==========
February of 2002
==========
It is February of the year 2002. Much has happened in the United Kingdom,
including the 50th Anniversary of King George VI’s death as well as
the death of Queen Elizabeth’s sister, Princess Margaret.
Those and other events occurring around the world
go virtually unnoticed by Sophie O’Brian.
She is eighteen years old and at the point in her life when she needs to
decide what she wants to do with the rest of her life. Most teenagers her age would be conflicted right
now, not sure what to do with the rest of their lives, or they wouldn’t really
care at all, being more concerned with boys than anything else.
Sophie is different. She knows exactly what she wants to do with
her life. Mark O’Brian, her older brother,
ran away from home to train to become a professional wrestler. She wants to do the same. She wants to follow her brother into the
so-called “sport of kings” and show the world that it can also be a “sport of
queens” as well.
There is one catch, one minor obstacle in her path
that keeps holding her back: her parents.
It isn’t necessarily her mother that is the
problem. Her mother, Linda O’Brian, has
always been very supportive of Sophie and her brother with whatever they chose
to do. She has always been there for
them, through thick and thin. The
problem has been with their father, George O’Brian.
George O’Brian is not the ideal, poster-boy for
fatherhood. George is an abusive drunk
who routinely beats Linda. He would also
routinely beat the children, Sophie and Mark.
Mark, though, grew sick and tired of it and chose to do something about
it. He worked out with weights regularly
and began his wrestling training with Glenn Braddock on the side. Then one day, when George tried to beat Mark,
Mark fought back, leaving his father a battered, bruised mess.
From that day forward Mark would no longer stay
with his parents. He ran off, got a job,
and an apartment close to the Braddock Wrestling School on the outskirts of
London, England. Sophie, though, stayed
behind, for she still had no way out of the situation. But her dream, her desire to become a
wrestler, would never die.
Sophie would visit her brother from time to time,
as she is doing on this day in February of 2002.
She finds herself sitting alone in a rather
sparsely furnished living room. It isn’t
long before her brother Mark enters the room and sits down next to her on the
raggedy brown sofa. He has two bottles
of water in his hand, one of which he hands to Sophie and the other he keeps
for himself.
“Here
ya go.”
She studies the water bottle for a moment before
looking up at him, frowning. “Water?
Is that all you have, Mark?”
“I
got beer, sure, but you’re not legal yet.”
She reaches back and slaps him in the back of his
head.
“I am eighteen years old, idiot!”
“Oh…want
me to go back and get a beer?”
She sighs, shaking her head. “No,
this will do. It would probably be a bad
idea to have alcohol in my system, considering the state of mind I am in right
now.”
Mark arches his brow. “What
do you mean by that?”
“Oh
nothing.” She
pauses momentarily. “You know, I do envy you sometimes.”
“You
envy me?” He
snickers. “You complimented me, that’s a bloody first. At least I think it is….”
The brunette does her best to contain her
frustration as she nods her head. “Yes, Mark, it was a compliment. I hope your feeble little brain can remember
this moment in time because times like this are a rarity. To envy means that I covet your advantages, I
wish I were in your situation.”
“Pffffft,
some situation I’m in.” He rolls his eyes. “You
can see the hole I’m living in.”
“At
least you have a hole all your own to live in.” She snaps back. “It may
not be much, but at least it is a place to live.”
“You
have a place, Sophie.” Mark
points out.
“Yes, I do, and it is hell on earth.”
Mark is about to respond but something about his
sister catches his eye. He stops to
study her for a moment. His usual, laid
back attitude changes in an instant into one of anger and rage as he points
over at Sophie’s face.
“Where
did that bruise come from?”
“…..it
doesn’t matter.”
“Yes
it does!” Mark shoots
up , standing over Sophie now, looking rather intimidating. “Did
that son of a bitch hit you again?!”
Some women enjoy a good cry. Not Sophie.
She views it a sign of weakness and the last thing she wants to be seen
as is weak. But she is unable to hold
back the single solitary tear that begins to form in her eyes.
“Yes.”
“Son
of a bitch….” Mark’s voice trails off. He starts to pace the floor before his voice
flares up again. “….I’m going to kill him.”
“Mark,
no…”
“I
am going to kill him!”
“Oh
for God’s sake, Mark, shut your trap!” Sophie
snaps back at him, standing up herself, getting in front of Mark to stop his
pacing.
“He
hit you, Sophie. NO ONE hurts my
sister! NO ONE!”
“Your
concern is touching, and somewhat frightening at the same time, but touching
nonetheless. However, I must advise you,
that having assault on your record won’t exactly help you in your career as a
wrestler.”
Mark knows she speaks the truth. As much as he would love to march down to the
old homestead and beat George into a bloody pulp, he realizes that doing so
would be foolish. So he takes a few deep
breaths and finally calms himself down.
“Fine,
Sophie. You win.”
“Good,
now sit back down.”
The two siblings sit back down on the raggedy brown
sofa. “Is that why you came, Sophie?”
“Partially,
yes.” She nods
her head. “Truth is, Mark, I have grown weary of it all. Mum and I have tried and tried to reach out,
especially mum, and each time he responds with violence.”
“I
think maybe its time I teach you something.”
Sophie blinks a few times. “You
teaching me something? That’s a first!”
“Oh
shut up!” He
snarls. “Fact is, if talking to the bastard isn’t working, maybe you should
fight violence with violence.”
“You
think so?”
“I
know so. Look, I know you want to be a
wrestler. You told me so before. I have the same dream, only difference
between us is that I was brave enough to step out George’s iron fist and learn
the trade.”
“So
are you suggesting that I learn to defend myself?”
He nods his head.
“Exactly. Hell, you can even join the Braddock
Wrestling School.”
Sophie throws her head back and laughs. “Don’t
me make laugh, Mark! You know I don’t
have the cash on me to fund that!”
“I
don’t either. It takes every bit of my
paycheck to keep this place going.”
Sophie frowns.
“Ok, so how are you managing to
stay in Glenn Braddock’s Wrestling School?
“Don’t
go spreading it around, but he’s not charging me anything.”
“Really?”
He nods his head.
“Glenn knows full well the abusive
asshole our father is; and since we are real good friends with his daughter,
old man Braddock figured he would help out in any way he can.”
Sophie once again is finding it difficult to find
back her tears. She and Glory were good
friends. Glenn himself was a legend in
the United Kingdom for his Greco-Roman amateur wrestling skills. To hear that this legend would be willing to
help her and her brother out was quite touching, touching enough to even melt
the icy heart of Sophie O’Brian.
“Do
you think he would let me go to his school for free?”
“I
know he would.”
Mark places firm hands on his sister’s
shoulders. “Sophie, come to the wrestling school.”
“It’ll
be difficult to do so underneath the radar of father.”
“I
don’t know what that means, but if dad’s a problem, then lie. Lie about where yer going. It will be worth it, because once you have
learned the necessary offensive tactics, use them against the old man. Use them against George.”
==========
Present Day
==========
Sun Tzu says, “The
art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into
account in one's deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions
obtaining in the field. These are: The Moral Law; Heaven; Earth; The Commander;
Method and discipline.”
When engaging in combat, be it short term such as a
wrestling match or a long term goal I seek to achieve, I always look towards
famous military leaders and knowledgeable strategists for wisdom. The one I look towards the most in Sun Tzu, a
Chinese general, military strategist, and philosopher who lived in the Spring
and Autumn period of ancient China.
I have been studying Sun Tzu’s teachings and
writings for a long time now. I can
quote much of it by heart. For most of
my deliberations, most of my decision making, I always rely on the steady hand
and steady mind of Sun Tzu to guide me towards the best path.
Sun Tzu spoke of five constant factors, the first
being The Moral Law. My moral law states
that “an eye for an eye” is an absolute truth.
It is a maxim that cannot be erased.
Thus when Angelica Jones and her sister Kayla sent the tag team career
of myself and my brother Mark into a tailspin, it was necessary by the moral
law that I get revenge, that I send her own career into a tailspin.
Defeating Angelica Jones on Breakdown was
beautiful, but knowing that I took a Television title opportunity away from her
was even better. The Sisterhood’s career
is in a tailspin and I just made it worse.
Sweet revenge that sent me into my heaven, my bliss, the second constant
factor; a feeling of accomplishment knowing a goal has been achieved.
Now I must transition, for while one goal has been
met, another goal is in my sights. The
challenge of winning the SCW Television Championship is a lofty one in and of
itself, and I would be quite proud of adding that trophy to my mantle. But that is just the materialistic goal, the
earth if you will, the third constant spoken of by Sun Tzu.
The real accomplishment here would be overcoming
the great Ravyn Taylor, an SCW stalwart who is known for her mind games. It has been a while since I have been able to
match wits with someone who is, arguably, my better. I’m not sure I would go as far as to say she
my better in terms of the mind games, but we shall find that out, won’t
we? The best commander, the fourth of
the constants spoken of by Sun Tzu, that individual will reign supreme. That is my goal; to prove myself as the
superior strategist.
And I will get the job done, because I have the
method and the discipline to dethrone her, the fifth constant.
It’s funny, looking back at my history, at my own
life, it is a wonder that I even made it here in the first place. Had my beloved mother and that drunken
bastard of a father had their way, I would never have become a wrestler in the
first place. I’m here primarily because of
my brother Mark and my trainer Glenn Braddock.
I suppose I should be more grateful to Mark. I suppose I should be nicer to him. It’s difficult. I don’t want to show weakness. But Mark knows it. He understands me.
He is one of the few who truly do understand me.
There was another obstacle in my path, an obstacle
that threatened my career again just a few years ago. His name was Tony Morgan and he is my
deceased ex-husband.
It’s dark outside in a gloomy, creepy cemetery. Lightning can be seen flashing in the
background the wind can be heard howling off in the distance. Leaves are blown about and while most of the
headstones in the cemetery are upright and stable, others look as if they could
topple over any moment, they look in total disarray.
The figure off in the distance walking around the
headstones is me. I’m wearing a long
black cloak. You cannot tell what I have
on underneath and due to the poor lighting and black cloak in the dark one can
barely make out my facial features. I
come to a stop at a particular headstone.
I throw the hood of the cloak off of my head and I kneel down to read
the inscription on the headstone…
“Antonio
Maurice Morgan”
…Tony Morgan for short.
“Oh
Tony, my dear sweet Tony…” tears form in my eyes but
I fight them back, I cannot show weakness and tears are a sign of weakness “…I know you like it when I come to visit
you.”
A chuckle escapes my lips as I shake my head. “Oh who am I kidding? You’re probably none too happy to see me
right now, are you Tony? But for what it
is worth, I am truly sorry…”
I nod my head “…yes,
I am sorry that it turned out the way it did.
It just wasn’t meant to be between the two of us. But God, I miss you…because you…”
I point at the headstone “…you are one of the few
who truly understood me. You reached
into my head and pulled out thoughts and feelings that I believed were long
dead and you brought them back to life.
That little girl my abusive drunk of a father murdered…you reached into
my head and you found her…
A long pause escapes my lips “…you found her…” tears once more form in my eyes, this time I can
no longer fight back the tears as they start to flow freely down my cheek I
pound away angrily with my bare fists on the tombstone.
“You
did this to me, you son of a bitch! You brought
this side of me out in the open! You
made me weak and it’s your fault!” I shake my head and sigh “That’s why I had to kill you.”
I close my eyes and think back to just a few short
years ago…
==========
March of 2014
==========
It is early in the morning, so early that still no
sunlight has managed to peek in from the clouds. The darkness still rules
the sky outside and yet I am awake. Enthralled by the feeling I
experienced tonight in this bed I am lying in, a comfortable king size bed in a
secluded, special place that no one knows exists but me and one other
individual. I am dressed in a red one piece strappy lace halter teddy with
cutout sides that shows just the right amount of skin and mixes romance with
seduction for an unforgettable night with my partner, not Tony Morgan my
husband but instead with my mistress Abigail Lindsey.
“Funny,
a year ago I was hiding in a closet watching you and Tony ‘make love,’ a year
later I find myself where I wanted to be from the minute I laid eyes on you.”
I roll over and stare deep into her eyes.
“Fact
is, Abigail, I do love Tony. But he cannot give me what I need. He
cannot satisfy the craving that I have.”I kiss her on the nose.“Only you can satisfy the carnal desires I
have.”
I never have been good at expressing my feelings
and emotions. Being beaten and abused as
a child caused that. But being with Tony
has helped me in that department. More
and more I have become an emotional human being and perhaps that is how Carolyn
Rose York managed to sneak her way in past my psychological defenses? Oh well, she’s dead now. No matter anymore. All that matters is me and this woman lying
next to me, Abigail Lindsey, who smiles back at me.
“I
aim to please.”
A faint laugh escapes my lips.“Strangely enough, you have Carolyn Rose York to thank for this.
You know?”
“I’ve
made a living taking advantage of the opportunities presented to me, why stop
now?”
“Carolyn
was smart, too smart for her own good. She thought she could control the
darkness living inside me. Truth is, all she did was unleash it.
And you, my sweet…”
I gaze down at her chest, which shows plenty of
cleavage through the cover. After a moment’s pause I take a lick before
looking back up with a look of mischief.
“You
are the one who gets to dance with my darkness while Carolyn can rot in the
grave I put her in...quite literally might I add. She makes a better
corpse than a human being.”
“So
how does it feel? Not the sex... talking to me like this? About dead bodies,
rotting corpses, murder.”
I roll back over, facing away from her now. A
sigh escapes my lips.
“Perfectly
normal. You see, Abigail, the hardships that I endured throughout my life
created what amounts to almost be two different personalities. One part
of me is the normal, dutiful wife of Tony Morgan. The other is my
darkness, a monster I created as a child to protect myself. Tony cannot
handle the darkness.”
Tears start to form in my eyes and I am thankful I
am turned away from Abigail so she does not see me crying.
“He
would not want that side of me. He’s made that clear already. I
have to have an outlet. Otherwise that darkness will take total control
and all hell will break loose. Wrestling...and you...are those outlets.”
“I
hate to be a buzzkill, Sophie, we both know secrets have an unpredictable way
of coming into the light. I have no intention of sharing our nights together
with anyone, what happens if this comes out? Hard to imagine a traditional man
like Tony will understand our arrangement.”
Abigail is quite right and I hate to admit it. Damn I hate to admit it but she is right
about that. I swing my legs off the bed
and push myself up. I walk over to the dresser and place my hands on it,
my face looking down at the floor before looking back up into the camera, my
eyes red from the tears.
“This
darkness is growing more and more powerful by the day. If this comes
out…”I pause.“...when
this comes out, I will murder Tony. Not that I want to, but I will be
completely helpless to stop myself from doing so.”
“But,
if you love him, shouldn’t that be enough to stop you? Or is love conquering
all one big lie?”
==========
Present Day
==========
I open my eyes, staring back at the tombstone in
front of me. A sadistic grin forms on my
face.
“I
guess love doesn’t conquer all. Perhaps
I should tell Abigail?” I snicker nastily. “And yet, still a part of me feels something…is
it, dare I say, regret? Remorse? Guilt?”
I sigh deeply as I shake my head. “I did what I had to do, Tony. I hope you understand but one of us had to go
because I could not live the life of the person you were turning me into. I cannot be that person. I never will be that person.”
I chuckle. “If
anything, I’ve become an even worse monster since our relationship came to its
abrupt halt. I have gone out of my way
to ruin lives, to destroy people, to recruit followers into my own…well…you
would call it a cult following, Tony. I
prefer to think of them as like minded individuals.”
I stand up and pat myself on the chest. “Now I have an opportunity to reclaim my
lost glory, a glory I lost shortly after my relationship with you began, by the
way. Not that I’m blaming you in any
way, Tony.”
I shake my head. “Oh no, I am not blaming you for my downward spiral. But I do know that you never really supported
my wrestling career. You said you were
ok with it, that you loved me and supported me no matter what I wanted to do,
but I know the truth. I’m not
stupid. I can put two and two together.
The tears once again well up in my eyes. “You wanted the traditional housewife. The stay at home domesticated little
bitch. That’s what my mum was, and she
got her ass kicked routinely by my father.”
I shake my head. “There was no way in hell that was going to happen. Did you honestly believe I would let that
happen to me? Did you honestly believe I
would allow myself to get into that situation?
I just performed a preemptive strike.
That’s all. I killed you before
you could do anything to me, because after all, you would have eventually hurt me.”
I bow my head in shame. “That’s all husbands and boyfriends are good for, right?”
The grin slowly returns to my face. “It’s ok, Tony. I will defeat Ravyn Taylor on Breakdown to
become the SCW Television Champion, then I will bring the belt back here, and
show it to you as evidence that everything I did…including ending your life…was
all worth it…”
With a nod of my head I turn around, pull the hood
of the cloak back over my head, and I start to walk away.
==========
On Camera
==========
It truly does take a great deal to impress someone
such as myself. But knowing that I go up
against Ravyn Taylor for the SCW Television Championship…well, I am honored,
for her own accomplishments are quite extraordinary. She has the historic United States Title
reign, she is a former world champion, and she currently has what shall soon
become my property.
That’s right, Ms. Taylor, understand that while I
will give credit where credit is due, I will also leave no doubts as to my
intentions. Veni, vidi, vici…I came, I
saw, I conquered. Or perhaps that should
be in future tense? I don’t want to get
too ahead of myself.
I will come to Breakdown in Charlotte, North
Carolina…I will see you across that ring, Ravyn…and yes, I will conquer you…mark
my words.
Is it arrogant of me to make such a bold
prediction? You have beaten so many of
the greats in SCW, what can this little SCW newcomer do to you?
Sun Tzu says, “the
clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's
will to be imposed on him.”
Your best weapon, Ms. Taylor, is your mind
games. Those mind games that you play
throw everyone off, allowing you to slip in and take your shot whenever you
want, allowing you to dictate the terms of battle.
Whether you realize it or not, you face an
intellectual equal. Whether you realize
it or not, you face someone who is just as good at mind games as you are. I won’t be thrown off by of your trickery or
chicanery. You will have to outwrestle
me, Ravyn.
Now I do not want to imply that you cannot
outwrestle me. You most certainly can
and you do have that skill. No one gets
to the level you are based on mind games alone. But I am quite the grappler myself. I was trained by the elite of Greco-Roman
amateur wrestling. Submission wrestling,
mat wrestling, that’s my specialty. I
can slow the pace down and pick you apart piece by piece.
Sun Tzu says, “Hence
to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme
excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.”
I don’t need to defeat you, Ravyn. Well, I guess I do in the strictest of terms,
if I want to be the Television Champion.
But figuratively speaking, I do not need to defeat you. You very well could defeat yourself. Or someone could defeat you for me.
After all, will you really and truly be focused
entirely on Sophie O’Brian in Charlotte, North Carolina for Breakdown? Are you really going to be focused on
defending that championship against the new kid on the block when you have a
chance to make history just around the corner at Apocalypse against Sienna
Swann in the final SCW Women’s Championship Match ever?
Honestly, my dear, ask yourself, are you in the right
frame of mind for this SCW Television Championship defense? Are you prepared for the challenge that yours
truly presents? I could do what everyone
does and blandly warn you not to overlook me, not to look past me, that I am
dangerous…blah, blah, blah…
…but I won’t bore you or anyone else with what is typically
said by every other wrestler on this roster.
Instead I say go right ahead, look past me. Overlook me.
Sienna Swann is far more important than I am. You go right on protecting that Women’s
Championship. You make history, my dear.
Meanwhile I’ll be digging into the trenches
preparing for an invasion. I will
prepare for war. I will prepare to take
what I want…the spoils of war…
…I will take the SCW Television Championship.
