked in matches against champions like Olly and I? Do they believe that they even have a shot at winning? Or are they already expecting to lose? Because they cannot expect to be anything more than jobbers, at best. And sometimes, I even think that is too much of a good thing because even jobbers try harder than the Barnharts do. They don’t change the way they portray themselves on the screen and they don’t adapt to what the culture is like around them. They are stagnant in this company where they believe that they are able to keep up with the best of the best, but that’s just it. They can’t. They want their cozy, comfortable life that the money they get from SCW brings. The do not care about their win and loss record or that they are literally the laughing stock of the locker room and when people see that their opponent for the next show is one of them, they have a laugh because they know that it is going to be the easiest win of their career. Or the easiest wins of their career, if they get booked in multiple matches against the Barnharts.”

Eiley shrugs her shoulders before she sits down in the sand and digs her feet into the sand behind her championship belt. She looks at the camera again and takes a deep breath.

“In reality, this match that Olly and I are booked in against the Barnharts is only a warmup match before we defend our championships against Finn Whelan and Kayla Richards at High Stakes. The bosses already know what the outcome of this match is going to be they’re not stupid, they know that Olly and I are going to be the ones walking out of the arena on Sunday with the win. The only reason they booked us in this match against the Barnharts is to make sure that Olly and I are a well-oiled machine. They just want us to be well prepared for the more important match that will be happening at High Stakes. They don’t give a fuck about the Barnharts; they know the Barnharts are not the type of talent that is bringing them in the money that names like J2H or even Courtney Pierce brings them. They will never have that star pull that the top champions of this company have. Or even the legends of this company bring. Legends like Kris Ryans and his wife, Mikah. Or Delia Darling. Names like Despayre., The list really can go on and on, but the fact is that the Barnharts are absolute trash when it comes to this company. They are not taken seriously, and they are a laughingstock and are not to be taken seriously.”

Eiley moves a little more in the sand to get more comfortable. She stretches her arms out behind her to support her upper body. She shakes her hair out behind her, letting the sun hit her face and closes her eyes and relishes the warmth of the sun.

“This is the life. This is what everybody should dream about it when it comes to paradise and what they want their life to be like. I couldn’t imagine being somebody else where they’re stuck in an office with a boring nine to five job where all they get to do is look out a window at life passing them by. However, that is the life that the Barnharts should aspire for because they sure as hell aren’t good in a wrestling ring.”

She doesn’t move her head, letting the rays of the sun hit her face.

“I’m sure that if the Barnharts really applied themselves, they’d be decent in the ring but that’s even close to happening. They won’t change their ways because a zebra can’t change their stripes. But Olly and I?”

She lifts her head up and looks at the camera, a smirk crossing her face.

“We are the best tag team that this company has, hands down. There’s nobody that can touch us and our talent. We even beat Ben Jordan and Sam Marlowe, which everybody doubted that we would walk away unscathed from that match. They were the favorites and Olly and I? We’ve never been anybody’s favorites, not once in our lives has anybody bet on us for anything. But we’ve always bet on one another. And that’s all that we really need to do. We don’t need to be the favorites or liked by anybody other than each other. I don’t need the popular vote because just like this country? We don’t need to rely on that vote to win. We only need to rely on each other.”

She sits up and grabs her championship and dusts the sand off of it. She admires the championship belt a little bit before looking up at the camera with a smirk still on her face.

“There’s not much time left before the clock runs out and Sunday is here. And there’s not much left that I can say about the Boring Barnharts and there’s nothing more that anybody can really say about them as they do not change and they will not be any better than what they are.”

She shrugs her shoulders.

“I don’t make the rules and I only know that Oliver and I are the best team this company has. Nobody can touch us or upstage us. And we’re going to use the Barnharts to prove just that on Sunday. And it’s going to be the easiest thing we’ve done since we won these championships.”

She knew that she was sounding more confident than she probably ever had before, but it was the truth and it was how they were going to prove their worth on Sunday.

“When you take Olly and I’s star power and pit it against the shadows of the Barnharts, we can’t do nothing but shine and prove we’re just that good. And I am honestly looking forward to it. Probably more than I’ve looked forward to a match in the past couple of months.”

Eiley starts walking toward the ocean, draping her championship over her shoulder.

“I’d like to say more but talking about the Barnharts is boring me. And this state is too beautiful to be dulled down by the Barnharts. So, see you on Sunday.”

She continues to walk toward the ocean and glances over her shoulder, the smirk still present on her face.

“Ciao.”

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