Post by Alicia Lukas on Feb 14, 2018 9:06:05 GMT -5
Prologue-To Raise hell
Do you hear me now?. Do you see me now?. For the first 15 years of my life I struggled to be visible. I only wanted my mother to see me, to pay attention to me. She doted on my half brother and sister. Spoiled them, loved them. I knew why, I knew why when I looked in the mirror. My siblings looked like our mother. They had dark hair, brown eyes, olive skin. Then there was me. Blonde haired blue eyed little Violet. Pale skin, awkward height. My siblings were both shorter, meanwhile I walked around at five foot nine from when I was about 12. I was always ba tomboy.
I was looked at as one of them.
When we all got to that dating age my female friends all started seeing the boys, meanwhile I sat there, my hat flipped back in my jeans and band t-shirts helping my male friends pick out clothes to go out in. I was never looked at the same way. I was never one of the girls. Never accepted. My mother never helped me, cause I reminded her of my father. The man who walked out on her when we were all children. I was five, my sister three and our baby brother was just that. A baby.
She looked at me and saw Jason.
She looked at my blonde hair, my broad shoulders, strong jaw. She saw her ex….
She saw the man that abandoned us.
Part of me doesn’t blame her. Part of me wanted to hold her close and tell her I understood, that she was still my mom and I loved her. But then part of me, well, part of me wanted to punch her fucking lights out. But she helped me. She took me under her wing and started entering me in beauty pageants. Slowly boys took notice. But then the day came that she took mke to see a young man that I was “betrothed” to. At that moment with all the eyes on me I wanted it all to go back to the way it was before….
I wanted to be a nobody…
I wanted to be invisible…
After all I went through I needed to get out. To leave. And I ran. I ran so far away that I was able to get what I wanted. I was able to be who I wanted. To reinvent myself. And then when I was ready I had eyes on me, I had ears hearing my voice. And for awhile I thought I found my place. I thought I could forge some kind of sisterhood with the other women I had met, my peers. My people. But then it slowly dawned on me as I watched everyone turn on each other. As I watched women’s wrestling become a joke and become more about who was scissoring who than who was getting dropped on their head.
I wanted a sorority of honor and respect. But to get all that I have to break down everything. I have to reach up and pull the glass house down around them. I have to burn it down. I have to rebuild it on the ashes….
Scene One-The Heart wants what it wants…
Off Camera
Washington D.C
Seven Months Ago.
Alicia stepped through the large archway into the main room of the large old colonial home. It’s rich history plain to see to anyone who would look. It’s architecture screaming late 1700’s. She couldn’t help but smile as she passed old family photos. Family members and baby pictures of Michael and his parents and ancestors. She couldn’t help but smile as she stopped at one of him as a child, a ball in his hands.
Alicia turned to him as he leaned against the archway, his wavy brown hair loose and flowing over his nears and down his back, a trimmed brown beard accenting his cheekbones as a grin came across his lips. “What’s so funny?” She chuckled again and grabbed the photo turning it towards him. “You were so cute” She makes a small face pushing out her lips before laughing again. Michael shook his head stepping forward taking the photo as she held it out.
“That was a long time ago….the innocence of youth.” There was a hint of sadness in his voice as he placed the photo back on the wall, Alicia looked down and gave a small nod before feeling his hand on hers, he led her through into the kitchen and out to the stairs stopping at the bottom. “And up there is the bedrooms, master is down the hall to the right then another 3 on either side.” He gave her a grin and leaned against the post of the staircase that went up and curved to the side.
“So, when do I get to see the bedrooms?....” She moved some hair from in front of her face and stared up into his eyes, Michael coughed and laughed under his breath looking up to the top. “Well, by all means I can finish the tour now, or after we eat?” Alicia gave him a nod again and stepped close to him. “And which room is mine tonight?” She squeezed his hand and tilted her head slightly as she asked the question. “Well, that depends…”
“On what?” He leaned in close, his lips just touching hers softly. As he pulled back he shook his head. “I’m sorry Alicia….I...I’m sorry.”
She looked surprised and fumbled over her own words, her accent becoming more prominent as she seemed slightly panicked. “Why?. Why are ya sorry?.” Michael folded his arms over his chest looking away, his body language showing embarrassment as he seemed to close off before her eyes. “I crossed a line Ali. We’re friends and I’m your agent. We shouldn’t…”
He trailed off and went silent, after a few moments Alicia stepped forward finding his hands again getting close, she pushed up on her tiptoes to meet him kissing him softly. “The heart wants what it wants. I stopped listening to that annoying little voice saying “no” a long time ago” Michael looked in her eyes and smiled with a small nod. “Alicia...you want to be with me?” Alicia laughed to herself “I thought that’s what the kiss implied...but you will take me on a proper date….tonight…”
“Yes ma’am”
Scene Three-Defending the legacy
Off camera
New York,New York
Five Months Ago
It was a beautiful fall day in the suburbs of New York, the outskirts of the city. Alicia Lukas stood in her kitchen humming to herself happily, her body language showing relaxation as she pulled her cup of tea up to her face taking in the calming aroma.. She takes a sip and looks over hearing footsteps as Michael Reynolds walks into the kitchen. His flowing brown hair a slight mess as Alicia stops and stares.
He gave her a small smile across his boyish facial features, his beard and eyes making him look a good ten years younger than he had a right to. Not that Michael was old, far from it. But he was older than Alicia but somehow looked the same age or younger. His body was fit, tight and strong without being overly muscled. He wore a pair of bed shorts opening the fridge to grab milk. Alicia cupped her tea in her hands still staring as Michael just gave her a small laugh.
“See something you like Miss Lukas?” She blushed realising she had been staring before looking away setting her drink down. Michael slid the milk onto the kitchen bench before moving his hands up and around her midsection pulling her body back towards his. A whisper crossing her ears. “Is that one of my shirts?” Alicia couldn’t help but laugh before tilting her head slightly to look him in the eyes. “Rule number one of a relationship honey, what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine.” Michael just stepped back with a grin to make a coffee before looking back over at Alicia, her long blonde hair untied and unkempt but flowing down her shoulders and back.
“It looks better on you anyway love.” He laughed to himself taking a sip of coffee before looking over the paper on the bench with a sigh. “I’m kind of enjoying this.” His voice was light and breezy, Alicia gave him a small chuckle and tilted her head. “Enjoying what?” Michael put his coffee down and looked her right in the eye. “Being here with you, not having to rush around right now. A few days to actually be...well, a couple.”
She blushed and looked down. “I know my life is hectic, I know we spend so much time on the road and we have to be separated, I don’t like that part but, it’s my life you know?”
Michael stepped forward and moved his hand up, his fingertips dancing across her cheek before sliding her long hair behind her ear. “I wouldn’t change you for the world. But I just wonder, how long will you be able to keep this pace up Ali?” She raised her eyebrows and gave a small shrug. “I honestly don’t know. I don’t take time off that much, I work through injuries, I turn up to every event I’m booked for….this is all I wanted for so long….and now…”
“Now what?” He turned his head and leaned close. “Now I want to enjoy my life as well as do what I love.” He gave her a small kiss and laughed to himself. “I’m here Ali, I’m not going anywhere, I don’t ask you to reconsider, I’m here for your career as well. But falling in love with you wasn’t a goal it just happened….”
“I know, but I want to leave a legacy in this business, when people hear my name I want them to smile and remember me as one of the best and...wait...in love with me?” She stopped mid sentence and stared at Michael, his eyes lit up as he smiled again pulling her to him. “Yes, in love with you….and because of that...you know I’ll have your back.”
Scene three-Breaking Crystal
On Camera
Washington D.C
Present Day
“Well that didn’t take long did it?”
Alicia Lukas laughs to herself and folds her arms over her grey batman baseball style t-shirt, her long blonde hair swept over one side as her lips slowly curl into an arrogant yet strangely cute grin.
“Three matches. Three wins. Against three very different opponents. Frenchie was a wild, crazy psycho. She tries to end my career before it started due to the voices in her head. But what budget Joan of Arc didn’t understand is a win is a win, and no matter how good you think you are, a real warrior will be ready to jump back up and beat your ass. One georgia drop later and frenchie was laying on her back staring up at the lights talking to almighty god and her prayers remained unanswered as I walked out a winner and she walked out a loser and still batshit insane…”
“That made LAW take notice. That made them realise that I wasn’t all hype, I wasn't’ all talk. When I step into a ring it’s to prove I’m the best of the best, it’s to prove I’m one of the toughest, strongest, fastest and most skilled wrestlers in the world today. And LAW had the same idea, for me to prove that. So te next show. LAW 76 it was signed. Kenzi Grey, a second generation star. A woman who had refocused herself on her career who has some of the most natural talent I have ever seen. The current LAW Breakout Champion and the champion of champions due to winning the champions challenge…”
“Kenzi and I had an epic match, back and forth action, her speed and high flying against my smash mouth style, submissions and strength. In the end though I was the one who got my hand raised. See, I didn’t say the things I said to Kenzi to hurt her, I didn’t tell her that being a multimedia star meant she wasn’t “one of us” to tear her down. I wanted to help her, I wanted to be her friend and be honest.”
“That is what a real friend does, maybe Crystal should take notes since her angel buddies seem to not even like her now….”
“But it’s funny, cause everything I said to Kenzi, everything. About being a natural talent, about focus, about not screwing around with things outside wrestling I could say to the Silver screen queen, the movie star, the wannabe Diana Ross and Oprah herself. They have a few similarities. But Kenzi put up a fight, Kenzi showed me that potential, she showed me that focus and we went toe to toe, head to head like two real fighters….but in the end I had my hand raised. In my second LAW match I beat a real champion….”
Alicia slowly smiles and stands up sliding her hands into the front pockets of her skinny black jeans.
“But then, at LAW 77 I faced Maki. I don’t want to call her by any of her other names or go too far into it but Maki is a future star here. She hasn’t had the best start to her LAW career, in fact she’s gone the exact opposite to me. And while I have risen to be in a championship match at Rising Stars she is opening the show. But Maki is a beast. She kicks hard, she hits hard and she is an amazing talent. She is someone who I could see myself losing to if I’m even the slightest bit off my game. She is someone who could be a future LAW champion.”
“But she still isn’t as good as me….”
“She’s still just a step behind. But then again who isn’t?. I know I’ve ruffled a few feathers here. I know some people are keeping an eye on me. I know Sam Tolson is while she prepares to face Gabby Camacho, I know Crystal and her “friends” are. Hell I even know Kenzi and her group of cool kids are all watching and waiting. See my reputation had preceeded me here and as I have said before I know there was this feeling and this hope that I was all hype. That I was nowhere near as good as I said I was. But that has gone out the window. I’m in LAW to make wins and titles mean something again….”
“I am in LAW to be the best of the best….”
“I am in LAW to stand above everyone else here….”
“And speaking of Samantha Tolson and Gabby Camacho, I want to make it very clear that while any championship has meaning and I would love to hold them all. My ultimate goal is the championship those two are fighting over. And as it should be. I have never got this idea of being humble and talking about being the best without mentioning the top championship. Now when I look around and see people challenging for titles or holding titles that I know I’m better than, well I know it’s time for me to knuckle down and just do what I do best….”
Her eyes spark, her lip curls into an even higher smirk as her tongue moves across her bright ruby red lips. The arrogance inside Alicia seems to bubble to the surface as she steps forward.
“Beat. The. Top. Women.”
“One day I will stand on top of the mountain, one day I will be the LAW champion and I don’t care who I have to go through to do it.; Whether it’s Camacho, Tolson, Smyth, Keira. I don’t care. And how fitting is it that my path and my journey towards that title begins at Rising Stars?. That name alone should tell you this is all destiny. I will stand across the ring from Crystal Hilton. A woman who has been all over the US professional wrestling scene for years. She has been widely regarded as one of the best when she’s on her game…”
“The only problem?”
“Crystal is about as focused as a squirrel on crack…”
“From her past as a movie and pop star, to her exploits with her ex’s to her issues with Brittany and her bestest buddies in the boardwalk angels. The truth is Crystal that while you are one of the most naturally gifted performers I have ever seen you’re just not a wrestler. I said it before, everything I said about Kenzi can be thrown at you. I step in the ring I’m a wrestler, I have walked into company after company and been dominant. Hell you know, you’ve seen it.”
“But unlike yourself, a woman who tries to ride along on her rep and her name to get handed title shots I did it the old fashioned way. I earned it.; See you tries to get my attention in another company by flapping your lips without doing anything, without beating anyone. But look what I did Crystal. I stepped in LAW, I came to YOUR turf and I earned a shot at you by simply being the best wrestler alive today. You Crystal, talk about it….I just go and do it…”
Alicia scoffs and shakes her head as an annoyed tone switches in her words.
“One of the things that bothers me, is that you’ve had that Marquee title since August. You won it back at Queen of the ring and since then what have you done?. Has that title you hold and move around like a prop in one of your D grade troma films become more noteworthy with you holding it?. I mean damn Crystal you’ve had it for 6 months and you’ve defended it twice. One against Stacy Jones and once against Sarah Lacklan. Night of glory 4 and LAW 75. Two title defences in six months?. Are you kidding me?.”
“And before you even think of using that whole “I don’t make the matches” excuse, you could have gone and asked for a challenger. You could demand that you defend the Marquee title. But of course that would mean you’d actually have something to lose. Instead of defending that championship and making it mean something you instead competed and most of the time lost in those champions challenges. So not only have you not given anyone a crack at that belt...except for one woman who is barely here and another who is now wheeling her ass around speaking to pigeons….well that ends Crystal….”
“See in about two weeks you will walk that skinny little ratchet ass down to the ring in Nashville, you will hand that championship to the referee and you and I will have a match. And Crystal I have to be honest here I know you have the talent, I know you have the skills, but you don’t have the two most important things. The drive...and this…”
Alicia puts her hand on her chest and nods slowly.
“You don’t have the heart. Me?. I have the confidence, the skills and the heart to do whatever I need to do. I will beat you at Rising Stars, I will take that championship and I will defend it against all comers and make that title mean something. To me it won’t be a goddamn prop to just sarry around, it’ll be a status symbol of respect and reality and a golden beacon of what this company stands for and what it could be….”
“See you soon Hilton….”