The tears had long since gone. Now, all that remained was a redness of eye, the occasional sniffle and an emptiness inside which seemed as though it would never allow itself to be fulfilled. Her stomach hurt, too, although admittedly that could derive from the fact that she had had no more than a couple of bites since dinner the night before - and over 12 hours had elapsed since then.

'That is not healthy, Katherine darling', she could hear her father say inside her head. In her mind's eye, she visualised his stern, yet concerned expression as he went on to add that she had a bout this weekend, and that it was no time for such silliness. Katherine knew he was right - if she was to defeat Roxi Johnson and Electra Styles, and to be useful to her partner, Zuri Justice, it would not do to go without nourishment for such long periods of time. And yet, could she help it if she was not the slightest bit hungry?

In her mind, the sound of her father's voice as he scolded her was suddenly replaced by another one, one that brought a pang to Katherine Kensington's heart. A French-accented voice speaking words which, while never actually uttered out loud in her presence, the young SCW superstar could still clearly hear inside her head:

'...a little more mean...sensitive to a fault...'

After a moment, this voice merged with another, which Katherine recognised as belonging to her cousin Nigel:

'...a little more assertiveness would not hurt you, love...'

Katherine screwed her eyes shut and flung herself sideways, burying her face in a pillow to stifle a scream. After  a moment, she was slightly embarrassed to feel the taste of tears touch her lips again. 'Oh, marvelous', she thought. 'This is why nobody wants you in their circles, Katherine!'

Forcing herself to stop crying, she fumbled around for her mobile phone and called Nigel, only to find that he was in southern Spain with one of...them! Letting out a groan of frustration, she proceeded to call another trusted friend, entreating her to meet her in town. The meeting having been arranged, Katherine stood and walked over to her vanity to try and make herself presentable. As she appraised her hair critically, pulling it up with one hand to see how it would look in a bun, only one thought crossed her mind:

'No more Miss Nice Katie. I shall show them all.'

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St James's Park is buzzing with activity at this time of day, even though it is the middle of the week and this is early August. Mothers trail by the hand of their excitable children, tourists snap photos, couples walk hand in hand and the odd pensioner sits on a bench people-watching as they feed the squirrels, ravens and waterfowl that inhabit the shores of the pond.

In the middle of this hustle and bustle, we find Katherine Kensington, plain yet stylish in a simple sleeveless blouse and understated make-up, her long dark hair framing her face perfectly. The Kent heiress's only concession to vanity is the too-red lipstick she wears, which jars oddly with the rest of her sensible, well-appointed ensemble. The reason for that particular choice soon becomes clear, however, as Katie suddenly, and with no explanation, swats a snow-cone out of a small boy's hand, stamping on it for good measure. A horrified gasp comes from off-camera, but Katie pays it as much heed as she does the boy's tears, which is to say, none. Instead, she snaps at the bawling child to 'grow up!' before stalking away.

At length, a swan idly waddles across the path in front of Katherine's feet, venturing from its lakeside nest to explore further regions of the park. A moment later, it is scrambling away in a flutter of wings, the SCW signee having aimed an attempted kick at it. Still seemingly not satisfied, the heiress then turns around and pops another young girl's balloon, once more causing a flood of tears and a glower from a distinctly upset mother. All of this, however, seems to affect the brunette not one whit, as she is perfectly composed when she addresses the camera:

'Good afternoon, KatieKats! How smashing of you to join us! As you can see, I already have a bit of a head start on the fun...you shan't hold it against me, shall you?'

Katie's already insincere hands-to-heart gesture has a malevolent edge this time around, which seeps over to the girl's words:

'You see, certain people within our promotion seem to believe that I am, as it were, too kind. Too pleasant. 'Sensitive to a fault', I believe the expression was. I have decided, my dears, to prove these people wrong. You see, I can be precisely as unpleasant as anybody if I set my mind to it, and this weekend, Delia and the others will hopefully become aware of that.'

The heiress pauses for a second, then resumes:

'And who shall I demonstrate my wickedness on, you ask? Why, there shall be two perfectly good subjects just across the ring from me! Roxi Johnson and poor, poor Electra Styles. I feel as though I oughtn't abuse the poor girl, given her struggle with a condition...but a true Mean Girl does not think that way. A true Mean Girl cares little about the struggles of others! And indeed, why ought I to be concerned with Ellie's...socially debilitating...dis...order...'

Feeling her voice falter with compassion, Katherine quickly overcompensates by speaking rapidly and in a higher pitch than usual:

'...as I said, why ought I care? Besting her and her partner in our bout Sunday next is beneficial to me, and a true Mean Girl looks out, first and foremost, for herself. Just ask Elizabeth-darling.'

The brunette pauses a moment to take a seat on a nearby bench and fish into her purse for cigarettes. Lighting one, she continues:

'As for the other two women in this contest, my KatieKats, you shall think me a liar if I tellyou that they both fancy themselves superheroes!'

A shrill laugh precedes the heiress's next point:

'Indeed, my dears! While I find it admirable that SCW goes to the trouble of doing charity work with the local mental facility, I must confess I am puzzled with regards to my placement in this match. Perhaps to offer a modicum of mental imbalance...? Or perhaps they have heard about my nurse training and wish me to assist with patient removal once the bout is concluded? It does fair baffle me! ...But where was I? Oh, yes, Roxi and Zuri. You two darlings feel free to test your, ahem, superpowers on one another...I promise I shan't interfere!'

Katherine has a vague little dismissive gesture to go with the word 'superpowers' before continuing:

'But I digress, my dears. The point I was attempting to make is that, this Sunday, Delia and the Mean Girls shall realise just how wrong their perception of me was. Effective immediately, please bid your farewells to pleasant, self-effacing, perfectly polite, astonishingly silly Katie K; for she has given way to the strong, fiery and determined Miss Kensington. And Miss Kensington shall sit at the Mean Girl table.'

With this, the Brit imperiously gestures for her friend to turn off the camera, which she promptly does. Only when the device is safely tucked away inside one of the girls' purses does Katherine drop her haughty posture, her shoulders sagging and chest deflating as she once again becomes dear old Katie K, sweetheart of SCW. Immediately rising from the bench, she stubs out the rest of her cigarette and motions for her friend to follow. At an inquisitive glance from the other girl, she explains:

'I shall attempt to find that poor darling boy from earlier. I do, after all, owe him an ice-cream...'

 A few days before the latest show is due to air, SCW's website sees a new video get added to the 'Our Wrestlers Speak' section. This is entitled 'Katie Vlogs: New Beginnings' and the thumbnail shows an attractive young brunette with an expression of gratitude etched across her features.

Once viewers click through to see the rest of the video, however, the earnest demeanour is initially replaced by a serene expression, capped by a faultlessly polite smile. Clearly, our interloper is 'the hostess with the mostest', even if the space behind her - a well-appointed living room - is currently strewn with cardboard packing boxes. This may be the reason why, when she speaks, the young woman uses an apologetic tone:

'Hello, darlings! This is your friend Katie once again. Be very welcome to another instalment of Katie Vlogs! Before we begin, please, do forgive the clutter, the house is rather a mess, I'm afraid...'

The vlogger briefly waves towards the boxes behind her, then resumes her address:

'You see, Daddy and I shall be leaving the country in the morning. You may recall, on my last video, my having mentioned an opportunity to grapple in Nashville...? Unfortunately, that ended up not materialising. A frightful affair, really...'

The young woman looks sullen for a moment, then regains her almost artificially chipper demeanour:

'Fortunately, Daddy, absolutely wonderful darling man that he is, was able to procure alternative placements for me in a timely manner! I shall be grappling in the United States after all! Isn't that wonderfully exciting? And I do hear Las Vegas is ever so rustic...! Daddy told me there were even Indians there! Goodness me!'

The youth utters a little gasp, a dainty hand fluttering to her bosom as her lashes blink rapidly. Then, composure regained, she proceeds:

'So, yes, all rather frightfully exciting. And darlings, everyone in my new workplace is such an absolute dear! I already think of almost all of the girls in the Women's League as sisters! As for the gentlemen, I'm afraid I have yet to make most of their acquaintances - after all, it wouldn't do for an unchaperoned young lady to mingle with unattached gentlemen directly, now would it? But I am sure they are all perfectly pleasant also, and I look forward to calling each and every one of them my most dear and intimate friend!'

The young lady draws both her hands to her bosom at this point, composing a moved expression as she holds them out towards the camera in a gesture of almost supplication. Then, that particular bit of polite theatrics out of her system, she resumes:

'Before I am accepted into the Circles at Sin City Wrestling, however, there is the tiniest spot of bother I must deal with. You see, Daddy, utterly silly man that he is, personally contacted the President of my new company to request that I be properly utilised. Such an absolute darling, isn't he...? Unfortunately, the other gentleman interpreted the entire situation in entirely the wrong manner, believing Daddy wished to throw his weight around, when all he was doing was looking out for my professional welfare!'

A slight scoff of indignation, then:

'Be that as it may, I'm afraid it is absolutely paramount that I participate in a match against Joanna-darling. And let me start by saying, darling, absolutely impeccable sense of style! I cannot help but feel that we shall be wonderful friends! Although if you would permit your sister Katie the tiniest observation...well...oh dear, how shall I put this?'

The young woman makes a show of being contrite, looking away from the camera and biting her lip nervously as she twirls her fingers. Then, after a moment, she seemingly makes up her mind:

'Well, darling, when one is...shall we say top-heavy...one must really request that their tailor make the necessary alterations to prevent...well...tightness. One does not wish to appear as though one's clothing is a size too small, does one now?'

Katie has an airy giggle, then:

'Oh, but don't fret, dear, after I best you in our little kerfuffle Sunday next, I should be delighted to treat you to a spot of shopping, so that we may work on that tiny little flaw in your wardrobe. We shall call it a consolation prize of sorts.'

The Brit gives the camera her most earnest, winning smile before proceeding:

'In return, in the spirit of sisterhood, perhaps you might introduce me to some of the gentlemen in your...shall I say professional team? I do adore Italian men, and their line of work makes them so delightfully...rugged!'

A wistful sigh ensues, Katie allowing herself a dreamy expression, then another little giggle:

'Oh, but listen to me waffle on! I shall leave you darlings be, I must go and bid farewell to my horses, my poor babies, who shall miss their Mummy ever so much! But do believe me when I say, Joanna darling, that I am absolutely ecstatic about having the opportunity to grapple with you. Think of what an impact it will make, when the absolute newcomer bests the former multiple-time Champion on her very first bout! Oh, shan't it be a triumph?!'

Katie composes another dreamy expression for a moment, then signs off:

'That bout is this coming Sunday, nine-ish, darlings. Do be sure to tune in and support your friend Katie, won't you?'

And, with a little wave:

'Ta-ra!'

The image freezes for a micro-second at this point before the video ends.