Post by Seleana Zdunich on Feb 18, 2018 23:38:31 GMT -5
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Los Angeles, California
Hollywood Hills
The Home of Crystal Hilton
3:01 AM PST
Seleana Zdunich frowns at the clock near the bed and then back to her phone, wondering what could possibly have possessed someone to message or call her at this hour, especially considering the tempers of the other inhabitants of this domicile. Crystal Hilton and Brittany Williams were certainly not famous for their patience or tact when it came to people waking them up out of a dead sleep. Seleana slides out of the bed, her long black Black Panther t-shirt draping down just enough to fall to her mid-thighs. She makes her way over to the door and then staggers out to the den area where her phone was going crazy. She wipes the sleep from her eyes, doing the zombie walk. She yawns and nods to the phone’s buzzing drone.
Seleana Zdunich: Jag kommer, jag kommer!
She gets to the phone and fumbles to pick it up in the dark. A second later, she’s managed to turn on a single lamp and find the proper button to access her messages. She retrieves the first one and sees the text staring her in the face.
“Shenzi: Please call.”
Seleana stares at it for an second and shakes her head. What could her sister possibly want right now? It was only five in the morning where she was in New Orleans. Even the group from there had to sleep some time, didn’t they? Before she can make the call, another message comes in.
“Kattunge: Jamilyn.”
Seleana frowns hard. It was six in the morning where her baby sister was and her messages were never this short even in English. Seleana works quickly to send a message back to both of them.
“Vad pågår?”
The answer comes so fast, the blink almost blinds her. When she opens it, the text screams her in the face.
“Shenzi: Jamilyn dog.”
Seleana’s eyes go wide in shock and anguish. She shakes her head as her knees start to buckle, Was this possibly true?
“Nej…”
The answer again comes back blindingly fast.
“Shenzi: Ja.”
With that confirmation, Seleana falls to her knees, her mouth falling open in a scream that won’t actually come. She falls over onto all fours, losing her grip on the phone and fights to find her breath. A second later, as the tears start to flow, her voice returns and fills the house. She rolls over onto her back, her hands flying up to cover her face as she sobs uncontrollably, her entire body shaking from the news of the death of Jamilyn Cornett. As she starts to lose herself, a pair of hands come down onto her that she instinctively tries to stop. She opens her eyes to see Crystal and Brittany both staring down at her, wide awake and scared out of their minds.
Crystal Hilton: What’s wrong, babe? What’s going on?
Seleana can only nod to the phone and Brittany picks it up. She scans the messages and frowns, handing the phone to her mother. Crystal looks and frowns in confusion as well. Seleana pulls herself together.
Seleana Zdunich: Jami… died…
Crystal and Brittany both waste no time in wrapping their arms around her as Seleana starts to sob again. The two cradle the Swedish woman as she loses her mind in grief at the sudden loss of somebody that was so close to her, neither wanting to see her in such pain, especially after having just made it official that they would be a family together. The mother and daughter team maneuver Seleana between them to hold her as she cries, unable to stop herself from letting her anguished cries of grief permeate the room. Crystal simply kisses the top of her head as Seleana wails and sobs, wave upon wave of emotion washing over her. Brittany holds on as well, neither she nor her mother moving as Seleana weeps the night away.
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Los Angeles, California
Hollywood Hills
The Home of Crystal Hilton
2:30 PM PST
Seleana sits on the couch, still wearing the long Black Panther t-shirt she’d been wearing since Friday night, having been unable to sleep much at all since receiving word of the woman who would have been her sister-in-law’s death in the wee hours of the previous morning. Crystal and Brittany had done all they could to comfort her and were now both enjoying the momentary respite for some video game time in the next room. Seleana ponders everything as she tweets out a lyrical phrase from a Skid Row song.
“The last train is leaving
There's nothing more that I can say
I didn't mean to bring you down
I guess I'll see you around”
As she sits there, wondering how she’s going to get over what’s happened, she receives a text. Glancing down, she sees the name of her ex-sister-in-law, Eavan Maloney, staring back at her.
“Eavan: Sis, everything ok?”
Seleana can’t help but nod.
“It's been a... roller coaster week.
Valentine's Day was sucha high... and then yesterday morning…”
Eavan’s answer comes right back.
“Eavan: Talking about Jami right?”
Seleana sighs. Was she ready to talk about it?
“Ja”
“Eavan: I was in New York with Katra, Bethy and Loti when I got the news. Then Ash disappeared and I managed to find her. It's been craziness. Just your last two tweets, though things happened with you and Crystal.”
Seleana nods, managing a small smile.
“That was the high!”
Rge reply makes her smile even more.
“Eavan: I heard you two are engaged now, congrats
Looking back on it, I guess my week was pretty much a rollercoaster too... down to up to almost down but still up.”
Eavan takes a deep breath. Ready or not, it was time to talk to somebody.
“We had what Li called a "Come to Jesus" meeting. And it started out poorly, "Rose" was talking and said mean things about the Cornetts and you and then saw what i'd gotten her for Valentine's Day and started to not like it even though Brittany had told me it was her favorite thing.
Then suddenly, Christina came back, told Rose to shut up and stop bad mouthing her girlfriend and she confessed everything. She loved the roses on the bed and then... broke out the ring.”
“Eavan: That's awesome!”
Seleana nods happily.
“It was the most wonderful night ever!”
“Eavan: I'm happy for you. I admittedly haven't forgiven Christina yet for Rose's actions. I feel so hypocritical because you all as a family forgave mine. It's just... I'm protective of the three of you Zdunich girls, still and always. Christina's tried to reach out, it's just been hard for me to talk to her.”
Seleana stares at the phone, the smile fading ever so slightly. Crystal’s episodes had caused a few problems lately and there was no denying that Eavan had every right to feel that way.
“She was wonderful for me yesterday. I thought for sure she'd be angry when my phone woke us up. I tried to check it quietly and I just...
I couldn't be quiet. She came to me, looked at the message and just took me in her arms.”
The answer chimes back quickly.
“Eavan: I'm glad she was there for you hun. Alejandra was there for all of us yesterday. Bring her to meet the family and bless her, she stepped up without needing to.
Text: How were you and Kattunge? How was she and Kattunge?
Text: Hard to say. Kat and I jammed together which was nice, and then she just went back to doing her thing most of the day yesterday. Last night before Alex and I went to bed, I went to hug her and she stiffened up. She didn't show much, but I do wonder if I upset her. This morning I didn't see her and we just left. I feel bad.
She seemed happy to see us at first, but you know how she is. She'd rather bury her head in her music than talk about her feelings. I wish we could have talked about it. I didn't mean to hurt her if I did.”
Seleana shakes her head almost instinctively.
“I don't think you did. They got the Honor show today on really short notice. Like, Wednesday, I think Shenzi said it was that Li got the call about it. And then yesterday, Jami…”
“Eavan: I hope not. As sad as it is that we couldn't be happy together, I'm glad she found somebody. I don't know Adriana that well but if Katra is happy and safe, then I am happy as well. Meeting Alejandra was a blessing, she understands my past and did so much even before meeting me. I don't want to mess this up.”
Seleana nods slowly.
“That happened on Valentine's Day too, ja?”
“Eavan: It did. Woke up that morning heartbroken. Got very drunk that morning which put me in a dark mood. Got into a couple of arguments, wrestled that night still drunk, match got thrown out due to interference. That night started getting suicidal. Zenna and Li talked me down.
Out of the blue, I get a WCW notification with the comment about probably will get shit for it, and it was Alex. We started talking that night, met the next day and have been inseparable since.”
Seleana’s eyes go wide in shock at this admission.
“Do they know it was that bad?”
“Eavan: Yeah I was talking about making people forget me, pushing them away. I was ready to go. I don't think they know HOW close I was…”
Seleana lets out the breath she had been holding in tightly.
“Does Alex?”
Her phone chimes with her worst fears for the question realized.
“Eavan: No. I had a bottle of Dilaudid in front of me. I got rid of them after Li talked me down.”
Seleana allows herself a second to take, knowing how close she was to another being gone.
“So you really were "Bethy Close" ?”
“Eavan: Yeah”
A fresh tear rolls down Seleana’s face.
“I'm sorry I didn't say anything that night now.”
Eavan’s answer comes back quickly.
“Eavan: Not your fault honey. Good news, with the news of Jami's passing, I did stay sober. Alex too. We just stayed in and held one another. I didn't break.”
Seleans frowns in surprise.
“Alex has to worry about that too?”
“Eavan: Yeah. She cut out everything for a week before she made the plunge to get my attention, knowing I was trying to stay clean myself. I was generally touched by the gesture.”
The smile starts to creep back onto Seleana’s face.
“And you both managed to stay in and stay clean last night? That's awesome, Chickie!”
“Eavan: I made the suggestion to go out and she was open to it, but we were comfy and just talking and ended up not going. That might have been her way of keeping me from us going out without straight-out saying no.”
Seleana exhales, swallowing hard at the thought of what might have happened.
“What do you think would have happened had you gone out?”
“Eavan: Drunk sex? lol
I don't get depressed when i drink or get high, I drink and get high when i'm depressed, and then feel worthless. That's when i start whoring myself. With Alex there, no fear of whoring, therefore no fear of worthlessness”
Seleana nods absently.
“I've heard others say similar things. Beth and Ash, actually. That the problem isn't them partying, it's if they do it alone.
Li told me that was her problem too, was if she started alone.”
“Eavan: Yeah”
Seleana manages a toothy grin of pride, something had been very unusual the last thirty-six hours for her.
“I'm glad you didn't do it, Chickie, especially after yesterday.”
“Eavan: I think we would have been ok. Alex is young but she's smart.”
Shaking her head, Seleana quickly taps out a correction.
“I meant Valentine's Day. I'm glad you didn't do it.”
Eavan’s answer takes a second as if she was caught off-guard by the comment.
“Eavan: Oh. Yeah, me too. I'm stronger for the experience, and yeah, I couldn't imagine how you guys would have been losing two friends in three days.”
Seleana can’t answer this fast enough.
“Two sisters.”
“Eavan: Two sisters.”
Seleana takes a deep breath and then punches in another message.
“The song I posted was for Jami.
Tt's a Skid Row song.
I haven't stopped crying since yesterday, it's like losing Twain all over again.”
“Eavan: Understandable”
Taking A deep breath and then letting it out, Seleana closes her eyes for a second and then opens them and nods to herself.
“I need to get my head back on now. I have to fight Maria Salvatore next weekend. Now that I've actually met Brittany, I feel a need…”
“Eavan: You'll do it, hun. I have faith in you. I spoke to Christina, we're ok now.”
Seleana frowns in confusion again.
“You did?”
“Eavan: I apologized for my actions and reminded her she shouldn't be blamed for Rose's actions
And then she shared something that shocked me”
A sense of dread starts to float through Selean’s mind. What could it be?
“Oh?”
“Eavan: Rose wanted to sleep with me.
That pisses me off two-fold. In one sense, it pisses me off that Rose would do something like that to hurt YOU. The second, she had to know that the way I had been feeling at the time, I... probably could have been seduced into it.”
Seleana swallows hard, her eyes closing for a second. How should she handle this knowing that Crystal is in the next room and things were looking good for them at the moment. She looks back to the phone and then nods to herself.
“She told me Rose was basically her dark side with the volume turned to eleven so I'm not surprised at all, Chickie.”
“Eavan: Not surprising, fine. The fact she would have tried to, and most likely would have succeeded in, seducing me... Alex just noticed I'm shaking.”
Seleana bites her bottom lip. This was not what she had wanted to make Eavan say.
“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you.”
“Eavan: You didn't. She did.”
Seleana sits back against the couch back and then nods, steeling herself.
“I think I'm just going to have to brace myself for the quakes with her. It's gonna prove if i can live up to "Kia kaha" or not.”
“Eavan: I'm ok, I think the revelation surprised me. On the upside, now that I know, I'll be prepared for it should Rose try. And with Alex, I so will not be tempted.”
“True, true.
I'm glad you found Alex, Chickie.”
“Eavan: Me too. I know it's early but we already professed love to one another. She said it first, she had feelings for me before we had met. She knows she saved me that night, but doesn't know how close she came to losing me.”
Seleana smiles, nodding with relief.
“Gudskelov för henne, Shenzi och Li!”
“Eavan: Agreed. To be honest, the last time I ever felt so connected to somebody so easily, loved so freely... was Nala.”
Seleana can’t help but smile broadly now. This was wonderful to hear now.
“I felt the same way with Crystal. I wasn't expecting it to work. I just thought I was humoring Stacy, you know? How mad was it to think It'd be good? And yet, here we are, engaged.”
“Eavan: She's amazing.”
“Sounds like they both are.”
“Eavan: We did good for ourselves, sis. And to think, there was a short time where it could have been us together though not sure you know that. Was back in your brunette days.”
Seleana’s jaw drops in surprise. That picture would have been two years old by now.
“When I looked like an Al Ghul cosplayer?”
“Eavan: You were still in NZ.”
Seleana nods knowingly.
“Beth try to set you up with me?”
“Eavan: Yeah.
Then again, I was sporting the red hair at the time myself.”
“Röd Sexig herself.”
“Eavan: Yes, Ma'am.”
Seleana ponders that picture and then fires off a response.
“I don't think the brunette look really fit me. Did it for a change and because this guy i'd been interested in back in Christchurch liked those better but it wasn't me and as it turned out, he didn't like me any better that way so it was for nothing.”
“Eavan: Yeah, i didn't think it suit you either. The blonde is much better. You're pretty hot sis lol.”
“Tack, Eavan. Being me seems to have worked much better.”
“Eavan: Blondes do have more fun lol.”
Seleana smirks playfully.
“Shenzi would tend to disagree.”
Eavan’s answer actually makes Seleana laugh.
“Eavan: Shenzi... *drool*”
Seleana nods.
“Alexi would too. It's the funny part with our family, the reds vs. the blondes... and then there's Maja.”
“Eavan: I swear, there must have been something in the water near your family!”
Seleana shrugs.
“Hey, New Jersey did pretty well for you too.”
“Eavan: Aww you're sweet.”
Again, Seleana shrugs.
“Hey, Kattunge has good taste. Thanks for caring about me, Eavan.”
“Eavan: I love you girls very much. You'll always be family.”
Seleana nods, now feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.
“As will you for us”
She nods and sets the phone down, taking a minute to relax for the first time in two days.
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Los Angeles, California
Hollywood Hills
The Home of Crystal Hilton
8:00 PM PST
The camera opens to find Seleana standing in the doorway of the house having donned a pair of black yoga pants to go with her Black Panther t-shirt, her hair pulled back into a ponytail.
Seleana Zdunich: Maria Salvatore, I tried to look at things from your perspective. I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt because I can understand when things go badly. Recently my sister, Katra, had a relationship, a , marriage, end, because of infidelity so I can understand your frustrations with Crystal.
She nods to the camera.
Seleana Zdunich: Really, I can.
Sighing heavily, Seleana shakes her head.
Seleana Zdunich: What I cannot do is understand why you overreacted so heavily by coming for me and for Brittany. We were not involved in what happened between you and Crystal and if you had simply kept it between the two of you, I do not know many who would have blamed you for being angry with her, including Crystal herself. She may not have enjoyed it, but she would have accepted that she had behaved poorly.
The pensive look starts to turn hard, anger starting to seep inside.
Seleana Zdunich: But you could not do that, could you?
She shakes her head again.
Seleana Zdunich: No, as you would say, fuggedaboutit!
She nods again pointedly.
Seleana Zdunich: Yes, I know I said it wrong and no I do not care because recent events have caused me to reevaluate a few things.
Going quiet for a second, Seleana stares at her feet silently, as if lost in contemplation.
Seleana Zdunich: I lost someone who was very dear to me yesterday and the shock made me feel as if I were dying. I’m sure that’s how you must have felt when it was announced to you that Crystal had done what she’d done but that did not give you the right to try and take everything away from me!
She looks up, glaring hatefully.
Seleana Zdunich: I never did anything to you! I did not even know who you were until you called me Crystal's Swedish whore and told the world that you might just have to attack me because I had the misfortune of dating someone you were upset with and you wanted to prove that you had made your bones or…
She shrugs, maintaining her disdainful glare.
Seleana Zdunich: Whatever it is you like to tell people you have while you’re pretending to be a hard ass gangster woman. The truth of the matter is much simpler and much less cool…
Nodding forcefully, Seleana takes a step towards the camera.
Seleana Zdunich: You, Maria, are a coward the likes of which I have never encountered before. You make threats to people who cannot defend themselves and kidnap children for no real reason other than you need to do something to make yourself feel like both a big shot and a bad ass and since you know you cannot take Crystal physically all by yourself.
The hatred in Seleana’s eyes intensifies.
Seleana Zdunich: That girl is going to be my step-daughter, Maria, and I have to admit that before I met Crystal and entered into this relationship, the idea of having kids had not really entered my mind and you tried to take away my opportunity to have that before i even had the chance to meet her!
Her teeth grind as she tries to calm herself slightly.
Seleana Zdunich: I would ask who the hell you think you are to do that to me but I already know the answer. You think you are a mafia princess who can just do and take whatever she wants but if that were true you wouldn’t have to try so hard to prove such things,. Everyone would already know and would show you the proper deference that comes with that position. You are nobody when it comes to that and the fact that you think nothing of trying to take away my family just because makes me pity you just as much as it makes me hate you. I feel sorry for you, Maria, because you could have been so much more! You could have been the bigger woman and either forgiven Crystal as you did your husband or you could have just walked away and considered it all beneath you but you…
Pausing, she shakes her head slightly.
Seleana Zdunich: You had to come for me and try to intimidate me, which was laughable considering I’m a rookie who at the time had never had a match and I took you down and took your arm like you were the one who hadn’t finished training yet!
She pauses looking away as she takes a deep breath to try and regain her composure. A second later, she nods as she looks back into the camera.
Seleana Zdunich: In Christchurch, there is a saying, “Kia kaha.” It’s Maori phrase that means, “Stay strong,” or “Be strong,” depending on the speaker and the context. The Maori use it as an affirmation to one another to remind themselves that they must stand up against the discrimination they tend to face on a daily basis. It took on new significance in Christchurch in 2011 when the earthquakes started there that rattled the area and destroyed their beautiful cathedral amongst other things. People said it to each other to remind themselves to keep on despite the world literally falling apart around them.
She looks back into the camera, fire radiating from her eyes.
Seleana Zdunich: I’ve been saying it to myself since yesterday and now I’m going to look at you and say I hope you’ve been keeping that arm strong, Chickie, because it belongs to me and I will not have you letting it go weak before I take it back! I am going to take your arm, your legs, what’s left of your pride and whatever else you choose to throw at me and then I’m going to tell you, “Kia kaha, Chickie!” in the hopes that you might finally discover what it means to be a seong person in the first place. You certainly haven’t up until now…
Nodding pointedly again,. The camera zooms in.
Seleana Zdunich: So, allow me to teach you. Kia kaha, Chickie, your ass belongs to me!
Los Angeles, California
Hollywood Hills
The Home of Crystal Hilton
3:01 AM PST
Seleana Zdunich frowns at the clock near the bed and then back to her phone, wondering what could possibly have possessed someone to message or call her at this hour, especially considering the tempers of the other inhabitants of this domicile. Crystal Hilton and Brittany Williams were certainly not famous for their patience or tact when it came to people waking them up out of a dead sleep. Seleana slides out of the bed, her long black Black Panther t-shirt draping down just enough to fall to her mid-thighs. She makes her way over to the door and then staggers out to the den area where her phone was going crazy. She wipes the sleep from her eyes, doing the zombie walk. She yawns and nods to the phone’s buzzing drone.
Seleana Zdunich: Jag kommer, jag kommer!
She gets to the phone and fumbles to pick it up in the dark. A second later, she’s managed to turn on a single lamp and find the proper button to access her messages. She retrieves the first one and sees the text staring her in the face.
“Shenzi: Please call.”
Seleana stares at it for an second and shakes her head. What could her sister possibly want right now? It was only five in the morning where she was in New Orleans. Even the group from there had to sleep some time, didn’t they? Before she can make the call, another message comes in.
“Kattunge: Jamilyn.”
Seleana frowns hard. It was six in the morning where her baby sister was and her messages were never this short even in English. Seleana works quickly to send a message back to both of them.
“Vad pågår?”
The answer comes so fast, the blink almost blinds her. When she opens it, the text screams her in the face.
“Shenzi: Jamilyn dog.”
Seleana’s eyes go wide in shock and anguish. She shakes her head as her knees start to buckle, Was this possibly true?
“Nej…”
The answer again comes back blindingly fast.
“Shenzi: Ja.”
With that confirmation, Seleana falls to her knees, her mouth falling open in a scream that won’t actually come. She falls over onto all fours, losing her grip on the phone and fights to find her breath. A second later, as the tears start to flow, her voice returns and fills the house. She rolls over onto her back, her hands flying up to cover her face as she sobs uncontrollably, her entire body shaking from the news of the death of Jamilyn Cornett. As she starts to lose herself, a pair of hands come down onto her that she instinctively tries to stop. She opens her eyes to see Crystal and Brittany both staring down at her, wide awake and scared out of their minds.
Crystal Hilton: What’s wrong, babe? What’s going on?
Seleana can only nod to the phone and Brittany picks it up. She scans the messages and frowns, handing the phone to her mother. Crystal looks and frowns in confusion as well. Seleana pulls herself together.
Seleana Zdunich: Jami… died…
Crystal and Brittany both waste no time in wrapping their arms around her as Seleana starts to sob again. The two cradle the Swedish woman as she loses her mind in grief at the sudden loss of somebody that was so close to her, neither wanting to see her in such pain, especially after having just made it official that they would be a family together. The mother and daughter team maneuver Seleana between them to hold her as she cries, unable to stop herself from letting her anguished cries of grief permeate the room. Crystal simply kisses the top of her head as Seleana wails and sobs, wave upon wave of emotion washing over her. Brittany holds on as well, neither she nor her mother moving as Seleana weeps the night away.
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Los Angeles, California
Hollywood Hills
The Home of Crystal Hilton
2:30 PM PST
Seleana sits on the couch, still wearing the long Black Panther t-shirt she’d been wearing since Friday night, having been unable to sleep much at all since receiving word of the woman who would have been her sister-in-law’s death in the wee hours of the previous morning. Crystal and Brittany had done all they could to comfort her and were now both enjoying the momentary respite for some video game time in the next room. Seleana ponders everything as she tweets out a lyrical phrase from a Skid Row song.
“The last train is leaving
There's nothing more that I can say
I didn't mean to bring you down
I guess I'll see you around”
As she sits there, wondering how she’s going to get over what’s happened, she receives a text. Glancing down, she sees the name of her ex-sister-in-law, Eavan Maloney, staring back at her.
“Eavan: Sis, everything ok?”
Seleana can’t help but nod.
“It's been a... roller coaster week.
Valentine's Day was sucha high... and then yesterday morning…”
Eavan’s answer comes right back.
“Eavan: Talking about Jami right?”
Seleana sighs. Was she ready to talk about it?
“Ja”
“Eavan: I was in New York with Katra, Bethy and Loti when I got the news. Then Ash disappeared and I managed to find her. It's been craziness. Just your last two tweets, though things happened with you and Crystal.”
Seleana nods, managing a small smile.
“That was the high!”
Rge reply makes her smile even more.
“Eavan: I heard you two are engaged now, congrats
Looking back on it, I guess my week was pretty much a rollercoaster too... down to up to almost down but still up.”
Eavan takes a deep breath. Ready or not, it was time to talk to somebody.
“We had what Li called a "Come to Jesus" meeting. And it started out poorly, "Rose" was talking and said mean things about the Cornetts and you and then saw what i'd gotten her for Valentine's Day and started to not like it even though Brittany had told me it was her favorite thing.
Then suddenly, Christina came back, told Rose to shut up and stop bad mouthing her girlfriend and she confessed everything. She loved the roses on the bed and then... broke out the ring.”
“Eavan: That's awesome!”
Seleana nods happily.
“It was the most wonderful night ever!”
“Eavan: I'm happy for you. I admittedly haven't forgiven Christina yet for Rose's actions. I feel so hypocritical because you all as a family forgave mine. It's just... I'm protective of the three of you Zdunich girls, still and always. Christina's tried to reach out, it's just been hard for me to talk to her.”
Seleana stares at the phone, the smile fading ever so slightly. Crystal’s episodes had caused a few problems lately and there was no denying that Eavan had every right to feel that way.
“She was wonderful for me yesterday. I thought for sure she'd be angry when my phone woke us up. I tried to check it quietly and I just...
I couldn't be quiet. She came to me, looked at the message and just took me in her arms.”
The answer chimes back quickly.
“Eavan: I'm glad she was there for you hun. Alejandra was there for all of us yesterday. Bring her to meet the family and bless her, she stepped up without needing to.
Text: How were you and Kattunge? How was she and Kattunge?
Text: Hard to say. Kat and I jammed together which was nice, and then she just went back to doing her thing most of the day yesterday. Last night before Alex and I went to bed, I went to hug her and she stiffened up. She didn't show much, but I do wonder if I upset her. This morning I didn't see her and we just left. I feel bad.
She seemed happy to see us at first, but you know how she is. She'd rather bury her head in her music than talk about her feelings. I wish we could have talked about it. I didn't mean to hurt her if I did.”
Seleana shakes her head almost instinctively.
“I don't think you did. They got the Honor show today on really short notice. Like, Wednesday, I think Shenzi said it was that Li got the call about it. And then yesterday, Jami…”
“Eavan: I hope not. As sad as it is that we couldn't be happy together, I'm glad she found somebody. I don't know Adriana that well but if Katra is happy and safe, then I am happy as well. Meeting Alejandra was a blessing, she understands my past and did so much even before meeting me. I don't want to mess this up.”
Seleana nods slowly.
“That happened on Valentine's Day too, ja?”
“Eavan: It did. Woke up that morning heartbroken. Got very drunk that morning which put me in a dark mood. Got into a couple of arguments, wrestled that night still drunk, match got thrown out due to interference. That night started getting suicidal. Zenna and Li talked me down.
Out of the blue, I get a WCW notification with the comment about probably will get shit for it, and it was Alex. We started talking that night, met the next day and have been inseparable since.”
Seleana’s eyes go wide in shock at this admission.
“Do they know it was that bad?”
“Eavan: Yeah I was talking about making people forget me, pushing them away. I was ready to go. I don't think they know HOW close I was…”
Seleana lets out the breath she had been holding in tightly.
“Does Alex?”
Her phone chimes with her worst fears for the question realized.
“Eavan: No. I had a bottle of Dilaudid in front of me. I got rid of them after Li talked me down.”
Seleana allows herself a second to take, knowing how close she was to another being gone.
“So you really were "Bethy Close" ?”
“Eavan: Yeah”
A fresh tear rolls down Seleana’s face.
“I'm sorry I didn't say anything that night now.”
Eavan’s answer comes back quickly.
“Eavan: Not your fault honey. Good news, with the news of Jami's passing, I did stay sober. Alex too. We just stayed in and held one another. I didn't break.”
Seleans frowns in surprise.
“Alex has to worry about that too?”
“Eavan: Yeah. She cut out everything for a week before she made the plunge to get my attention, knowing I was trying to stay clean myself. I was generally touched by the gesture.”
The smile starts to creep back onto Seleana’s face.
“And you both managed to stay in and stay clean last night? That's awesome, Chickie!”
“Eavan: I made the suggestion to go out and she was open to it, but we were comfy and just talking and ended up not going. That might have been her way of keeping me from us going out without straight-out saying no.”
Seleana exhales, swallowing hard at the thought of what might have happened.
“What do you think would have happened had you gone out?”
“Eavan: Drunk sex? lol
I don't get depressed when i drink or get high, I drink and get high when i'm depressed, and then feel worthless. That's when i start whoring myself. With Alex there, no fear of whoring, therefore no fear of worthlessness”
Seleana nods absently.
“I've heard others say similar things. Beth and Ash, actually. That the problem isn't them partying, it's if they do it alone.
Li told me that was her problem too, was if she started alone.”
“Eavan: Yeah”
Seleana manages a toothy grin of pride, something had been very unusual the last thirty-six hours for her.
“I'm glad you didn't do it, Chickie, especially after yesterday.”
“Eavan: I think we would have been ok. Alex is young but she's smart.”
Shaking her head, Seleana quickly taps out a correction.
“I meant Valentine's Day. I'm glad you didn't do it.”
Eavan’s answer takes a second as if she was caught off-guard by the comment.
“Eavan: Oh. Yeah, me too. I'm stronger for the experience, and yeah, I couldn't imagine how you guys would have been losing two friends in three days.”
Seleana can’t answer this fast enough.
“Two sisters.”
“Eavan: Two sisters.”
Seleana takes a deep breath and then punches in another message.
“The song I posted was for Jami.
Tt's a Skid Row song.
I haven't stopped crying since yesterday, it's like losing Twain all over again.”
“Eavan: Understandable”
Taking A deep breath and then letting it out, Seleana closes her eyes for a second and then opens them and nods to herself.
“I need to get my head back on now. I have to fight Maria Salvatore next weekend. Now that I've actually met Brittany, I feel a need…”
“Eavan: You'll do it, hun. I have faith in you. I spoke to Christina, we're ok now.”
Seleana frowns in confusion again.
“You did?”
“Eavan: I apologized for my actions and reminded her she shouldn't be blamed for Rose's actions
And then she shared something that shocked me”
A sense of dread starts to float through Selean’s mind. What could it be?
“Oh?”
“Eavan: Rose wanted to sleep with me.
That pisses me off two-fold. In one sense, it pisses me off that Rose would do something like that to hurt YOU. The second, she had to know that the way I had been feeling at the time, I... probably could have been seduced into it.”
Seleana swallows hard, her eyes closing for a second. How should she handle this knowing that Crystal is in the next room and things were looking good for them at the moment. She looks back to the phone and then nods to herself.
“She told me Rose was basically her dark side with the volume turned to eleven so I'm not surprised at all, Chickie.”
“Eavan: Not surprising, fine. The fact she would have tried to, and most likely would have succeeded in, seducing me... Alex just noticed I'm shaking.”
Seleana bites her bottom lip. This was not what she had wanted to make Eavan say.
“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you.”
“Eavan: You didn't. She did.”
Seleana sits back against the couch back and then nods, steeling herself.
“I think I'm just going to have to brace myself for the quakes with her. It's gonna prove if i can live up to "Kia kaha" or not.”
“Eavan: I'm ok, I think the revelation surprised me. On the upside, now that I know, I'll be prepared for it should Rose try. And with Alex, I so will not be tempted.”
“True, true.
I'm glad you found Alex, Chickie.”
“Eavan: Me too. I know it's early but we already professed love to one another. She said it first, she had feelings for me before we had met. She knows she saved me that night, but doesn't know how close she came to losing me.”
Seleana smiles, nodding with relief.
“Gudskelov för henne, Shenzi och Li!”
“Eavan: Agreed. To be honest, the last time I ever felt so connected to somebody so easily, loved so freely... was Nala.”
Seleana can’t help but smile broadly now. This was wonderful to hear now.
“I felt the same way with Crystal. I wasn't expecting it to work. I just thought I was humoring Stacy, you know? How mad was it to think It'd be good? And yet, here we are, engaged.”
“Eavan: She's amazing.”
“Sounds like they both are.”
“Eavan: We did good for ourselves, sis. And to think, there was a short time where it could have been us together though not sure you know that. Was back in your brunette days.”
Seleana’s jaw drops in surprise. That picture would have been two years old by now.
“When I looked like an Al Ghul cosplayer?”
“Eavan: You were still in NZ.”
Seleana nods knowingly.
“Beth try to set you up with me?”
“Eavan: Yeah.
Then again, I was sporting the red hair at the time myself.”
“Röd Sexig herself.”
“Eavan: Yes, Ma'am.”
Seleana ponders that picture and then fires off a response.
“I don't think the brunette look really fit me. Did it for a change and because this guy i'd been interested in back in Christchurch liked those better but it wasn't me and as it turned out, he didn't like me any better that way so it was for nothing.”
“Eavan: Yeah, i didn't think it suit you either. The blonde is much better. You're pretty hot sis lol.”
“Tack, Eavan. Being me seems to have worked much better.”
“Eavan: Blondes do have more fun lol.”
Seleana smirks playfully.
“Shenzi would tend to disagree.”
Eavan’s answer actually makes Seleana laugh.
“Eavan: Shenzi... *drool*”
Seleana nods.
“Alexi would too. It's the funny part with our family, the reds vs. the blondes... and then there's Maja.”
“Eavan: I swear, there must have been something in the water near your family!”
Seleana shrugs.
“Hey, New Jersey did pretty well for you too.”
“Eavan: Aww you're sweet.”
Again, Seleana shrugs.
“Hey, Kattunge has good taste. Thanks for caring about me, Eavan.”
“Eavan: I love you girls very much. You'll always be family.”
Seleana nods, now feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.
“As will you for us”
She nods and sets the phone down, taking a minute to relax for the first time in two days.
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Los Angeles, California
Hollywood Hills
The Home of Crystal Hilton
8:00 PM PST
The camera opens to find Seleana standing in the doorway of the house having donned a pair of black yoga pants to go with her Black Panther t-shirt, her hair pulled back into a ponytail.
Seleana Zdunich: Maria Salvatore, I tried to look at things from your perspective. I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt because I can understand when things go badly. Recently my sister, Katra, had a relationship, a , marriage, end, because of infidelity so I can understand your frustrations with Crystal.
She nods to the camera.
Seleana Zdunich: Really, I can.
Sighing heavily, Seleana shakes her head.
Seleana Zdunich: What I cannot do is understand why you overreacted so heavily by coming for me and for Brittany. We were not involved in what happened between you and Crystal and if you had simply kept it between the two of you, I do not know many who would have blamed you for being angry with her, including Crystal herself. She may not have enjoyed it, but she would have accepted that she had behaved poorly.
The pensive look starts to turn hard, anger starting to seep inside.
Seleana Zdunich: But you could not do that, could you?
She shakes her head again.
Seleana Zdunich: No, as you would say, fuggedaboutit!
She nods again pointedly.
Seleana Zdunich: Yes, I know I said it wrong and no I do not care because recent events have caused me to reevaluate a few things.
Going quiet for a second, Seleana stares at her feet silently, as if lost in contemplation.
Seleana Zdunich: I lost someone who was very dear to me yesterday and the shock made me feel as if I were dying. I’m sure that’s how you must have felt when it was announced to you that Crystal had done what she’d done but that did not give you the right to try and take everything away from me!
She looks up, glaring hatefully.
Seleana Zdunich: I never did anything to you! I did not even know who you were until you called me Crystal's Swedish whore and told the world that you might just have to attack me because I had the misfortune of dating someone you were upset with and you wanted to prove that you had made your bones or…
She shrugs, maintaining her disdainful glare.
Seleana Zdunich: Whatever it is you like to tell people you have while you’re pretending to be a hard ass gangster woman. The truth of the matter is much simpler and much less cool…
Nodding forcefully, Seleana takes a step towards the camera.
Seleana Zdunich: You, Maria, are a coward the likes of which I have never encountered before. You make threats to people who cannot defend themselves and kidnap children for no real reason other than you need to do something to make yourself feel like both a big shot and a bad ass and since you know you cannot take Crystal physically all by yourself.
The hatred in Seleana’s eyes intensifies.
Seleana Zdunich: That girl is going to be my step-daughter, Maria, and I have to admit that before I met Crystal and entered into this relationship, the idea of having kids had not really entered my mind and you tried to take away my opportunity to have that before i even had the chance to meet her!
Her teeth grind as she tries to calm herself slightly.
Seleana Zdunich: I would ask who the hell you think you are to do that to me but I already know the answer. You think you are a mafia princess who can just do and take whatever she wants but if that were true you wouldn’t have to try so hard to prove such things,. Everyone would already know and would show you the proper deference that comes with that position. You are nobody when it comes to that and the fact that you think nothing of trying to take away my family just because makes me pity you just as much as it makes me hate you. I feel sorry for you, Maria, because you could have been so much more! You could have been the bigger woman and either forgiven Crystal as you did your husband or you could have just walked away and considered it all beneath you but you…
Pausing, she shakes her head slightly.
Seleana Zdunich: You had to come for me and try to intimidate me, which was laughable considering I’m a rookie who at the time had never had a match and I took you down and took your arm like you were the one who hadn’t finished training yet!
She pauses looking away as she takes a deep breath to try and regain her composure. A second later, she nods as she looks back into the camera.
Seleana Zdunich: In Christchurch, there is a saying, “Kia kaha.” It’s Maori phrase that means, “Stay strong,” or “Be strong,” depending on the speaker and the context. The Maori use it as an affirmation to one another to remind themselves that they must stand up against the discrimination they tend to face on a daily basis. It took on new significance in Christchurch in 2011 when the earthquakes started there that rattled the area and destroyed their beautiful cathedral amongst other things. People said it to each other to remind themselves to keep on despite the world literally falling apart around them.
She looks back into the camera, fire radiating from her eyes.
Seleana Zdunich: I’ve been saying it to myself since yesterday and now I’m going to look at you and say I hope you’ve been keeping that arm strong, Chickie, because it belongs to me and I will not have you letting it go weak before I take it back! I am going to take your arm, your legs, what’s left of your pride and whatever else you choose to throw at me and then I’m going to tell you, “Kia kaha, Chickie!” in the hopes that you might finally discover what it means to be a seong person in the first place. You certainly haven’t up until now…
Nodding pointedly again,. The camera zooms in.
Seleana Zdunich: So, allow me to teach you. Kia kaha, Chickie, your ass belongs to me!