Once Bitten, Never Shy (3k)

”They say if you want a job done right, you have to do it yourself. I, in my entire twenty three years of life, have never seen it ring so true as when I thought I could entrust my vision for the Network and Pro Wrestling to a troll like Cray. That is why I made my return to Alpha Pro Wrestling earlier than planned. That is why I am here now and that is why, in due time, I will have to do away with Phoenix LeStrange.”

The camera pans out to show Lilianna Rose, sprawled out on the floor doing some stretches as she speaks. She is in black yoga pants and a black sports bra. Her bare feet hug the edge of the yoga mat as she keeps on.

”I pose a question to the owner of this joint. Mr. Dante, why do you continue to allow a fucking intern to book the show week in and week out when he is proving to be incompetant? Everyone and their fucking mother can see that little Miss Cullen and I do not like one another. Why in the fucking hell are we teaming together? Is this some kind of hidden camera show that I am the victim of? Is Ashton Kutcher going to pop out from under the ring on Monday and say “You’ve been punk’d?” This has to be a joke.”

Lilianna stands up and gets a serious look on her face.

”I am not here for jokes. I am here to continue my dominance in the ring. I am here to completely flip the wrestling world on it’s head again. A year or so ago, when I left APW, it was because of an addiction. I got addicted to pain pills and that was the end of me…

… or so I thought. This is not a return. This is not a comeback. This is a new beginning. An opportunity to wash my hands of the stain I left when I split. You see, APW needed me. Jason Zurra needed me. Damien Kaine needed me, and I let them all down. I allowed my vices to take control. I was weak. I was a walking corpse.”

She gets into another pose, speaking in a strained yet confident voice.

”I left APW with some solid talent running the place. Now that the boss lady is out and Adam Dante is back on top I was optimistic about my return. I was so sure that this place didn’t need me but oh was I wrong. Look no further than your Junior Heavyweight Champion. At least Steven Osbourne could wrestle but no… I come back to a literal fucking clown holding that title. You have Phoenix LeStrange running around threatening to bite people. You have the Very Big Supremacis…. Erm… Super Villains thinking they are slick. Then you have our opponents for this week, Mike Zymbalta and Dave Van Dyk! And before anyone says anything I know those are not their names but, quite frankly, their names are not important.

What is important is they are going to be the first in a long line of victims to come in contact with Lilianna Rose and dick punch city. They are literally in for a rude awakening within those ropes. You see gentlemen, we have one thing in common. We have taken out the Very Big Morons.

That is where the comparisons end. You all have nothing on me. I am a gold medal gymnast. I am the best I have ever been. I am free of the bonds that held me back. I am now the one in charge. I am now the ringleader of this circus and I dare you fuckers to try and say otherwise.”

Lilianna disappears behind a changing screen. Her curvy silhouette is seen as she changes into her ring gear and re-emerges.

”I implore fans, and management for that matter, to tell me what Dave and Mike bring to the table that could potentially compare to me. Hell, they don’t even compare to my “tag partner” for this week and we all know how I feel about her.

Dave, Mike, just don’t even bother coming to the ring. Vamp-fraud and I will put our differences aside long enough to last from bell to bell. We will do what needs to be done in order to rid this company of you. The Network is here to make sure that only top notch television is seen.”

With those words Cray Mitchell appears on the screen. He is looking down, almost pouting.

”Mistress, you are so hot when you talk shit.”

Lilianna’s eyes shoot to the side to meet Cray’s.

”You don’t think I know that? The only reason I am still in wrestling is so I can show off my looks and my skills. Do you not see that I am the reason that Fourgasm was popular. I am the reason the Dark Carnival got over at all. I am the reason that any of them took off. People on the Internet still act like they don’t know who I am. Geri Miller and myself won gold at the London Olympics. The world sang our praises. Watch out what you wish for, you just might get it!

Keep thinking you are better than me. I will make sure you know that you are nothing more than a mere blip on the radar and I am the rest of the damn world. I am putting the whole roster on notice. Watch how I handle Dave and Mike and even Phoenix this week. It is the exact same way I will deal with each and every one of you!”

Cray looks at Lilianna.

”What about Kylie? I mean she keeps calling and you don’t return her calls..”

Lilianna slaps Cray across the face with such a force his cheek glows a bright red.

”Go to your room!”

Cray nods.

”I will be in your chambers.”

Lilianna shakes her head at Cray.

”You don’t deserve my chambers. Go to your room NOW!”

Cray walks off as Lilianna shakes her head.

”I will not answer her. She doesn’t deserve my time. She ruined any chance she has of hearing from me. She is in my rearview… time to focus on the future.”

The scene fades to black as Lilianna pours a glass of wine.





A dark abandoned building is seen as we hear a female voice.

”What in the fucking hell is APW thinking?”

Phoenix LeStrange walks into the view, her pale face illuminated by a fire. She looks into the camera as she speaks.

”You expect me to work with that slut? Better yet, do you expect her to work with me. I am on the rise as a singles wrestler in this business. I am now being saddled with, not only being in a tag team match, but being forced to team with the one person who hates me more than they love themselves. Which, by the way, she loves herself a whole hell of a lot.

I am sure Lilianna is going to have a lot to say about our opponents but I want to say some shit to her. Lilianna, listen good and hard when I say this. I loathe you. I wish you would die and I don’t wish that on anyone. I want you to be gone from this planet. However much I want that doesn’t matter as this week we need to find a way to get along. We need to find a way to coexist for the better of BOTH of our careers. I will be trying to get a hold of you in the coming days and you will need to answer that call. You will need to help ME get ahead in order for yourself to get ahead. You need me and you are scared to admit it Lili. That is the problem with girls like you. You want handouts and then you want to take credit like you actually did something.

You are all talk, Lilianna. That is all you do is talk for the sake of talking. I am about action. I am about getting shit done by any means necessary. I don’t talk. I just do. I kick ass and I make sure you are simply not in my way. You get in my way and I will simply end you. I could win this match all by myself and, let’s face it, with you as I partner I may damn well need to.

You see Lili, you are shallow. You are an incomplete person. You grew up to be Regina George when you should have grown up to be Queen (Regina) Sofia of Spain. You see, you became a mean girl and stayed in what was meant to be a phase. You got comfortable and used to everyone waiting on you hand and foot. You got so used to being the center of the universe that you went from being a star like the sun to being a black hole and sucking the energy out of every room you entered. You are now a supermassive black hole and the world can’t stop you.”

Phoenix paces the room like she is a woman on a mission.

”A month or so ago, when she who shall not be named was in charge here in APW you and I both decided we were gonna walk. We were on the same page… for a moment. Then she was gone and Crow resigned us both and gave us raises to keep us around and you became the same gold digging BITCH you have always been.”

Phoenix rolls her eyes as she switches her train of thought. She shakes her head side to side as she continues.

”Mike Zybala. The man who is almost as small as me. I wonder, and this is not a rhetorical question, what do you offer to this company? You have no charisma like Steven Osbourne. You don’t have the skills of Sarah Lacklan. You don’t have the size of William the Behemoth. What sets you apart? You and Dave are a tag team but, from what I saw against the Supervillains, you don’t offer much. You are someone who expects things to be handed to them on a silver platter.

Mike you are a waste of space. Can’t say you are a waste of a roster space because you haven’t even earned your way onto the roster. You can’t even get a contract. You have to wrestle on a day to day basis. That is one more thing I have that you don’t. Job security. In order to get rid of me, APW has to pay me. If they want to let you and Dave Van Dam(n he can’t wrestle) go, all they have to do is say goodbye. If they wanted to let me go, which they don’t, they have to go through a whole legal proceeding and pay me to leave.

Dave, what makes you want to team with the Lucky Charms Leprechaun over here? What makes you want to be friends with the Bergen that is Mike Zybala? You see, it all boils down to the fact that even though Lilianna and I don’t like each other, we both know that we are teaming up with someone who can get things done between the ropes. I know that Lilianna can win and she knows I can win. You are some morons that walked in off the streets. We are actual wrestlers who mean something. You lucked into a win and this week we will kick your skulls in!”

A knock is heard on Phoenix’s door. She puts the fire out and turns on a light. She opens the door to see a package on the steps. She opens it up and looks inside, almost mortified. The camera pans around. She pulls out a bunch of platinum blonde hair. The top ends are stained a light red, almost as if covered by blood. There is also a letter written in red ink. She reads it aloud.

”Phoenix,

So much for your HaVeN. So much for keeping Pandora safe. You couldn’t protect her from me and what I was capable of. This hair is all that remains. I send it to you in hopes it finds you in time for you to fully be fucked up mentally… well more than you already were.

Well, gotta go. I have more important things to do than spend my time fucking with you. Goodbye and I will see you later Phoenix!!

Regards,
RAIN”

Phoenix crumples the paper up in her hand as tears well up in her eyes. She shakes her head side to side as she yells into the camera.

Zybala, Van Dam, neither of you are safe now. Pandora was ALL I cared about in a human form and she has been ripped from me. She is gone and I blame those who blinded me, those who kept me distracted.

I do things for the Moroi but this week, I do it for Pandora. I do it to prove, once and for all, that Rain is nothing more than a figment of MY imagination.”

Phoenix burns the letter as the scene fades to black.







The scene opens to a coffee shop where Phoenix LeStrange is sitting and sipping away on her coffee. She looks up as a woman walks up wearing a black bikini top and black short shorts. She has sunglasses on her face which, by the looks of them, may be bigger than the bikini top is. The woman has a seat and removes her glasses. It is revealed to be Lilianna Rose. Phoenix extends her hand for a handshake and Lilianna slaps it away.

”Let’s get one thing clear Fang-Girl, we are not friends. The fact that we have to be tag partners this week is simply semantics. We are not on the same page. We simply have to win as two individuals.”

Phoenix shakes her head as her fangs protrude a bit.

”Lilianna, listen to me. We HAVE to get along or a real tag team will defeat us. It may not be this week but eventually they will.”

Lilianna chuckles lightly.

”If I get my way which, let’s face it, I normally do, we won’t ever have to team together again. This is going to be the worst week of my career and I had to team with a literal guy who thought he was Jesus.”

The fangs protrude so far that it is visibly painful for Phoenix. She grips the sides of her head. She lets out a painful howl of a cry as she speaks, this time more concerned.

”Listen to me you stupid little bitch! You are not going to be able to get out of this bullshit. You need to go the fuck away and never come back. We need to talk strategy. We need to get on the same page!”

Lilianna scoffs as she throws her coffee in Phoenix’s face and gets up to walk off. She looks back at Phoenix.

”There. We drink the same coffee now so we are on the same page.”

Phoenix growls as the scene fades to black.



Epilogue :

Phoenix LeStrange and Lilianna Rose are the worst of enemies. They have not been on the same page since they met and, even though they were booked in a tag team match, it didn’t look like they would be on the same page come Monday night. The two women were out for themselves. Would their collective egos be enough to carry them to victory or would they be their own downfall? Would they be able to coexist or would the history of Zybala and Van Dam be too much? We would find out Monday night!