Scene One: Failure

Where: Backstage
When: Shortly after her match at Climax Control 265
*The scene fades up with Candy in the back. Her hair was disheveled, her makeup had seen better days. You could see some streaks down her cheeks where she had been crying. It had only been about 15 minutes since her match, where she tapped out to Diamond, costing her team their spot in the finals of the Blast From The Past tournament. All sorts of emotions were going through her head. Sadness - for her sister. Pain - from all the abuse her body took in the match. Anger - at herself for tapping out and giving up. She didn’t know what to say, do, or even think as she just sat there on a box. Her expression was pretty blank as she stared into nothing. Fluffy came around the corner and stood at her feet, and barked a few times. Candy, however, didn’t react to the pint sized pup. Fluffy walked in a circle a couple times before curling up in a ball between Candy’s feet. One of the backstage workers came by and saw her. He walked up to her, concerned.*
~WORKER~: Candy? You ok?
*She didn’t say a word, just nodded slightly as she didn’t even look away. The normally bubbly, overexcited, extremely positive young woman was not herself. The worker walked off down the hall. He returned a minute or two later with her husband, Marcus Cage, in tow.*
~WORKER~: See?
*Marcus thanked the worker, who walked off. Marcus crouched down in front of her so he was eye level with her.*
~MARCUS~: You ok?
~CANDY~: No. I failed. I normally don’t get so sad when I fail… but I didn’t just fail me. I failed you. I failed Fluffy. I failed James. And worst of all, I failed Kat. I failed everyone.
*The tears intensified. Marcus wasted no time bringing her in for a hug as she sobbed.*
~MARCUS~: You didn’t fail anyone. I promise you.
~CANDY~: And now everyone hates me.
*He held her at an arms length and looked right at her.*
~MARCUS~: No one hates you. At all.
~CANDY~: Are you sure?
~MARCUS~: Of course I’m sure.
*From behind her walked up and into the shot her Blast From The Past partner, James Austin Mercer. Marcus motioned his head towards James, so that Candy would turn around and see him. She turned, and hung her head, speaking quietly.*
~CANDY~: I’m sorry I failed you.
~JAMES~: Don’t worry about it. You did your best.
*He placed his hand on her shoulder to reassure her. He smirked a little and nodded in her direction before he walked off. Candy sniffled a little.*
~MARCUS~: See?
~CANDY~: I’m glad to know he doesn’t hate me. I am kinda sad to know that Teams Hugs N Cuddles is done.
~MARCUS~: But it’s ok. You both still have your titles… it’s all good. Come on, let’s go see your sister. The doctors said she should wake up any day now.
*She sniffled again, nodded, and they walked towards the door.*
Scene 2: Kit Kat?
Where: At the hospital, in the ICU
When: A few hours after Climax Control
*The scene fades up to show Candy sitting in her sister’s ICU room. She was holding her sister’s hand, who was still in a coma. Tears welled up in her eyes.*
~CANDY~: So… Kit Kat… I lost. I failed you and everyone else. I know people tell me that I didn’t fail, but I know that I did. It was because I tapped out that we arent in the finals for the tournament. Marcus says its ok, but it’s not really ok. At least not to me.
*She continued to talk to her sister when the doctor came in.*
~DOCTOR~: How’s she doing?
~CANDY~: She’s still asleep. When is she gonna wake up?
~DOCTOR~: It’s unpredictable, it could be at any time.
~CANDY~: But maybe not?
~DOCTOR~: It’s hard to truly guess, since everyone is different. The good news is she won’t have to stay here for too long after she wakes up. Does she have a place to stay nearby?
~MARCUS~: Yes. Our guest room. She was on her way here to spend some of the quarantine with us. She will come into our care.
*Candy looked at Marcus, and for the first time in over a week, her eyes sparkled like nothing was wrong.*
~CANDY~: We will take good care of her.
~DOCTOR~: And it will be really important that she remains under tight quarantine. I know you have a career that you still have to go to, and you have opted out of their hotel.
~CANDY~: Yeah, I didn’t want to stay in a hotel.
~DOCTOR~: You know that you are putting yourself at risk everytime you leave, right?
~CANDY~: I am very careful. I made special masks with pink glitter and sequins on them! And, SCW checks us everytime we come and go. And I dont go anywhere but home and the hotel, so it’s ok.
~DOCTOR~: Ok, keep it like that. The less exposure the better. She will be vulnerable for a few weeks while she recovers. She had some bleeding on her brain from the impact but we were able to fix that. So its just a matter of rest. Lots and lots of rest.
~CANDY~: GOT IT! Now… wake her up! I need to talk to my sister!
~DOCTOR~: I’ve done all I can for that. It’s up to her now. I suggest you just keep talking to her, she will hear you and eventually wake up.
*The doctor nodded towards them before leaving the room.*
~CANDY~: I hope she wakes up soon. I can’t go into Blaze of Glory and my title match distracted. I think that is what cost me this week.
*Marcus walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.*
~MARCUS~: You are taking this loss way too hard. I know Kat wouldn’t want you to blame yourself. Ya win some, ya lose some. What have I told you about winning and losing?
~CANDY~: It’s not about how many times you lose, it’s about how you bounce back.
~MARCUS~: Exactly. And how do you plan on bouncing back from this loss?
~CANDY~: I don’t know yet.
~MARCUS~: Well, you should figure that out. Think about last time you lose, when you didn’t beat Sam Marlowe for the Bombshell Roulette Title the first time around. What did you do?
~CANDY~: I got a rematch, and I focused, and I tried harder and harder and then I won!
~MARCUS~: Exactly. You bounced back in the best possible way. Instead of wallowing in self pity you trained and you trained hard. And that’s what you gotta do now.
~CANDY~: You are right, Marcus! I need to bounce back in the best way possible! I have to retain my title against Bea and I need to do it in a fantabulous way!
*Marcus smiled. It was at that moment that Candy gasped*
~MARCUS~: What?
~CANDY~: SHE JUST SQUEEZED MY HAND!
~MARCUS~: WHAT???
*Candy turned her focus to her sister.*
~CANDY~: Kat?
*Kat stirred a little bit more, moving her head a little. Candy looked so excited.*
~CANDY~: Marcus! She’s waking up!!!
*The camera cut to black.*
Scene 3: Welcome Home!
Where: Inside Marcus and Candy’s home
When: The next day
*The cameras fade in and show Marcus coming in the front door of their Las Vegas home. He came in first, followed by Candy and her sister, Kat, who was walking on crutches.*
~KAT~: I totally don’t need these crutches… it’s just a small sprain.
~CANDY~: Better safe than sorry! I’m not risking you falling down and hitting your head again. I can’t handle that anymore.
~KAT~: I know you’ve been through a lot the last few weeks. With my accident, and this quarantine, and last weeks match…
*Candy leads Kat to a seat on the couch. She grabs her a footstool and helps her elevate her foot. Once Kat was sitting comfortably, Candy curled up on the couch next to her and wrapped her arms around her.*
~CANDY~: I’m just so happy you are ok.
~KAT~: I’m sorry, I feel awful, like this was the worst possible time.
~CANDY~: It’s ok. I mean, I was upset at first, especially about losing in Blast From The Past. But… the more I thought about it, the better. At least we lost on a week when the belts weren’t on the line.
~KAT~: That’s very true. And now, instead of the high pressure of a tag team match for the win of the tournament AND both titles, you don’t have to worry about anyone else. It’s one on one against Bea.
~CANDY~: Yeah, I don’t really know alot about her. I saw the video clip she posted the other day and she seems really really mean. I think she is just hoping to take my title away from me.
~KAT~: But you won’t let that happen.
~CANDY~: NO WAY!!! I like my title way too much. And she really doesn’t think I can beat her. And that’s what is gonna cost her. She is misunderestimating me. And that’s gonna cost her.
~KAT~: Misunderestimating?
~CANDY~: Yeah! Like when she thinks that I’m not as good as I am. Like, I know I’m not the bestest, but I’m pretty good. And she called me a joke. And that makes me mad!
~KAT~: I can’t say I blame you. She does seem mean.
~CANDY~: I know, right! She doesn’t seem to like me, but that’s ok. Cuz I don’t think I like her.
*Candy crossed her arms and pouted a little*
~KAT~: You don’t mean that…
~CANDY~: No… I do! She is not nice, and she said bad things about me. She doesn’t even KNOW me! She thinks I want her to fail. And that’s not true. I don’t want her to fail. But if it’s gonna be me or her, I’m gonna win… not her. She’s not gonna win because she thinks i’m easy to beat or anything like that. Cuz I’m not.
~KAT~: I know you aren’t. You are one of the best competitors in this company. Look how fast you have risen up the ranks. Look how long you have held the title. You even beat one of your friends to retain it. To me, that’s pretty awesome.
~CANDY~: RIGHT!!! Well, I don’t care what Bea says. I think she is a …
*She lowered her voice and whispered*
~CANDY~: … a meanie doo doo head!
*She spoke at a normal tone again*
~CANDY~: And I guess I gotta get in the ring and show her that she is wrong about me! People say that I don’t have the killer instinct that this business needs… but I have something better than that! I have heart! I’m dedicated, and I love what I do. When I came to SCW, I didn’t have any intentions of ever going after titles. But then, when I got my shot, it meant the world to me. And things changed. I went from just having fun, to having a booming career again! And I love it. And I’m not ready to give that up.
~MARCUS~: That’s my girl. You guys hungry? I could make some lunch.
~KAT~: STARVING! I’m ready for a nice, home cooked meal
~MARCUS~: I got you covered.
*He walked into the kitchen. Candy sat up and looked at her sister. All was right in the world again for her. She had a title defense coming up, her sister was ok and with her, she as with her best friend on the planet, and she had Fluffy. What more could a girl ask for.*
~CANDY~: I wish you could come to Blaze of Glory and watch me beat her. It would be so cool.
~KAT~: You know I would if I could. But you remember what the doctor said. He said that I am vulnerable to sickness right now, so I have to stay here. But you bet your ass I will be watching it live from riiiiiight here.
*Candy’s eyes lit up.*
~KAT~: I’m gonna watch you prove Bea wrong on everything. Just like you always do. People always think you are such a pushover and easy to beat, just because you are a nice person. You may not have a “killer instinct”, but you have something much much more important. You have talent, and you have skill, and above all else, you have heart. You will do just fine. And win or lose, just know that I am so proud of you. I’m proud to be your sister, and I absolutely love watching you in that ring. It’s almost like you are a totally different person once that bell rings.
~CANDY~: I can’t even describe it. It’s like… I know exactly what I need to do, and I do it.
~KAT~: That’s what makes you so good in the ring. Bea doesn’t know what she is in for.
~CANDY~: Yeah! It’s gonna be an amazing match, and I’m gonna prove to her that I’m champion for a reason. And I’m gonna STAY champion. For a long long time!
~KAT~: That’s my sister!
*The two shared a hug as the cameras faded to black*