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"LANDSLIDE."
LOCATION: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK.
DAYS UNTIL CLIMAX CONTROL: 16
EXCITEMENT LEVEL: LOW
SCENE i
REC•FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 201811:00 P.M.The bar she had worked at as a young teenager now seemed to be doing a little better than it had in 2005. In 2005, it had looked runned down and beaten and the sign was barely lit up. But now, the sign seemed to work fine and they’d gotten a new paint job. And she knew it was the money she had given them years back when they had to fix a lot of things to bring the building up to code. They couldn’t help that they were in a poor location. She stands on the sidewalk across the street and she moves her head up, looking at the apartments that were above the bar. The apartment she’d raised Leighton in for the first year of the child’s life. There were a lot of memories that she’d had in that apartment and in that bar. She wasn’t even entirely sure why she decided to pay the bar a visit; to pay Jack and Becca a visit but for some reason, she felt the need to.
She adjusts her shorts and the crop top she was sporting before walking across the street at a jogging pace. She smiles at the bouncer, who was one she didn’t recognize, realizing that Henry must have gotten out of that job. The bouncer doesn’t say anything just nods his head at the blonde bombshell, letting her in the bar.
The place on the inside hadn’t changed much but it did look a bit cleaner, probably due to some sort of safety code laws that they had to abide by. The music was still loud but the girls dancing on the bar was missing. Mikah smiles a bit as she makes her way up to the bar and finds any empty barstool. She sets her clutch purse on the bar in front of her and looks around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jack or Becca. She spots the young bartender and stops her to ask a question.;;MIKAH “Is Jack around? Or Becca?”The bartender looks a little frazzled, almost as if she had about fifty other things that she’d rather be doing than answering Mikah’s question. Mikah just gives a pleasant smile.±±ELOWYN REID “Jack is arguing with the fire marshall out back. Becca is fighting with the girls about dancing. Do you want a drink or not? Because if you don’t, you’re wasting my time when I could be making money.”Mikah raises an eyebrow at the young girl before looking around. It was packed and it was a good night to work the bar. Mikah had always preferred to be one of the dancing girls but she remembered the times where she refused to be one.;;MIKAH “Rum and coke with little ice. And I don’t want the bad ice that you give the rowdy, annoying customers, I want the clear ice that is supposed to be served.”The girl tilts her head to the side, eyeing the blonde up but doesn’t say anything. Mikah watches as the girl makes the drink she’d ordered. She watches the girl pop a small black straw in the glass and she sets it down in front of Mikah.±±ELOWYN REID “Four dollars please.”Mikah’s about to reach into her purse to grab the money out before somebody places their hand over Mikah’s, stopping her from paying.++JACK “You know your money is no good here, Mikah.”Mikah turns to meet the kind eyes of Jack Donovan. She smiles and he leans in to give her a hug.;;MIKAH “You can’t just be giving me free drinks, Jack. That will cost you money in the long run.”The older man seems to just shrug his shoulders as the blonde as he sits down next to her. The bartender looks slightly annoyed.±±ELOWYN REID “Okay. I’m going to go help other customers now.”Mikah chuckles at the bartender’s annoyed tone but just looks at Jack. Jack holds his hands up in an innocent manner.;;MIKAH “Jack, how old is she?”Jack drums his fingertips on the bar as he looks at Mikah. He had been pushing to even hire Mikah when she was just barely eighteen years old. But he’d taken a chance because she needed it.++JACK “She’s twenty. And don’t give me that look, Mikah! She needs the money! I took a chance on you when you were younger than her! And look how wonderfully you turned out!”Mikah shakes her head as she takes a sip of her drink.;;MIKAH “Because I got out of here! Because you knew Ally and you helped me get out of here.”Jack nods his head as he watches the bartender across the length of the bar. Mikah watches her too before watching Jack.;;MIKAH “You care about this girl. What’s her name?”Jack looks at Mikah and smiles before shrugging his shoulders. He’d cared about Mikah when she had been young and helpless too. He had become some sort of father figure to her when she was eighteen and he was almost fifty years old.++JACK “Elowyn but she goes by Ellie. She’s got a rough life; my brother is her landlord and she’s got three siblings to take care of. She has worse parents than you did.”Mikah watches Jack before looking down at her half filled glass. Her parents hadn’t been horrible, they were just neglectful of her. They blamed it on her strong willedness but Mikah didn’t entirely believe them.;;MIKAH “That sucks.”It was all that she could say because she didn’t know what else to say about it. Parents sometimes sucked and there wasn’t anything that they could do about it.;;MIKAH “That’s a shame. She seems smart.”Jack nods his head and smiles as Elowyn walks back over to them. Jack looks at her and speaks to both girls.++JACK “She is. But I’ve gotta go check and make sure Becca didn’t kill our dancers. You make sure that she doesn’t pay a dime, Ellie. Whatever she wants, she gets. Got it?”Elowyn nods her head as she looks at the blonde bombshell, a bit conflicted with her own emotions for a moment. Jack gives Mikah another hug and kisses her cheek before walking off to find his wife. Mikah looks at Elowyn and raises her eyebrows at the look on the young girl’s face.±±ELOWYN REID “So why are you so special that you don’t have to pay for anything?”The girl almost seemed pissed off that Mikah got free drinks and it made Mikah chuckle. She could feel the chip that the girl had on her shoulder.;;MIKAH “Because...”She lifts her drink up and finishes it off before settling it down and looks Elowyn directly in the eyes.;;MIKAH “I’m like the daughter that Dani and Jack never had. I was in your shoes thirteen years ago. I ran this bar by myself with no help from anybody other than Jack when he was needed here. They trusted me that much.”Mikah watches the sour look pass through Elowyn’s eyes and Mikah shakes her head.±±ELOWYN REID “Oh, you’re that Mikah.”This seems to pique Mikah’s interest a little bit more. She leans forward, placing her forearms on the bar as she looks into Elowyn’s eyes.;;MIKAH “And what do you mean by that?”Elowyn tosses a rag down that she’d been using to dry off glasses.±±ELOWYN REID “The Mikah that is soooo much like a daughter to Jack and Becca that hardly ever comes to see them. But when you do show up, you get free drinks and I get ripped off. That Mikah.”Elowyn slammed her hand down on the counter, glaring at the blonde bombshell. Mikah just raises her eyebrows at the young girl before smirking and looking around. She moves her index finger in a circle.;;MIKAH “You see all this? I did this. I gave them the money they needed to bring this bar up to code. If I hadn’t, you wouldn’t have a place to work. So maybe instead of acting like an entitled little bitch, you should figure out just why I get all the free drinks that I want.”Mikah watches the young girl’s face as the anger and frustration starts to play on it. She had a ferocity about her that Mikah was enjoying toying with. Mikah wasn’t getting agitated at all and found the whole situation kind of funny. She couldn’t stop the laugh from slipping from her lips as she looks at the girl.±±ELOWYN REID “You find this funny? How is this funny? I’m losing money because you get free drinks!”Elowyn did not look too impressed with what Mikah was saying but Mikah just shrugs her shoulders and taps her glass. Ellie rolls her eyes before making Mikah another drink and setting it down in front of her.;;MIKAH “You get good tips, Ellie and you know it. You don’t need to be acting like a spoiled little brat with a chip on her shoulder. You’re better than that.”Mikah raises the glass to her lips and takes a small sip before glancing over at a booth where a guy seemed to be seated. She smiles but doesn’t say anything before turning her attention back to Elowyn.±±ELOWYN REID “So you gave Jack and Becca a little money to fix up the place, so what? That doesn’t guarantee you free alcohol from them for life. You should have to pay just like everybody else.”The blonde bombshell shakes her head at Ellie before moving her hair out of her face. She was still finding the whole situation beyond hilarious.;;MIKAH “A little money? I didn’t think 250,000 dollars is a little bit of money.”Ellie’s mouth almost drops open at hearing the amount that Mikah had given Jack and Becca. She hadn’t been expecting that and Mikah could read the shock all over the young woman’s face.±±ELOWYN REID “Oh. But you’re costing them money!”Mikah had to give it to Ellie, she had spunk and wasn’t about to lose the argument. But Mikah could see the fight leaving the young girl’s eyes.;;MIKAH “I don’t come here very often; it brings up some memories that I really don’t want to relive. So the two drinks that I’ve had tonight? It’s not costing them anything, sweetheart.”Elowyn opened her mouth to respond but the two of them are interrupted by a guy who looked barely legal stepping up to the bar.??ADAM WILSON “Hey, yes. Can I--.”Elowyn shoots the man a dirty look as if to say get lost. She wasn’t in the mood and he was clearly interrupting her and Mikah’s conversation.±±ELOWYN REID “Do you see that adults are talking? Move along.”The guy looked a touch defeated but moved away from the bar. Mikah raises an eyebrow at Elowyn.;;MIKAH “That is no way to talk to your customers, Ellie. What would Jack and Becca say?”This didn’t seem to help Elowyn’s mood and she clenches her jaw as Mikah just keeps the pleasant smile on her face.±±ELOWYN REID “They would say that you need to quit distracting me from my job!”Mikah chuckles at the young girl’s expense before she feels a tap on the shoulder. She turns around and smiles at Becca before hugging her.++BECCA “Jack told me you were here but I didn’t believe him!”Mikah smiles at Becca and just shrugs her shoulders.;;MIKAH “Well, here I am. Jack was right.”Becca just chuckles before hugging the blonde again and Mikah actually accepts the hug without freezing up for a moment. Jack and Becca were the first two to ever break through the walls she had built and Christian Othniel had been the second.;;Mikah “Your bartender here doesn’t seem to like me very much.”Mikah points to Elowyn, who scowls at the blonde bombshell. Becca looks at Elowyn and just shrugs her shoulders.++BECCA “To be honest, there’s not many people she does like. Don’t take it personally, dear.”Elowyn tosses the dirty rag down and stomps off, out of anger and Mikah just chuckles and shakes her head but Becca gives Mikah a look.;;Mikah “What?!”Mikah feigns an innocent look but Becca just shakes her head at the blonde.++BECCA “You know what! She is just like you. How many of the customers did you actually like when you started working here?”Mikah just shrugs her shoulders as she glances over at the booth and frowns as he was talking to a young guy. Becca notices the change in direction of Mikah’s eyes but chooses not to comment on them.;;Mikah “Okay, maybe I was not happy with certain customers either. But I wasn’t doing anything to her! Jack told her not to charge me for drinks and she flipped her shit!”Becca just shakes her head before giving Mikah another hug. Mikah hugs the older woman back before watching the young man slide out of the booth and she pulls herself away from Becca.;;Mikah “Excuse me, Bex. But I’ve gotta go talk to him.”Becca nods her head and Mikah makes her way over to the booth and slides into it, sitting across from the guy that occupied the other side.;;Mikah “Fancy seeing you here.”<text align=right> <p align=Right>
"LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE."
LOCATION: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK.
DAYS UNTIL CLIMAX CONTROL:15
EXCITEMENT LEVEL: LOW
SCENE Ii
REC•MONDAY JUNE 28, 20183:00 P.M.The building was larger than what Mikah had anticipated but it would work. It was something she could see coming together and forming in her mind and she only had to wait for Sadie Lancaster to get there to show her around the inside. She knew that there were other things inside but those stores and whatever else was inside knew about the for sale sign. They knew that this could happen at any moment and Mikah didn’t feel entirely bad for having the money to buy the entire building. It was going to take a month’s worth of work to get things up and going, if not more. But the idea was there, planted in the front of her mind. There was no turning back now.
Mikah adjusts her simple summer dress that had some sort of flower pattern on it with a turquoise background. She was being as patient as she could be as she waited for Sadie to show up. Mikah pushes her Ray Ban sunglasses up as she sees a black mercedes benz pull up to the building and parks itself next to Mikah’s custom made Mustang. She watches as the middle aged woman gets out of the car and Mikah sizes her up. Sadie Lancaster was nothing out of the oridnary and Mikah expected her to look like the average woman. Sadie’s mousy brown hair was pulled back into a stylish bun that set just above the back of her neck and there was not a stray hair out of place. She was a little short and average weight but Mikah had a feeling that Sadie was good at her job.??SADIE LANCASTER “I am so sorry that I’m late! My daughter was throwing a typical teenage tantrum about what she was supposed to wear to her new job. I am so sorry.”Mikah didn’t seem to be too concerned about it and just shrugs her shoulders. It didn’t seem to matter to her why Sadie was late or that she even was late to their appointment.;;MIKAH “I understand.”Her being understanding speaks volumes about her growth as a person. She would have been extremely upset a few years ago that Sadie was late but now? She didn’t seem to mind it. She knew that people had lives and that they didn’t revolve around her, as much as she would like them to. She was even starting to see that in SCW.??SADIE LANCASTER “So, you’re looking to start a wrestling school, is that correct?”Mikah watches Sadie’s eyebrows furrow together as she tried to remember just why Mikah was interested in the building.;;MIKAH “Yes, I am. You see, I’ve been in the wrestling business for almost eleven years. My years as a competitor are almost up and I need something that I can do in my spare time to keep from growing bored. And I thought that training up and coming wrestlers would be the perfect thing for me.”Mikah knew that some people were judgemental about wrestling as a whole. She knew the stigma that was placed on the sport but Sadie didn’t seem to show any disinterest or anything.??SADIE LANCASTER “This building has enough space. There is a nail salon, a hair salon, a taekwondo place, and there is even a daycare in one part of the building. Of course, every business in the building knows that selling was always a possibility, so they are prepared for this. They have had ample warning to find another building and most of them have and are just waiting to move.”Sadie leads Mikah into the building, her demeanor changing to that of one of a business woman and Mikah admired that. She could get into people loving their jobs, after all, she loved hers.;;MIKAH “There’s going to have to be some construction done, if fI am correct. I need a big enough space for two wrestling rings; one with six sides and one with just four. And then I need a weight room and locker rooms with showers and everything. Is this building capable of that?”Sadie nods her head enthusiastically and Mikah knew that Sadie was all about the sale. She shakes her head to herself but lets Sadie continue on.??SADIE LANCASTER “Oh yes. Of course. I am sure you’ve already talked to an architect or somebody that could help you with that. This building is very capable of many different options.”She leads Mikah through the building. Mikah seemed to be impressed; there were two floors of the building. She could see that they could use the upper level as an indoor track for those who liked to run. The middle of the ground level floor would easily hold two wrestling rings and then some.;;MIKAH “I can already see all the potential this building has. Two rings here. A weight room or area off to one side with a punching bag. The top floor can be turned into an indoor track for those who like to run.”Sadie smiles at the blonde and nods her head just as enthusiastically as before.??SADIE LANCASTER “Oh yes. That is very doable and I do not think it would take long at all. If you know the right people, that is.”Mikah offers Sadie a smile and nods her head. She did know some people and the people who built her house on the outskirts of the city were perfect for the job.;;MIKAH “I know some people. But where could we put in the locker rooms with the showers? I would also like a front area for a person to be able to sit behind a desk to greet people as they come in.”[Again with a vigorous nod of her head as she shows Mikah into a room of the building. She looks around to see that it had tiled floors and could be easily turned into a locker room./color]
[color=7FE817]??SADIE LANCASTER “This would be a good area for the locker rooms. You could take out a wall or two to make it into two different ones. There are a lot of rooms that you won’t need for what you will be using the building for. As for the front area, you could also adjust how things are too. You could put in a wall and change the doors to be all glass so that it looks more professional.”Mikah looks around the room, her eyes moving over the walls and she starts to paint a picture of what she wanted in her mind. She smiles and nods her head before letting Sadie lead her to the other part of the building, where the nail salon was located. It was on the upper level and there were people in the salon but they didn’t seem too surprised to see Sadie with a potential buyer. Mikah looks around before shrugging her shoulders.;;MIKAH “This room would have to go. I think I would want to take most of the rooms on this upper level out and turn it completely into an indoor track.”She didn’t really feel an ounce of sadness for the fact that the people that were here were going to have to vacate the premises. She was however, excited for what was going to come.??SADIE LANCASTER “That would of course be doable as well. It’s a versatile building.”Mikah could see all the possibilities that the building had to offer her.;;MIKAH “You said that there was a daycare in the building as well? Where is that?”Sadie nods her head and motions for Mikah to follow her. Mikah takes one last look around the nail salon before she turns to follow Sadie out of the room. She can hear some of the Koreans talking in their language. Sadie leads Mikah down the area that would technically be considered a hallway.??SADIE LANCASTER “The daycare is basically its own building but is connected to this one. The daycare is apart of the building and therefore, the company that is selling this building also owns the daycare. They pay rent to rent it out right now.”Mikah nods her head, listening to the words that were coming out of Sadie’s mouth. She understood that the daycare was actually making money and not in the red. Mikah follows Sadie, the walk becoming a little bit longer than what Mikah had expected although she didn’t mind.;;MIKAH “So, if I wanted, I could keep the daycare going and they would pay the rent of the building to me?”Sadie nods her head, confirming with Mikah about what she had said. Mikah admired that Sadie was good at her job and seemed to be into it as well.??SADIE LANCASTER “Yes. They would pay the rent to you and you can do whatever you see fit with that money.”Sadie stops as they come to a door and she opens it and steps inside. She garners the attention of who appears to be the director of the center. Sadie just waves and Mikah looks around before smiling as she sees some of the kids running around the room. She missed Leighton being that little and she glances up to see Elowyn dropping off a little boy that appeared to be around the age of four or five, Mikah wasn’t sure.;;MIKAH “Just a minute, Sadie. I need to talk to that girl.”Sadie nods her head as Mikah sets her sights on Elowyn.??SADIE LANCASTER “Of course. Take your time, Mikah.”Mikah nods her head but doesn’t really say anything else as she walks over to Elowyn and taps the young woman on her shoulder. Elowyn jumps before turning to see who tapped her on the shoulder. Her face darkens just a bit as she recognizes Mikah from the night before.;;MIKAH “I don’t want any trouble...I just want to talk.”Mikah holds her hands up, trying to show her that she came in peace. Elowyn just looks at her before looking over at Sadie then back at Mikah.±±ELOWYN REID “What could you possibly have to talk about with me?”Mikah raises her hands up before moving to the side to let another parent pass them. She looks at Elowyn before looking over at the child that Elowyn had dropped off.;;MIKAH “I wanted to apologize for the other night at the bar. I know how hard it is to keep your head above water in New York City.”Elowyn’s eyes look Mikah over then looks over at Sadie. Mikah sighs as she knew it wasn’t going to be easy to convince Elowyn that she was sincerely sorry for being such a pain.±±ELOWYN REID “You know how hard it is to keep your head above water? It does not look like you’ve had any sorts of trouble.”Mikah sighs before motioning for Elowyn to follow her. Elowyn looks a bit perplexed about the idea of following the blonde but eventually follows Mikah out of the daycare and into the other open area of the building. She looks around at the dumpy building before her eyes settle on Mikah.;;MIKAH “I don’t know what Jack or Becca told you about me or about my life when I was just barely 19 years old, but it wasn’t easy for me. I had to fight to get what I wanted in life. And I had to do things to make sure that I didn’t get myself kicked out of my apartment. And to top it off, I was pregnant by a man that I barely knew at the time. I didn’t have it easy then, but now? Yes, I do. But I had to work for it and accept things from my father that I could have accepted back then. It was not easy for me as I’m sure you’ve already thought it to be for me.”Elowyn just looks at Mikah before looking back at the daycare center where she’d just been.±±ELOWYN REID “But it sounds like you had the opportunity for it to be easy for you and you just didn’t take it.”Mikah could sense that Elowyn didn’t want this to be easy for Mikah to live down. Mikah sighs before shaking her head.;;MIKAH “I was young, Elowyn. I didn’t want any help from the parents that didn’t seem to give two shits about me. I didn’t know about the bank account full of money that my father was pouring money into until after I got into wrestling. I was just going to donate the money but raising a kid by myself wasn’t easy. I had to pay for a nanny, food, and a house over their heads. That money helped me when I needed it to. I don’t know about your life and the struggles you are facing but I do know that it wasn’t easy for me at eighteen years of age. And I want to help you.”The honest look that Mikah had on her face touches Elowyn and she can see that. Mikah knew that Elowyn wouldn’t take any sort of charity that Mikah would offer her.±±ELOWYN REID “I am not a charity case. My family is not a charity case.”Elowyn turns to leave but Mikah stops her by grabbing her arm.;;MIKAH “I’m buying this building, Elowyn. So the choice of keeping the daycare open is on me. I don’t know your life story or anything but I do know that you need that daycare to remain open. And I’m not blackmailing you or forcing you to do anything you don’t want to do but I want you to listen to me. Can you at least do that?”Elowyn stops as she hears Mikah’s words. Mikah watches the back of the girl’s head and she lets go of her arm and just stands there for a moment. She knew that Elowyn was processing things and slowly Elowyn turns around.±±ELOWYN REID “Yes, I can do that.”Mikah smiles at Elowyn as she rummages through her purse before handing Elowyn a piece of paper. It had out a list of a job description on it and things that a front desk person was supposed to do.;;MIKAH “I’m turning this building into a training center for future and upcoming wrestlers. It’s going to require a lot of people working here and I need a person to man the front desk. I don’t know if that’s something you’re interested in but I can give you decent pay and you wouldn’t have to pay childcare for whoever’s child you are taking to the daycare.”Mikah watches the young girl’s face and sees the confusion written all over it. She knew she was processing the information and Elowyn looks up at Mikah.±±ELOWYN REID “He’s my five year old brother. He just turned five at the beginning of June. Are you really serious about this job?”Mikah could see the look of vulnerability in her eyes. She knew that feeling; the feeling of having to trust somebody else’s word and not being able to completely do it. It was the same feeling she’d had when Ally had offered to help get her the training she needed to become a wrestler.;;MIKAH “Yes. And I want you to come with me to Texas the first weekend in July to watch an event to persuade you. You and your siblings can come, my treat. I want you to know what you’ll be dealing with and mostly, the types of people you might be dealing with when I get this building up and going. Please say you’ll come...”Elowyn looks at Mikah and then back down at the paper. She’d never been to Texas or taken her siblings anywhere because they couldn’t afford it. And here Mikah was, offering to do just that.±±ELOWYN REID “Okay. We’ll go with you.”Mikah give Elowyn her number before smiling.;;MIKAH “Text me on the first of July and I will give you travel information. I’ve got to finish up my business with Sadie. You won’t regret this decision, Ellie.”Mikah smiles before walking away from Elowyn to finish up the tour with Sadie and to make the buy.<text align=right> <p align=Right>
"KODAK MOMENTS."
LOCATION: KEMAH, TEXAS.
DAYS UNTIL CLIMAX CONTROL: 3
EXCITEMENT LEVEL: LOW
SCENE iii
REC•THURSDAY JULY 5, 20181:00 P.M.Mikah and Elowyn stood underneath the arch that read KEMAH BOARDWALK and Elowyn had a look of amazement on her face as she stared around. Mikah enjoyed watching the girl’s look of amazement. She wished that she could put that feeling in a bottle and sell it because it was one of the best feelings in the world.;;MIKAH “It’s a shame your siblings couldn’t come.”Elowyn had informed her on Monday that it would only be her going with Mikah to Kemah, Texas for Climax Control. It made it easier for Mikah to only have Elowyn around but she had been looking forward to meeting the young girl’s siblings.±±ELOWYN REID “Yeah, it’s a shame. But my brother has summer school and my sister can’t get time off. And the five year old would be too hard to bring by himself without their help.”Mikah nods her head, understanding where Elowyn was coming from. She could tell that Elowyn had to grow up early in life and it wasn’t fair. But life often wasn’t fair.;;MIKAH “Sounds hectic. Do you want to see where I’m going to shoot my promo for Sunday?”Mikah turns her eyes to Elowyn, who’s eyebrows were furrowed together a little.±±ELOWYN REID “Promo? What is that?”Mikah chuckles before starting to walk down the boardwalk to the ice cream shoppe where she was going to be shooting her promotional work.;;MIKAH “It’s the part of the job where I get to talk smack against my opponent. And the company airs it so people can view it.”Elowyn nods her head but Mikah didn’t seem too sure that Elowyn knew exactly what she was talking about. It was hard to explain to a person who was completely knew to the business.±±ELOWYN REID “Okay...”Mikah chuckles a little bit at Elowyn as they walked around. They listened to the screams from the people that were riding the roller coasters and the Pharoah ride.;;MIKAH “Have you ever watched any professional wrestling? Like on TV or anything?”Mikah looks at Elowyn as she walks alongside her. Elowyn shakes her head no in response to Mikah’s question.±±ELOWYN REID “No, not lately. My father used to watch it when I was a kid but I really don’t remember much of it. Sorry.”Mikah just chuckles to herself before continuing on on her path to take Elowyn to the ice cream shoppe. She stops for a moment to look at Elowyn and then look around the area.;;MIKAH “Do you remember when the good guys would talk in the ring or backstage? And talk about their opponent? And the bad guys would always retaliate in some fashion?”Elowyn nods her head, slowly.±±ELOWYN REID “I kind of remember that...”Mikah smiles before moving on, Elowyn nearly jogging to keep up with the blonde’s fast strides. Mikah points at somebody before waving with a smile on their face.;;MIKAH “It’s like that. But it’s longer, better, and usually one sided. It’s more singular, and you don’t know what your opponent is going to say about you until you watch theirs, if you choose to watch theirs.”Elowyn nods her head almost as if she understood what Mikah was talking about.±±ELOWYN REID “Okay, I kind of understand now. Do you ever watch your opponents’ promo?”Mikah shrugs her shoulders as she stops in front of the ice cream shoppe and Elowyn stops beside her. They both look at the front of the place and Mikah smiles at her.;;MIKAH “Sometimes. Depends on who my opponent is. Sometimes, I can’t stand the sound of their voice so I don’t watch their promo. And also depends on how busy I am.”Elowyn nods her head as she listens and seems to take in what Mikah had to say about the business. Mikah steps closer to the ice cream shoppe and pushes the door open and lets Elowyn walk in first. She follows the young girl in and they look around.±±ELOWYN REID “Have you been here before?”Mikah shakes her head no as they walk to the ice cream freezer, taking in all the different flavors of the delicious creamy dessert.;;MIKAH “Nope. Ruby, my assistant, researched places in Kemah to see where would be a good place to shoot my promo. I don’t think there’s ever been a promo shot in an ice cream parlor. And plus, I like ice cream, it is the one delicacy that I don’t deprive myself of.”Elowyn smiles as she watches Mikah look into the ice cream freezer, taking in all the different flavors of ice cream. Mikah points at the cotton candy flavor and tells the teenager behind the counter that she’d like a dish of that with two scoops, holding up her index and middle fingers to indicate two.±±ELOWYN REID “Ruby? I don’t think I’ve met her yet.”Mikah shakes her head no, confirming that Elowyn had yet to meet Mikah’s assistant.;;MIKAH “Nope, you haven’t met her yet. She’s usually behind the scenes doing the stuff that I do not have the patience for. Order whatever flavor you want, my treat.”Elowyn looks through the glass, looking at all the flavors that the little shoppe had to offer. She finally settles on a scoop of cotton candy ice cream and a scoop of bubble gum.±±ELOWYN REID “How many people do you have employed under your control?”Mikah raises an eyebrow at Elowyn before thinking for a moment and then shrugging her shoulders. There wasn’t many at the moment but she was soon to realize that there might be more to come.;;MIKAH “Right now? There’s you, Ruby, and Alphonso. Alphonso drives my limousine around and me, sometimes. Okay, most of the time.”Elowyn seemed surprised at Mikah’s answer. Mikah hands the teenager some cash that gave him enough for both ice creams and a tip. She moves over to a both and sits down, placing her dish of ice cream in front of her as Elowyn sits across from her with her dish of ice cream in front of her as well.±±ELOWYN REID “And you got all of this just by wrestling?”Mikah shakes her head no.;;MIKAH “No.. My parents were shitty when I was a teenager, so my father made a hidden account from my mother and he had poured money into it from since I was thirteen but never gave it to me until I was like twenty-five. And then I had grandparents that passed away and left me a hefty chunk of money and then an aunt and uncle that left me money too. It’s just been a thing, I guess. I come from money, so my family always gave me some as inheritance. And I was the only one who wasn’t a shitty human being.”Sometimes, talking about how she came into money was hard and other times it was easy. Talking to Elowyn about it seemed to be easy.±±ELOWYN REID “So wrestling just kind of helped moneywise?”Mikah chuckles and nods her head.;;MIKAH “Sometimes, yes. It depends on high profile the company you compete for is. Some companies are considered more indy than another and have less funds to give a hefty chunk to each performer. It just depends. I make good enough money now.”She takes a spoonful of the ice cream and takes a bite of it, watching Elowyn. She smiles at her before leaning back in the booth.±±ELOWYN REID “Right. It helped that you came from money, right?”Mikah nods her head.;;MIKAH “Yes, definitely. However, there is no get rich quick scheme that really works, if we’re talking honestly. I mean, you could marry rich but then people may or may not call you a gold digger. Some people go to college to become surgeons or lawyers to make the big money but they have loans to pay back. So it just depends on what you want to do. You are kind of in a hard place because you have siblings that you seem to be raising. I can promise to pay you enough that you can afford food and then some. It will be a decent job for you to start out with.”Elowyn pushes her spoon around the bowl before eating some of the ice cream as it mixes together. Mikah could tell that she was forming an idea in her head.±±ELOWYN REID “What if...eventually, I wanted to train to be a wrestler? How would we go about that? I can’t afford the cost of it...”Mikah shrugs her shoulders as she looks at Elowyn.;;MIKAH “I’d train you. I’ve trained a girl that is in SCW that won a tournament thing to get a championship opportunity.”Mikah laughs as Elowyn seemed shocked by the news. Mikah just takes another spoonful of her ice cream and then sets the spoon down in the bowl.±±ELOWYN REID “And you’re the champion right now, right?”Mikah nods her head.;;MIKAH “Yes. At least until Sunday and I could still be afterwards or I could be a free agent.”Elowyn frowns a little at her words and Mikah raises an eyebrow at the girl’s confused look. She laughs before taking another spoonful of ice cream and eating it.±±ELOWYN REID “What happens if you lose?”Mikah was enjoying the questions that Elowyn was asking and didn’t seem to mind answering them, either. It was a first for her to actually be okay with answering questions but then again, Elowyn didn’t know much about the sport and wanted as much information that Mikah could give her.;;MIKAH “I walk away. That’s if they don’t give me a rematch. They probably don’t think I’m serious, but they’ll see how serious I am.”Mikah shrugs, seemingly not worried about the chance of being jobless.±±ELOWYN REID “How could you just walk away?”Mikah nods her head and finishes off her ice cream before looking across the table at Elowyn.;;MIKAH “It’d be hard but I’m not working for a company that does what a lady says, who isn’t the champion and holds absolutely no rank in the company. It’s about taking a stand and doing what I believe.”Elowyn slowly nods her head as if she understood what Mikah was saying.±±ELOWYN REID “Right.”Mikah chuckles before getting up and tossing her dish and plastic spoon away and sits back down afterwards. She could see that Elowyn didn’t seem to understand where she was coming from.;;MIKAH “I am standing for what I believe in, Ellie. I stated two weeks ago what would happen if I should lose on Sunday. And if I don’t leave like I stated, I would be a hypocrite. I am not that and I want them to know that I am a woman of my word and that’s what everybody should be.”Elowyn nods her head as she finishes her ice cream and leans back herself to study Mikah. She tilts her head to the side.±±ELOWYN REID “But won’t you be bored without it? And who is your opponent? What’s she like?”Mikah chuckles a little bit before shrugging her shoulders. With the new training center happening, she wasn’t sure how she could be bored.;;MIKAH “No, I don’t think I will be. I have the training center and my husband and I could try for a baby if we wanted to. And my opponent is Christina Rose or Crystal Hilton, depending on who she feels like being at any given minute.”They sit there in silence as Elowyn processes what Mikah told her. Mikah enjoys watching the confusion of what she said on the young girl’s face.±±ELOWYN REID “...What?!”Mikah chuckles and stands up and motions for Elowyn to follow her. Elowyn grabs her empty cup and spoon and tosses it in the trash bin as they leave the ice cream shoppe.;;MIKAH “She’s been pretending to have different personalities lately. She used to think that her and I were friends but I don’t like flaky people. Or bullies and that is what she is. She may claim that I am a bully, but it’s all in character. I keep to myself pretty much when I’m not on camera. She is as nutty as they come, to be completely honest with you. It’s like the tenth time or something that I’ve faced off against her in the ring and I’m growing tired of facing her. But hopefully Sunday will be the last time.”Mikah shrugs her shoulders as her and Elowyn start to walk around the boardwalk.±±ELOWYN REID “And if you win?”Mikah glances at Elowyn as she seems to be eager to learn about the company and about the facts of the wrestling world.;;MIKAH “I go to Summer XXXtreme as the Bombshell Champion and face off against Courtney, my first student. It’s going to be bittersweet and probably one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in my career. If not the hardest.”She takes a deep breath as they near the amusement park rides. She glances at Elowyn as they reach the line for the Pharaoh ride.±±ELOWYN REID “Oh...Summer XXXtreme is more of a high profile event, right? Kind of like a pay-per-view?”Mikah nods her head, smiling at Elowyn.;;MIKAH “Yes, and it takes part on a cruise ship. It’s probably one of my least favorite events. However, I did get married on the ship two years ago, so I probably shouldn’t hate it as much as I do but my activities are limited when I’m on the boat.”Again, she shrugs her shoulders as they wait in line. Elowyn looks around, taking everything in.±±ELOWYN REID “I wish I could go on a cruise. That would be relaxing.”Mikah looks at Elowyn and raises an eyebrow.;;MIKAH “I can get you a room on board. You might have to share with somebody but I can do it. I can see if Ruby can find somebody to help out with your siblings and you can take part in the fun. If you want to, that is…”Mikah watches as excitement fills Elowyn’s eyes and she smiles. She knew that eventually, Elowyn would worry about her family but Mikah knew somebody that would willingly step in, if Ruby didn’t.<text align=right><p align=”Right”>
"NEW BEGINNINGS."
LOCATION: DISNEY WORLD, ORLANDO, FLORIDA.
DAYS UNTIL CLIMAX CONTROL: 2
EXCITEMENT LEVEL: MEDIUM HIGH.
I SCENE iv
REC•FRIDAY, JULY 6, 20184:45 P.M.The Texas heat was not something Mikah was prepared for at all. She was a New York City girl and the heat there was different from the heat of Texas. But she had to be there for the show. She was grateful that Ruby had already had her promo location set up and that’s where she was standing today. She stands in front of the Sweet Scoops ice cream shoppe on the Kemah boardwalk. She sighs before going in and was surprised to see that there was only one person inside like requested. THe cameraman was following her but hadn’t started to record her yet. She gets a waffle cone with cotton candy ice cream before sitting on the counter with the register to her right and the ice cream panel to her left. She adjusts her simple pineapple printed crop top before crossing her legs and then nodding at the cameraman. He gets ready himself before nodding his head to let her know to go.;;MIKAH “Three.”She holds up three fingers with her left hand, the hand that wasn’t holding the ice cream.;;MIKAH “On Sunday, it will be the third match in the past two months between us. Three times we will have met up in the ring. Right now? The score is tied, one win each.”She just simply shrugs her shoulders.;;MIKAH “However, if we want to talk about all time, we know who’s got that lead.”She smirks at the camera.;;MIKAH “Bragging might not be the right thing to do but it feels good.”She carefully licks the ice cream so it doesn’t melt all over her hand.;;MIKAH “You want me to respect you. I can see that every time you show up on a SCW screen and try to act like you’re important. You talk about wanting my respect or thinking that it should just be given to you like a gift.”She raises an eyebrow and licks the ice cream again, slowly.;;MIKAH “You don’t seem to like that I don’t show you any respect. But what have you done to earn any of my respect?”She looks at the camera before shrugging her shoulders.;;MIKAH “You have been nothing but a bully in this company. You always play the victim, no matter what happens, YOU are the one that plays that card.”MIkah presses her lips together. She again licks the ice cream from the cone to keep it from dripping.;;MIKAH “Two years ago on April 24, 2016 you and I stepped foot in the ring, squaring off against one another in a singles match. And who won that match, Crystal? That’s right, I did. Do you happen to remember why we had that match?”Mikah’s eyes turn serious, a steely look in them as she looks at the camera. Her jaw was set a bit in a clenched way as if the memory of why was so bad for her.;;MIKAH “Because you had been a bully to Despayre. You had been his Blast From the Past partner and you both won but yet, you seemed to take all of the credit for Despayre’s work, claiming you carried him to the top. Even though everybody knows it wasn’t true. You may have apologized and he may have forgave you for your actions, but I haven’t. I do know believe a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Because if somebody like you can pick on a person with such a good heart like Despayre? Who’s to say that that is not what you are doing right now? Playing the sheep when in reality you’re the wolf, betraying everybody’s trust?”She raises her eyebrows and then just simply shrugs again.;;MIKAH “So you can go on and keep begging for my trust, but until I can believe you? You’re not getting an ounce of it.”She shakes her head no to emphasize her point.;;MIKAH “And what is it with you trying to proclaim things that aren’t true? Why do you think that if there wasn’t any Crystal, there wouldn’t be a Mikah?”She frowns as the confusion is written all over her face. She again licks the ice cream before looking back at the camera.;;MIKAH “You and I? We do not define one another’s careers. They are not similar, not in the slightest. You are just a thorn in my side that doesn’t seem to want to stay away even though you don’t realize how stupid you really look. Do you think anybody thinks that you are what made my career what it is today?”She raises an eyebrow again before rolling her eyes in irritation.;;MIKAH “Newsflash, nutjob, I had a career before I was ever in SCW. I had success before SCW so you didn’t make me who I am today. Do you want to know who I give that credit to?”Again, she smirks at the camera.;;MIKAH “Natural Selection.”She knew that nobody in SCW would know them, so she just gave them the stable name.;;MIKAH “The guys in that group have helped me over the years become the competitor I am today. Not you, or anybody else. They did. I get that you have some weird fascination about taking credit for other people’s work, but this really takes the cake.”She lets out a laugh before pushing her hair out of her face.;;MIKAH “Without you, there would be a world without chaos and that is just fine. I am still not sure who you’re pretending to be but I don’t even care. You can be whoever you want as long as you know that I am better than you.”She shrugs her shoulders once more.;;MIKAH “Life sucks, but you’ll get used to it. After all, you are used to losing to me as it is.”She looks at the ice cream cone and watches as some of it starts to drip down the cone. She shifts her eyes back to the camera.;;MIKAH “Do you see what’s happening to this ice cream cone as it’s exposed to the heat?”Her eyes go back to the ice cream cone, transfixed with the beads of melted ice cream rolling down the side of the cone.;;MIKAH “This represents your life, Crystal or Christina, whichever persona I am talking to. When the ice cream is in the freezer, it is solid and fine, not willing to change. It’s perfect. But once the ice cream gets scooped out and placed in this cone and exposed to the outside elements, it starts to change.”She tilts her head to the side, watching the cream melt a little more.;;MIKAH “When there isn’t any pressure on you, you seem to do fine. You work well with nothing pressing down on you. But the minute you start to feel the pressure of anything whether it be a match or a personality change, you melt. You change and try to adapt but you fail at it. You try to appear more important than you are.”
