Walking down a darkened hallway, Seleana Zdunich tries to get her eyes to focus. She glances down to see her feet are bare and she’s wearing what looks like a small blue bikini. Stopping there in her tracks, she stares at the bikini.
Seleana Zdunich: Var kom det där ifrån? (Where did it come from?)
As she goes to touch it, a crash is heard to her left. Turning her head to face that direction, her gaze falls upon a door she had not seen there before. Her right hand reaches out and gropes for a doorknob, finally finding on the third attempt to grasp it in the dark. She goes to turn it but it laughs back at her.
Door: Ha...Ha… Ha…
Seleana’s hand falls away from the door in shock. Did the door really just laugh at her?
Seleana Zdunich: Vad är det här för ställe? (What is this place?)
The door laughs again, dark and cruel.
Door: Ha Ha Ha… You want no part of this!
As Seleana steps back, taken aback from the sound coming from the door, she notices white lace hanging from her arms. Looking down, her bikini has changed to a white wedding dress.
Seleana Zdunich: Vad? (What?)
She turns, looking at the dress she’s wearing in stunned disbelief.
Seleana Zdunich: Var kom detta ifrån? (Where did this come from?)
Door: You know where! Turn away now, Little Cat! Turn and run like you know you should! Turn and run before the building shakes and everything falls to ruin!
Seleana steps back and just as the door had said, the building starts to shake. Seleana lets out a scream.
Seleana Zdunich: NEJ!!! (No!!!)
Her breathing starts to quicken, her heart pounding rapidly.
Seleana Zdunich: Jordbävning?!!? (Earthquake?!!?)
The door starts laughing even more.
Door: Hahahahahaha! And it’s all your fault!
Seleana falls to her knees, covering her head with her arms as the shaking intensifies.
Seleana Zdunich: Jag är inte Gud! (I’m not God!)
The shaking intensifies further, pieces of the ceiling falling all around her.
Door: So be it…
The door starts to open, revealing giant, sharpened teeth, opening wide as water starts to spill from the all. Seleana screams, desperately trying to swim from the door’s gaping maw.
Door: Proceed… on your way to oblivion.
Seleana tries to swim away, paddling furiously but the water rushes in and pushes her into the opening and the doors jaws smash down around her. Seleana tumbles, screaming as she falls.
Seleana Zdunich: Hjälp mig!!!! HJÄLP MIG!!!! HJÄLP MIG!!!! (Help me! HELP ME! HELP ME!)
Seleana crashes into something and opens her eyes to find herself in a darkened room. She brushes something from her face and realizes it’s the veil from her dress. As she looks up, she sees three long-haired figures in what look like matching black dresses. She squints to try and make the figures out when a realization strikes her.
Seleana Zdunich: Simba? Shenzi?
The figures turn to face her, one with jet black hair, one with fiery red hair and the third with blonde hair. Seleana stands up and notices the three are sitting around what looks like a five-foot tall mountain.
Seleana Zdunich: Eavan?
She starts to move in closer and notices the figures are exactly who she feared they’d be, her friends and bridesmaids-to-be, Stacy Jones, Eavan Maloney and her sister, Zenna Zdunich. The raven-haired one, Stacy, stands up, and reaches to the mountain.
Stacy Jones: Master…
Seleana squints as the blonde one on the far side, Eavan, also stands and reaches for the mountain.
Eavan Maloney: Master…
Finally, the redhead, Zenna, stands and reaches out.
Zenna Zdunich: Bemästra… (Master…)
Seleana rushes over to Zenna and tries to get between her and the mountain.
Seleana Zdunich: Shenzi? Shenzi? Vad händer? (What’s happening?)
Zenna doesn’t flinch and Seleana moves over to Stacy.
Seleana Zdunich: Simba? What is this? What is going on?
Just like Zenna, Stacy doesn’t so much as flinch. Seleana starts to walk over to Eavan when the mount opens its eyes.
Mountain: Come crawling faster…
Seleana stares at the mountain slack-jawed.
Seleana Zdunich: Vad? (What?)
The mountain glares at her angrily.
Mountain: Speak english or die! You are capable, you silly cow!
Seleana steps back and stares at the mountain.
Seleana Zdunich: What are you doing?
The mountain smirks cruelly.
Mountain: I am reclaiming my followers! I pull their strings and they dance for me!
Seleana shakes her head.
Seleana Zdunich: No, they are all free of you now!
The Mountain laughs just as the door had earlier.
Mountain: Hahahahaha, fool! They are NEVER free of me! I’m always two steps behind them, and I will always make their life burn faster!
Seleana shakes her head, stepping back.
Seleana Zdunich: No…
The mountain laughs louder as it bursts into flames, setting Stacy, Eavan and Zenna alight as well.
Mountain: YES!!!! HAHAHAHA!!!!!
The three women all fall to their knees and crawl into the mountain, seemingly burning away as they do.
Mountain: You see, they cannot get enough of me! Blinded by me, they cannot see a thing!
Seleana shakes her head as the fire grows more intense.
Seleana Zdunich: No, no, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Suddenly, the flames die down and the mountain is gone, replaced by three more figures in matching black dresses just as before, only this time, two of them have long blonde hair and the third has a different shade of long red hair than the last. Seleana squints and stares in disbelief.
Seleana Zdunich: Kate? Reya? Kattunge?
She looks closer to see her other three bridesmaids-to-be, the blonde Kate Cornett, the red-haired Reya Serra Cornett and her blonde youngest sister, Katra Zdunich, all staring seemingly into the void before them.
Seleana Zdunich: Kate?
She waves at them but they don’t move at all, just continue to stare forward, all looking vaguely horrified.
Seleana Zdunich: Reya?
She hurries over to Katra and waves in her face.
Seleana Zdunich: Kattunge, what is…?
Footfalls behind her, cause Seleana to turn to see what Kate, Reya and Katra are all looking at. As she turns, her gaze falls upon two figures, one short-haired man and one shoulder-length-haired woman.
Seleana Zdunich: J… Jami?
She steps back, the same look of horror on her face now as on Kate, Reya and Katra’s faces.
Seleana Zdunich: Twain?
She falls to her knees and stares in shock.
Seleana Zdunich: Det kan inte vara du! (It cannot be you!)
She stares as Jamilyn and Twain Cornett walk out from the darkness.
Seleana Zdunich: Du är död… (You’re dead…)
Jamilyn and Twain both nod to her.
Twain Cornett: You were supposed to love me!
Seleana stares at him, abject horror written all over her face.
Seleana Zdunich: I do!
Jamilyn crosses her arms.
Jamilyn Cornett: Then why did this happen? Hadn’t this family been through enough? Hadn’t him nearly dying of cancer been enough? Hadn’t me nearly dying in childbirth been enough? Wasn’t Destiny being assaulted enough? Was that not enough blood for you?
Seleana Zdunich: Vad??? (What??)
This only seems to infuriate Jamilyn further.
Jamilyn Cornett: You simpering fucking idiot! DJ was the one who knew languages, not me! Doing that just shows you never loved me like the sister you claimed you did! You have no respect for me!
Seleana can only nod.
Seleana Zdunich: Yes I do!
Jamilyn glares harshly.
Jamilyn Cornett: No you don’t, or you’d speak English like a normal person! You were always too busy looking at people like your precious animals back in Orana Park! You never take the time to look at us as anything other than what amounts to sweet little pets to be taken care of!
Seleana’s bottom jaw starts to quiver.
Seleana Zdunich: You don’t mean…
Twain nods.
Twain Cornett: Yes, she does! You never loved us but you are too happy to steal our family!
Twain and Jamilyn point simultaneously to Kate and Reya.
Twain Cornett: There they stand, waiting to help you forget all about me as if I never existed! Even Mama Red is gonna be standing on the other side helping you bury my memory further!
Seleana shakes her head, tears starts to flow from her eyes.
Twain Cornett: You could have stopped me!
Her eyes go wider at this statement as Twain glares at her, Jamilyn glaring in kind by his side.
Twain Cornett: You could have stopped all of it! You could have kept me from going to Florida for business! You could have kept me from going during a hurricane! Because of that, it’s your fault I got murdered! It’s your fault that I’m gone and you could move on! You never wanted to marry me!
Jamilyn nods her hate-filled agreement.
Jamilyn Cornett: And what about me? How much did I need to suffer before you would even look at me as anything more than something to be used and tossed away?
Seleana shakes her head, now terrified as well as horrified.
Seleana Zdunich: But… you said…
The room starts to shake and all of the people in the room with her start to melt into piles of ashes. Seleana covers her head as the ceiling starts to fall on them piece by piece!
Seleana Zdunich: Sluta! SLUTA!!!! (Stop it! STOP IT!!!!)
The shaking comes to a stop and Seleana continues to just hold her head, almost kissing her own knees. She coninutes shaking on her own, terrified to look up. As she continues to shake, she slowly looks up into the room. The piles of ash are gone and so is all the debris from the ceiling.
Seleana Zdunich: What?
She looks around the room nervously, and then sits up straight. Just as she starts to get off her knees, another figure, this one slightly smaller with long almost curly hair, comes walking into the room. Seleana’s eyes narrow as she stares at the person coming in.
Seleana Zdunich: B-Brat?
Her eyes focus and the visage of her stepdaughter-to-be, Brittany Williams, comes into view.
Brittany Williams: You desperate old hag!
Seleana’s falls back onto her ass in shock.
Seleana Zdunich: I…
Brittany shakes her head angrily.
Brittany Williams: Stop pretending you know me or anything else! You know you have no idea!
Seleana reaches up and Brittany backs out of her reach.
Brittany Williams: No talking your way out of this. When that Apple hits you in the head, you will know the gravity of the situation!
Seleana leans forward, making it up to her knees.
Seleana Zdunich: Brittany… please?
Brittany glowers back at her.
Brittany Williams: Nobody loves you, you gave it all up for nothing! Lady Appleseed will show you!
Suddenly, Seleana sits up in bed and looks around the room. Christina Rose lies next to her, peacefully asleep. Seleana exhales heavily and then slips back down under the covers and Christina snuggles up closer to her. Seleana smiles, even as tears roll down her face.
Seleana Zdunich: I love you, Estrellita.
The whisper barely leaves her lips before she closes her eyes and hopes a more restful sleep will soon visit her again.
A camera opens upon Seleana Zdunich as she steps out into a hotel hallway, the camera obviously a phone on a selfie stick. Seleana’s hair drops straight back over her shoulders and down her back over a white tank top and cut off jeans.
SZ: So, here we go again, I would imagine.
She nods pointedly to the camera.
SZ: Apple Coren makes her debut for this company against me and having read up on her with what little information was made available, I can see the unfortunate truth already.
She pauses and shakes her head in almost stunned silence, seemingly resigned to the whole situation.
SZ: She will be yet another who tells me she’s better than me just because of the circumstances of her birth.
Her head droops as she exhales heavily, her teeth grinding as she just stares at her feet for a second.
SZ: I am getting tired of this, almost as tired as I am of everybody spewing at me about who I choose to share a bed with.
She looks back up to the camera and nods stiffly.
SZ: What does either have to do with how you and I will compete?
She shrugs, seemingly demanding an answer.
SZ: What does who I choose to spend my life with have to do at all with how I will compete in the ring?
Again, she shrugs, demanding an answer that is not coming.
SZ: Because nobody ever comes at me about how Christina was my trainer, they always come at her through me or, like Mercedes Vargas, they don’t even bother to give me the courtesy of pretending they are coming at me and just come at her and then slip my name in at the end so it looks like they cut a promo on me when really, it was about Christina the whole time!
She nods, glaring into the camera.
SZ: I am not Christina. I will never be Christina. I was not born in Detroit and I was not a great athlete in my young the way she was. I am not a teenage mother who managed to overcome the odds being stacked against me to make it to the top of this sport!
Her glare softens slightly, determination overtaking the anger in her voice.
SZ: I AM Seleana Zdunich. I am from Halmstad, Sweden and I lived in Christchurch, New Zealand through four major earthquakes and countless smaller ones! I worked nearly every job there was to have at Orana Park and when I came to America, I had offers to work from places all over the country. I started to settle down with a man named Twain Cornett only for him to pass away last September. After all of that, I was introduced to Christina and now, a week from our wedding, I stand ready to climb into a wrestling ring and face Apple Coren. I may be a relative newcomer to this sport, and yes, I’m still a rookie at an age when most are thinking about their legacy but that doesn’t mean you should walk in here and just act as if I’m some accessory that Christina wears to look good. För fan i helvete! I am not a trophy wife-to-be! And Apple Coren will find out that I can make her live down to her name!
She nods harshly.
SZ: You are nobility and I am not. You have been coddled and brought up with great privilege. I have not. You have never had to work a day in your life while I spent the better part of a decade working at Orana Park in Christchurch, New Zealand, halfway around the world from my family in Sweden and now I compete in this sport because my soon-to-be wife asked to train me. You can say you have a lineage, so can I, but when it comes down to it, it doesn’t matter who our families are or who taught us. It matters what we learned and what we can apply to each other and i am here to tell you, if you try and disrespect me, Lady Apple, I will take you to the mat, give you a proper coring and expose your appleseeds to daylight!
With a final nod, Seleana starts back towards the door of the hotel.
SZ: I will see you on the boardwalk, Apple Coren, and I will see what you are made of because this Cat has claws!
