Chapter 43:Rememberence.
I never was one to follow orders.
I suppose it’s the rebellious streaking me. One that I’ve had since I was a little girl. This entire thing has to do with me. But I’ve been told to stay out of it. To stay away. Finn wants to handle it. And part of me wants to believe that he can. Part of Me wants to give up that control and let him. But, I still need to do something. Just sitting around and watching all of this pass by is enough to drive anyone insane. And that’s what has been happening to me.
The feeling of very slowly going insane. Watching someone else be responsible for a situation that involves both of us. So, I decided that I was going to see the one person who could possibly understand what I was feeling and what I was going through. The one person on this planet who had gone through something similar and escaped from the other side. Part of me didn’t want to. I didn’t want to bring up those memories, I didn’t want to go to her with this only because I knew that she was in a good place right now.
I know I joke around about my sister now being a domesticated house plant, but she’s happy. Away from the life of a professional wrestler, away from the crazy carnival that we’ve all been part of.
But it isn’t just that.
She was also away from the Romani life. A life that she got sucked into many years ago a life that she had to put up with. The painful life of abuse, physical and mental. All because we chose wrong when it came to significant others who have drawn us in with their charm only to become monsters behind closed doors.
I know she felt guilty.
You say it was Amber who introduced me to Jace.
She was the one responsible for all of this. Even though she didn’t want to admit it. I took a deep breath and knocked on her door, I wasn’t sure what the reaction was going to be. The door popped open. She tilted her head and smiled before folding her arms over her chest. ”Well…..lovely for you to drop by….for once….” She gave me a sarcastic smile, I rolled my eyes and gave her a nod before walking in. Nova and Luna, my twin nieces ran up to me and gave me hugs.
They both talked at the same time rattling off everything that was going on in their lives. After a few minutes of talking, giving them hugs, and letting them know that I was proud of them and I missed them too. And that was it. The novelty of Auntie Kayla wore off very quickly. Amber shook her head and sat down sliding a coffee to
”As much as I know that you’ve missed your nieces, why are you actually here?”
I took a deep breath, I closed my eyes and I looked around to make sure that the girls were nowhere to be seen. ”I….need your advice.” Amber scoffed and stepped back, folding her arms over her chest as she leaned against the kitchen bench. I understood the look in the feeling, I very rarely came to her for advice and when I did, I didn’t often listen to her. ”Jace came to see me…”
In a swift moment, the arrogance was gone. Amber went pale. Well paler than usual, her eyes wide and as she shook her head and looked away. ”No. no Kayla. This isn’t funny. If this is some kind of joke, if this is you just trying to fuck with me, I don’t appreciate it. There is no way any of them would come to you. We were done, we were gone. Renée is dead. We have nothing to do with them anymore and I will not have you coming into my house and bringing this to my doorstep.”
”M-ai adus la ușa lor și acum s-au întors în viața mea”(You brought them to my door and now they are back in my life) I couldn’t help it, I had to slip back into Romanian. Just emphasise the point. It stopped her rambling, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. ”I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t have a good reason. Finn said he would take care of it.”
”prost al naibii”(fucking fool) part of me wanted to laugh. I hadn’t heard her speak Romanian in a while let alone swear. ”You can’t let him. I do not doubt that Finn is a dangerous man. Or dangerous than maybe you know. But you can’t let him do this okay? You know how dangerous Jace is….”
She was right. I did know how dangerous Jase was. I closed my eyes and I could smell it. The cigarette smoke in the air, Jack Daniels flowing. Jace and Renée. The oldest brothers of the Pleasant family. One of the oldest Romani families in the Americas. Tracing their history all the way back to the early 18th century. They were both Romani princes ready to take charge of the family. And Amber and I were their gateway into the world of professional wrestling. A business where they could not only make some money but also push their criminal trades further.
The brothers took us out for what they promised was a nice dinner. But we ended up at a bar in upstate New York. I still remembered the smell, I still remember the awkward glances that Amber and I shot each other when we walked in. I remember hearing Jace and René talk to each other in Romani. Amber and I could only pick up a few words, neither of us was fluent at that point.
I sat down, looking over at Amber as Jace stood up, walked across the bar, and then with an evil grin grabbed the small balding older man who sat at the bar. He kicked the stool out from under him and in one motion pulled him back, slamming the old man against his knee. He fell to the ground heaving heavily as he was barely able to breathe. Amber and I were both scared. René just chuckled. A cold glare in his eyes. He was holding himself back from getting up and doing more damage. Preferring to leave this moment of intimidation and violence to Jase. ”We told you, we warned you. Your little mafia family isn’t in charge anymore. This whole area is ours. This was a warning. Hopefully, you can regain feeling in your fingers, and your legs. Because you need to run along to your bosses and tell them exactly what I just said. If not? they’re gonna have to put you back together from all the body parts that they’ll find.”
When Jase turned around, I still had the look on his face etched in my mind. It was cold and uncaring, the only emotion I could see was that of a man who was enjoying what he was doing. And it terrified me. Amber closed her eyes and shook her head. And that’s what I knew, I knew that she had seen stuff like this before.
”Yeah, I remember what they were like. I remember how dangerous they were. I get it. But I still don’t know what to do.” I swallowed hard. Letting the memories get pushed down. I hated everything. I hated how that made me feel. I hated the fact that Amber had to deal with it too. I looked up and noticed that she had a look on her face that I had seen.
Remorse
She felt guilty. ”If you want my honest advice?” I said nothing, just staring ahead with a small move of my eyes to let her know that I did want her opinion. Amber took a deep breath and leaned in. ”Give the Romani whatever they want. Whatever they’re asking for. Just give it to them. Hopefully, they’ll forget you exist, hopefully, they will just leave you alone. But that’s my advice take it or leave it.”
I grabbed my coffee, chugging it down before pushing off the kitchen table to stand up. ”Yeah….thanks….I don’t know I’ll figure it out….take care of yourself.” Amber smiled grabbing my hand as we both squeezed each other. I moved out of the apartment letting the door close behind me. I took a deep breath grabbing out my phone. This was horrible. And I was still in the dark about what I should do.
Challenge
”I would say that it is hard being me. But that’s a lie. It is amazing being me.”
Kayla Richards, current SinCity wrestling mix tag team champion and world bombshell champion. She was on top of the world, arrogant and Happy. And why wouldn’t she be?
”I mean, my accomplishments speak for themselves. Since I came into this company, I have done nothing but win. And admit it was a spotty start. You say I am under the impression that this company didn’t want me. When I first came in to SCW I was only known by reputation. I was a champion and other places and everyone knew it. But I also had the reputation that I was arrogant and a bit of a bitch. Which, is absolutely true. And I don’t apologize for it. In fact, I own it. But this company did everything they could to not let me succeed.”
“A few weeks later, after I had kicked and screamed and booted that door down I was ready to take this company by storm. I went after the roulette championship. A title that, to be honest, I didn’t want. My heart wasn’t in it and it was at a summer extreme in an ultimate X over the pool that I tasted defeat. But I wasn’t pinned, I didn’t submit. I fell into a fucking pool.”
“I became the best Internet champion this company has ever had. I helped make the mixed tag team championships mean something. I have become the bombshells champion.”
“I am SCW.”
“Now a lot of the voices that are within the company, ones that talk to shit, have been silenced. But that doesn’t stop others from outside the company, who used to be here, from running them out. Jealousy is a hell of a thing. And if anyone wants to sit there and say that I’m jealous of certain people who used to be here? You’re blind. I am a double champion. Holding two championships simultaneously and defending them simultaneously. Something that’s never been done in this company. Myself and Finn are the first two people to do that.”
She can’t help but laugh, her British accent shining through as she looks over at the two championships sitting on the table. Both of them face the camera, both of them with her name on the bottom of the nameplates.
”Finn and I are not just world champions. We are also the longest-reigning mixed tag team champions of all time. We also have the most defenses. And even though we went a while without defending them due to this company needing to find actual challenges for us, we are now going to defend these championships twice in one month. Yet those voices still persisted. The last time you saw us, the last time we walked down to that ring to defend these championships it was against two people who are in a similar position to myself and Finn.”
“We defended them in the main event against a number one contender Famai title and the roulette champion. Alexander Raven and Luna Paisano. These are two people who are worthy of respect because they go down to that ring every single time and leave it there. Alexander is a possible opponent for someone like Finn and Luna is going to be coming Famai Bombshell championship. At summer extreme she’s going to find out that the beating she took in the mixed tag team match is nothing compared to what will happen one on one.”
“But, that isn’t where our story is ending is it?”
“You see in an effort to give teams a chance at our mixed tag team titles. They have brought back a team that has already challenged us. A team that under any other circumstances might have a shot at being the chance. But, that would require me and Finn not to be here. That would require Alexander and Luna not to want these championships. Unfortunately, we are here and we are the champions.”
“And no, we are not about to start singing Queen.”
“Miles and Alexandra. A team we have faced and beaten before. But so much has happened between then and now. See Finn and I have defended our world titles, defended the mixed tag team titles, and have done nothing but show the world that we are the pinnacle. While you two have….”
“…..existed.”
Kayla offers a small shrug and sits down. Dressed in a tight-fitting long white dress with a plunging neckline, she crosses one leg over the other and throws her arms over the large black leather couch that sits in the hotel room that she’s been given a five-star suite because she’s a fucking champion.
”I mean it really does say a lot that your biggest accomplishment over the last couple of weeks is going to be that you are main inventing the 400th edition of climax control. Cause god knows you both don’t have much else. I mean, Miles, you haven’t been doing anything except getting fed to Peter Vaughn. All we keep hearing is that Miles Kasey has all this potential. Potential is a word that gets thrown around with you a hell of a lot. We’ve gone through it before and we’re going to go through it again.
“Potential doesn’t mean anything if you don’t eventually capitalize on it. People once told me I had potential. When I was a 21-year-old rookie. When I was struggling to keep up with women who were so much more experienced than me. People said I had potential when I first got in the ring with Mercedes Vargas years ago. And she put a beating on me that many others would kill to do now. People said I had potential when my own older sister was a world champion and gave me a shot against her and she did the same thing. Mercedes did.”
“They said I had potential.”
“But, that potential got turned into an opportunity. Those opportunities got turned into accomplishments. And those accomplishments have been turned into a legacy. I have been a champion at every single company I have ever stepped foot into. I have been to the top of the mountain in multiple companies. I’ve done things that will live in the hearts and minds of fans all around the world whether they love me or hate me. I’m wrestling royalty. And you? You are just someone who we are waiting for.”
“Waiting to do something. Anything. But do you know what you do, Miles? Disappoint us. Every single time you take one step forward toward a goal, every time you take one step forward toward being something more than just a kid with potential you think it’s slacked right back because you can’t handle the pressure. You beat once when he didn’t care and instead of capitalizing on that and becoming something more, you ended up failing. And that’s all you have done.”
She laughed again, shaking her head and reaching forward, she picked up a small glass filled with whiskey taking a sip before placing it back down and stretching.
”Finn he’s going to destroy you in this mixed tag team match. He’s already done it once and he’s going to do it again. All because deep down he is sick of you. He is sick of everyone talking about your potential. He’s sick of you not being focused on your career. And he’s sick of you not stepping up and being the man that we all thought you were.”
“And me? Well, I’m going to take your bean head tag team partner and I’m going to crush her like the insignificant little worm she is.”
“And yes Alexandra, I’m talking about you. Here I am talking to someone who thinks they’re on a higher level than they are. And truth be told, that is what makes me want to crush you. See I can handle people who have an ego who have earned it. I can handle people who have tried to better themselves. Shit, I can respect people who will do everything they can to realize their dreams and their goals. But what I can’t handle and what I can’t stand is someone like you.”
“You believe yourself to be a worthy contender. Someone who stands on the upper echelon of what the bombshells division needs. I want to be very clear on this, right now in the bombshell division there are a handful of women who I would consider to be the best of the best.”
Kayla leans forward taking another sip of her whiskey before shaking her head and staying close.
”Myself, Luna, DiMaria, Hernandez, Johnson, shit even Bella Madison. They are all above you. Even someone like Mercedes Vargas, a returning Alicia Lukas, and Ariana Angelos even though I’ve kicked her ass more than I have anyone else in this company. All of them I would consider to be somewhat close to the other names I mentioned. But you? You are not there.”
“You are known for what?”
“Hmm?”
“Getting dragged kicking and screaming to the blast from the past final by Alexander Raven? Let’s face it, he got you there. And you are damn lucky you didn’t lose that toy championship that you were running around with them. And the second that you had to defend that championship? The second you had to step up and try and be something more than the pathetic piece of crap that we’ve all come to know and not respect? You failed. You lost that championship. The roulette championships are the biggest jokes that I’ve ever seen in this company and you couldn’t even hold onto that.”
“And now here you are trying to get championships that means something. And you’re trying to do it by getting miles to help you.”
“Shameful.”
“Now, I’m going to let you in on something that we all know but you somehow don’t. An open secret as it were. Nobody wants you here. Nobody. You’ve even become an inconvenience for your friends. Now, I’m a complete bitch. I’m arrogant, self-righteous, I’m way too good at what I do and it makes everyone hate me. But even I have people in this company who want me to stay. All your friends? They want you to leave. They talk about you behind your back because they don’t have the heart to say it to your face.”
“You’re a liability.”
Kayla clears her throat and leans back. Taking a deep breath before finishing her whiskey and holding the empty glass in her hand.
”Now, I’m not usually in the business of doing favors for people. But I’m going to do Miles and his brother a favor. I’m going to get rid of you. Going to walk down to that ring, I’m going to beat you so bad that there is no chance of you ever wanting to come back out to that ring and attempt to be a professional wrestler. If you’re lucky I might leave just enough that you can roll yourself into a little ball and go back to PWS where you belong”
“You are not on my level Alexandra.”
“And Miles isn’t on Finns.”
“As individuals, he and I are almost unstoppable. As a team? We are basically unbeatable. It’s why we’ve held these championships for so long. It’s why we’ve already beaten you. It’s why we’ve beaten other teams that are worthy of facing us. Because you aren’t. You are not worthy of facing us. You are not worthy of being in that ring with us and I don’t even know why you’ve been handed this opportunity. But I’m going to make sure you never get handed anything ever again. And when all is said and done, Finn and I will be standing tall with all our gold.
