Post by The Circle Television Network on Aug 25, 2018 20:06:28 GMT -5
DAY OF RECKONING
MONDAY…
I stood in our team’s corner as my wife…my fierce and beautiful wife battled it out inside the ring. She looked like an otherworldly creature to me, platinum hair like a magnificent shimmering crown, smooth alabaster skin, and eyes like glimmering rubies. I was mesmerized as she fought off Deimos, stunning him with a crafty low blow out of the referee’s sight, then sending him tumbling out of the ring and down to the floor. I didn't approve of her tactics, but she was a force that I could never tame. Deimos’ partner was quick to come into the ring to point out the cheating tactics Sarah had employed, and I felt his indignation, I really did…but it was a luxury that I could no longer afford. Le Bord Dieu…or Aveline Lackan, as she was known to me had given me an ultimatum; win the match at all costs or see her decimate the followers who were still loyal to my wife in Lacklanland.
It felt like I was walking through quicksand as I fought against my nature and went for a steel chair…one I planned to use on Deimos. I didn’t want to do it…I HAD to do it. My hands were slick with sweat as I stalked my quarry. Once I had him in my sights I felt sick to my stomach, my heart telling me not to do it, but my mind knew that I had no choice.
My mind turned back to the locker room before the match. I had poured out my heart to Sarah about what her step mother had asked of me. It had been a plea…but one that was laced with a threat. She wanted me to cast aside my morality, she wanted me to cut loose against my adversaries, she wanted me to fight like a Lacklanlander…she wanted me to win at all costs and show no mercy. Of course I would balk at this, but Aveline had another card to play. She told me that she would put down those who opposed her like rabid dogs if I refused her…their suffering would be my fault…their blood would be on my hands.
As I stared down at Deimos, I tried to recall the memory of the sleeper slam he had ambushed me with last week. I thought that if I could conjure up enough anger, then I would be able to justify smashing his head to pieces with the steel chair...but the only image that kept coming to mind was of the beaten boy in the town square in Lacklanland. It was Le Bord Dieu's message for me and that message was screaming for me to bend the knee to her will and cast aside my clarity for the sake of those she would hurt if I didn't. How could I, in good conscience, put my ideals before the needs Sarah's people? I am the one who had set that madwoman's rage upon them in the first place. I raised the chair, baring my teeth as I committed myself to the act. The crowd reacted to what I was about to do...even though they did not know the reasoning behind my actions. I would have to ask for forgiveness later...if there even was a later.
A flourish of green and platinum rushed into view as I brought down the chair causing me to pull my swing, stopping just inches from hitting Sarah as she dove in front of Deimos, putting her own body at risk to stop me from erasing everything that I had come to be so proud of. My heart skipped a beat as I realized how close I had come to hitting her and I could see the look on her face of relief...but it wasn't for the fact that I hadn't knocked her block off, it was because I hadn't followed through with her step-mother's insane decree.
Sarah took the chair from me and cast it aside, the look on her face an implicit plea that I not sacrifice who I was...not for Aveline Lacklan...not for the people that stood with Sarah...and not even for Sarah herself. She wanted me to be true to myself...to be strong and to be virtuous!
___________________________
WALDORF ASTORIA
TUESDAY…
I hardly slept a wink thinking about the choice I had made and it could be affecting the people of Lacklanland...my wife's people. Sarah may have had faith that they would all be okay...but I wasn't nearly as optimistic. If even one person was hurt, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I had messaged Aveline several times, but she never responded. All through the night I randomly picked up my phone and checked my messages, then put it down for 15 minutes before picking it up again and repeating the process.
DING!
When I finally got a message, I snatched up my phone and stared at it, completely dumbfounded. It wasn't from who I thought it was, it was from the executive office of UGWC Chill...
Kenzi Grey and Sidney Grey...
Daughter and mother...
Me and HER?!
You have to be freaking kidding me! YOU HAVE TO BE FREAKING KIDDING ME! Let alone the fact that I was facing a pair dudes that I had never ever heard of before...a couple of dudes that we apparently were being tasked to face without the slightest clue of who they were! Ordinarily I would complain, but being paired with my mother was more than enough to bitch about at the moment! This was not the way that I needed to start my day!
Waking up to the news that I would be tag teaming with my mother was a sobering proposition on a great many levels. Not only did I just flat out hate it…it seemed so weird to me. Tag team wrestling required a level of trust and intimacy I only shared with a very few people. I have that with my partner in Queen City Pro, where we are the reigning Tag Team Champions and I have that with my wife, and we are the current UGWC Cooperative Tag Team Champions. I had no doubt that if I were ever teamed with Angie, we would be champions somewhere as well. That was chemistry that didn’t just happen overnight…that was part of the reason that this match seemed so weird to me.
This was my mother! The woman that I should have one of the closest bonds with, yet the reality of this pairing is that we were opposites despite the shared DNA. There was pretty much nothing else that we had in common. We didn’t act the same or value the same things, how could we possibly co-exist against anyone at all…even a tag team that I knew absolutely nothing about? This was going to be a car crash of epic proportions! Or at least…that is what I wanted to believe…
The real truth of the matter was I worried that we would jell together somehow. My mind turned back to my appearance on the Tonight Show and Jimmy’s stupid game of me guessing who’s face I was wearing as he acted out who it was for me. It was funny and I was having a blast until the very last face that I guessed was me…but it turned out it was my mother. It was a moment that hit me square in the gut. Was I really like my mother…even after I had come so far with my #Clarity? I couldn’t imagine anyone ever thinking that we were alike…and yet it hadn’t just been anyone…IT HAD BEEN ME!
Maybe I wasn’t terrified of us being bad…what if we ended up being really good? What would that say about my relationship with my mother…or more importantly what would it say about me? My mother had never had the capacity to love anyone more than she loved herself, which I suppose is the reason that she went out and found me a big brother during her run in the Quag Cup…not that I didn’t appreciate it, because as strange as it was to magically have a big brother, I really did love and appreciate him. Basically…Deuce Holmes was the best present my mother ever got me!
That reminded me…I had to send my brother a present! I met a porn star online the other day and I was pretty sure it would be hilarious to send him to one of her porn shoots! I got him an autographed headshot and EVERYTHING!
I giggled like a schoolgirl after sending that. It made me so happy to think that eventually he would be trying to explain to his new girlfriend why he was getting head(shots) and invites from a porn star! No, I didn’t want to sabotage his action, but I did want to see him sweating it out a bit!
“Beloved…what are you doing?!”
“NOTHING!”
I fumbled my phone and nearly dropped it, a dead give away that it was anything but nothing. Sarah plucked the phone from my hand and stared at the picture. I was ready for her to give me the third degree over it, but instead she smirked and handed it back to me.
“I thought she overdosed…on a bunch of penises.”
I frowned at first, then curiosity seized me as I wondered why she wasn’t angry…and more importantly…
“HOW DO YOU KNOW A PORN STAR?!”
I tried to seem angry, but I could tell by the way she was smirking at me that it wasn’t working. She sighed, then gave a nonchalant waive of her hand.
“She use to work for UGWC Beloved. She wasn’t doing pornography beck then…just a bunch of shitty direct to video horror movies.”
She smiled as she leaned in close and kissed the tip of my nose.
“She never made epics like ‘The Blood Princess Bride.’ Trust me, you’re still the biggest starlet in UGWC history! All mines!”
To say my mind was blown was an understatement. I couldn’t believe that I had come across another legit actress…and one that had been in UGWC to boot. What were the odds? This had to mean something…I had to be for a reason! I just needed to figure out what it was. Before I could ask a follow up question, Sarah kissed me on the cheek and started for the door.
“Beloved, I have to step out for a bit. I have a follow up appointment with the Doctor.”
Instinctively, I hoped up off the couch looking for my purse, but Sarah stopped me.
“Stay here and rest…it’s nothing. Just a follow up and then I’ll be back before you know it.”
I was ready to cause a huge scene over this. We had been practically inseparable since her accident. I had a hard time doing anything when I didn’t know where she was or how she was doing. Admittedly, since she was cleared to return to the ring I shouldn’t have been such a baby to her…
“Did you hear that?”
“What?”
“I thought you said baby!”
I rolled my eyes, wondering how she was reading my thoughts. I didn’t want to hear any more talk about babies! They weren’t compatible with our lifestyle…or my life, period! I started to protest, but before I could there was a knock at our door. I was going to continue our conversation, but the look on her face told me not only that this was not up for debate and she also knew who was at the door. She glanced through the peephole then turned back and gave me a sly wink before throwing open the door and announcing rather loudly…
“MOTHER GREY! SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!”
I had to stifle a laugh as Sarah threw her arms around my mother and her eyes bugged out of her head. I could see that she was readying something vile to say, but Sarah disengaged and was already halfway out the door before she could.
“I told her about your little conversation with Aveline…OKAY, BYE!”
I stared at my mother, her botoxed face unable to betray anything of what she was thinking…
“Mom…”
“Tell me everything and don’t skip a single detail!”
_________________________________
ONE HOUR LATER...
"You're a goddamn idiot!"
I stared at my pigheaded daughter, wondering what in the fuck her major malfunction was. I had given her every advantage in life...well, I had after I brought her on to my reality television show and exposed her to the world so that she could become a global icon! Instead of thanking me for what I had so generously given, she had taken it and thrown it away so that she could become a crotch-licking professional wrestler...not unlike her goddamn father! I could blame him for this, even though she had never met him, but the blame was more accurately laid one place and one place only...at the feet of Sarah Selena Lacklan!
Kenzi was ready to give up on wrestling until that rat-eyed scamp came around filling her head with nonsense about fighting all over the world and being a filthy lesbian! I am her mother and I know for a fact that my child is NOT a fighter and she is certainly NOT a lesbian! If it wasn't for the fact that pasty-faced brat hadn't been worth millions, I would have NEVER allowed her to trick my child into marriage! The one saving grace is all of this had been the fact that I was allowed to share the wealth, so to speak. At least I could keep a close eye on my child and make certain she wasn't abused any more than I found to be acceptable...especially inside the ring!
I won't lie, this last year Kenzi had been impressive inside the ring, but that didn't mean that I needed to be proud of it! She wasn't meant for this life of living out of suitcases and flying from city to city to fight in front of drunken assholes for pocket change! She was meant to be up on the silver screen rubbing elbows with stars and introducing her mother to rich young studs! That was the life that my daughter was meant for and if I got my way, that would be the life that she returned to in short order. She couldn't go on getting her brains beaten out, night after night. Eventually she would realize that her mother was right and then we could drop this farce and get down to the business of making her the star she was always supposed to be!
My eyes were narrowed to thin slits as I focused in on Kenzi after she told me about the more-than-generous offer that had been extended to her from Aveline.
"You mean to tell me that Aveline offered you a truce, but you didn't take it? Are you fucking insane?! That woman controls all of Lacklanland! She controls all of its wealth and all of its holdings! You and Sarah could STILL be living like queens, but instead you'd rather live out of a ratty hotel because of your precious ego! Face it, you and Sarah lost and she won...do what she tells you and then you can finally go back to living the life you two had!"
Kenzi rolled her eyes at me, making me want to slap them completely out of her head. She should have been more respectful.
"I DID ACCEPT HER TRUCE! At lease, I tried! I was going to knock Deimos' head clean off his shoulders, but Sarah stopped me...and you know what? I'M GLAD THAT SHE DID! Aveline has NO business sitting her ass on the throne of Lacklanland, especially since she can't keep her back off the canvas of a UGWC ring! She is a freaking crazy person!"
"Yes! A crazy person...WITH A CRAZY AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE CAN BOTH SHARE IN!"
"Mother, there is a lot more to life than money!"
I could have slapped her for making such a stupid statement, but she was hardheaded and it wouldn't have resonated anyway.
"Money buys everything Dear! That is why money IS life!"
I pulled out my phone and started to find Ava's personal number. Maybe it wasn't too late to salvage this situation.
"I will take care of this! I'll talk to her and get this whole thing smoot..."
Kenzi snatched my phone out of my hand and I could tell by the look on her face that this ran deeper for her than just a place on the Cincinnati Hit Girls LFL team that she was now a majority owner of. Kenzi seemed concerned...actually concerned that something bad would happen.
"What is going on Kenzi? What aren't you telling me? SPILL IT!"
She flinched as I rose my voice and I could see that it annoyed her that I could still get that kind of reaction from her. Her shoulders slumped as she answered.
"Aveline told me that she would hurt Sarah's supporters if I wasn't ruthless out there. She said it would all be on my head."
"Jesus Mackenzie."
The bottom line was that she should have just done what Aveline asked and things would have been just fine. That was what I had done. When I saw that Aveline was going to be the winning horse in the race for Lacklanland's gold, I hitched my star to her and I never looked back. That was the kind of bold intellect that made me the greatest mind in this business! Had I been 20 years younger, no one would even know any other name in this sport! Unfortunately I had been forced to harbor a career-killing twitter lesbian in my vagina and now I was no longer in my prime. Of course, prime was a relative thing, I was still better in the ring than a majority of the 'so-called' talent that was out there.
"Just call her and tell her that you fucked up and you'll do better next time."
"I think you and I know better than that! She's a total nutcase! She had some kid beaten and strung out in the square...just for Sarah and I to see! I am not going to have anyone else get hurt because of me!"
I ran my hands down my face, hoping to clear away the urge to scream. This child was infuriating.
"What do you care? It's not you! Those people made their choice to live there!"
Kenzi's expression changed from anger to one of complete shock and disbelief. I signed, preparing myself for the lambasting she was about to give me.
"THESE ARE PEOPLE'S LIVES! I CANNOT LIVE WITH THAT ON MY CONCIOUS MOTHER! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN!"
"I was kidding...of course..."
I wasn't kidding. I didn't give a flying fuck about anyone in that whacked out fairytale kingdom! They looked weird, they dressed weird, they acted weird, and they worshipped wrestling...that shit wasn't at all normal! I wouldn't have given them the time of day, but the Lacklan's were rich...as FUCK! There was no way that I was going to look that gift horse in the mouth! If they needed me to play Renaissance Fair with them to get my hands on some of that money, then I was going to play dress up right alongside them and kill dragons or whatever the hell Aveline told me to do! I played ball, and that is what Kenzi needed to do!
“…but, maybe you should consider the fact that you can do more good from the inside than you can from the outside. If you go to Aveline, show her that you are sincere, then maybe you can convince her to stop without anyone getting hurt. That’s certainly worth a try, isn’t it?”
I watched as the wheels inside my daughter’s head turned. I hoped that she would listen to reason. Aveline was the ruler of Lacklanland, for better or worse, so there was no need in starting a war with her when it was so much nicer to do what she told you and hold out your hand. That’s what I did and there was no shame in it…none at all.
“I guess…I need to try something…anything.”
She let out a weary sigh that told me that she was far from thrilled over the prospect of heading back to Maine. That was a reaction that I had personally never seen before out of her. She loved going to the compound, with or without Sarah. For the first time I started to think that maybe there was more to this than I really knew.
“Okay…so we are heading back to Maine to talk to her. Maybe that will give us enough time to talk about this match we have on Monday.”
I paused, shaking my head as I tried to figure out if I had heard her correctly.
“Match? What match are you talking about? One with you and Sarah?”
“No…you and I are booked in a match on Chill against Darren McCoy and Taylor Ryan. I’m surprised you didn’t see it.
I stood there staring at her as my brain tried to process this. I had competed in the Quag Cup a few months ago and I had done pretty well…I had done awesome in fact as I made it to the finals after a 3 year layoff. I had nothing to be ashamed of. I had proved my point and now I was ready to transition into being the best damn manager in the business. I could do that from outside of the ring instead of being in the thick of things…not that I couldn’t still destroy whomever was placed in my path, but still, this isn't how I operated!
“This is complete bullshit! Where did you even see this?”
Kenzi forwarded the message to me and as soon as I got it I read over the particulars as it irritated me even more.
“Who in the fuck are Darren McCoy and Taylor Ryan? They aren’t even on the Chill roster! Are we being punked? This is one of those prank shows where they do something stupid and we have to react to it?
“Of course I knew that it wasn’t, but that didn’t stop me from being indignant at the thought that my very first match in UGWC would be one that I didn’t ask for against a pair of no-named jabbronies that didn’t even have the decency to post a goddamn bio that I could properly ridicule on UGWC.com! It was obvious that I was being set up to look like a fool and I didn’t appreciate that…I didn’t appreciate that one fucking bit.
“This is going to get sorted out! Right now…RIGHT FUCKING NOW!”
I pulled out my phone and I scrolled through my contacts as I found the number that I wanted and I pounded out a quick message…
Goddamn Kem Dynamo and her incessant trolling of the internet for business to inject herself into! I never thought that there would be a time that I would see Sarah Lacklan in the ring and think to myself 'I hope that little rat eyed girl kicks so-an-so's ass, but I would be rooting for Sarah on Monday night. Hopefully she would beat Kem so badly that she died from embarrassment...then maybe Sarah could die laughing right afterwards and then my life would be complete!
Of course, Hastings wasn't getting off so easily on this either! He may have claimed to not know who I was, but they would find out soon...and so would my opponents...whoever the hell they were; McCoy and Ryan! I wasn't just a beautiful face and a killer body, I was still one of the most dangerous people in this business and I had retired more people than AARP! Those two jackasses didn't need to worry about posting a stupid bio, after I beat the shit out of them and sent them packing it wouldn't have been worth the effort for the webmaster to move them into the retired portion of the Coalition website!
I wasn't going to show Kenzi that I was secretly relishing the opportunity...but relishing it, I was. I had shown Kenzi and the rest of the world that despite a 3-year layoff, I was just as much a force in this sport as I had ever been! Kenzi may have been riding high on a few accolades here and there, but she wasn't the Grey that this industry should have been fawning over. I was the one that the spotlight shown brightest for and I would be the one that show everyone in UGWC why that was!
PRIVATE PLANE
BOUND FOR MAINE...
Angie Vaughn and my mother had decided to come to Maine with us, and luckily that meant that we would get to fly back in style. It had been a long time since Sarah and I had flown on a private flight. After Aveline had cut us off we had to tighten our belts a bit, or rather I had to tighten our belts. Sarah still had the ideals of a sovereign queen, so she spent money like there would never be an end to it. There almost was an end to it...she might have given me a lot of crap over my commercial endorsements of EconoLodge and Claires Adult Store, but those two alone had gotten us moved into the Waldorf Astoria and kept her in red bottom shoes for quite some time. Of course, the more I made, the more she spent, so I had to stay on my grind!
“Beloved! Look! Look at how cute this baby is!”
Sarah squealed as she showed me a picture of another child from her phone…
This one nearly made me want to puke. Didn’t she know how much I hated kids…let alone the idea of having one around. I handed her phone back to her, watching as she was absently rubbing her belly. I wasn’t even sure if she knew she was doing it, but for whatever the reason, she was in full on baby mode again. Honestly, I liked it better when she was just spending all of my money instead of flooding my brain with thoughts of children.
What in the hell did we need with children? We were the Cooperative Tag Team Champions…we weren’t even in a position where we had time for a kid. Sure, when she was home and confined to a wheelchair, she could have raised an entire legion of children. There was nothing but time on her hands back then…or at least there would have been if she hadn’t worked so hard to get back into UGWC so that she could win herself another title. Like it or not, she was a professional wrestler again and that lifestyle didn’t assure the rearing of well-adjusted children. As far as I was concerned, she was living her dream…OUR dream and kids didn’t fit…AT ALL!
She elbowed me in the side, another tell-tell sign that I was about to be bombarded with baby pictures in short order. I had to think quickly and instead, I held up my phone as I started playing Doja Cat’s ‘Mooo!’ as I sang the lyrics loudly, if for no other reason than to annoy her…
In short order I was rewarded with exactly what I wanted…
Sarah gave a sigh of frustration and soon she was busying herself with some side project to annoy Roxy with. She giggled manically as she set to work creating a fake Roxy Cotton social media account. Angie busied herself with sending text messages to Ser Alex and Ser Bobby, as if they were ever going to be able to read them. While my friends worked, I turned my attention to schemes of my own.
What was it?
It was something I’d stumbled on quite by accident. While playing a prank on my brother, Deuce Holmes, I discovered that the porn star I was trying to fix him up with was actually a former member of the UGWC roster, Gabrielle Montgomery. I found that incredibly ironic. Out of all the people I’d run into, how funny that it would randomly be someone who use to work here...and what was more, she actually had mainstream movies to her credit instead of the ones she had told me about; ‘Thobbin Hood 4’ and ‘Village of the Rammed 2.’ Gabby had legit films under her belt. Maybe not blockbusters like ‘All That Glitters’ but they were actual acting credits.
I had wondered why she had transitioned to pornography when it was clear that she could have avoided the stigma of adult films all together. Her listing of movie credits might have been even longer than mines. That was something, but that wasn’t what peaked my interest. It was the fact that most of her movies had either gone direct to video or were no longer available. The light bulb inside my head brightened as I realized that if I partnered with Gabby, perhaps I could re-release her films with my production company, Dark Goddess Productions, with wider distribution…and at a nice profit for the both of us. How could anyone say no to that?!
I messaged Gabby about my plans and the two of us struck up a conversation about not only filmmaking but her time in UGWC. I mentioned my match on Monday and the fact that I was facing a couple of unknowns, and to my absolute joy, she told me that she was familiar with the two of them...
I wasn't going to go as far as to say that they were 'easy' per say, but at least I was no longer fighting a pair of faceless question marks anymore. This new partnership was paying off in more ways than I ever thought possible; first with a good chance of getting a few more movie credits added to my fledging brand and now with making sure that I knew what to expect on Monday night on Chill.
I settled in and starting reading up on my opponents, exploring the archive of matches on UGWC as I tried my best to distract myself from the reason for my side journey to Lacklanland this weekend. I was coming back with my hat in my hand as I apologized for not following through on her request. I didn't know what to expect when I arrived...if she even knew that I was coming at all...
That question was answered in very short order as a notification popped up on my phone, causing me to roll my eyes as I signed, wondering what she was playing at now...
A Hot Dog Eating Contest? Last week Sarah and I got a parade, which was totally awesome, with the exception of the boy that had been beaten and lashed to a cross in the public square. With that one exception, that was one heck of a nice welcome! Coming back to this? Well...that was just ridiculous! I really had to wonder what Aveline's mental state really was. It looked like her sanity was slowly unraveling even more as loss after loss mounted in the ring and her grip on the compound loosened.
I should have been happy about this...but it actually worried me even more. She was probably becoming desperate right about now...desperate for a victory...either in or out of the ring. This contest of hers...it was going to be about humbling me in some way. I didn't know what or how...but this wasn't going to end well.
All I could do was sit back and sigh...hoping that I found a way to prevent innocent people from being hurt. If that meant that I had to eat a bunch of hot dogs to do it, then that was exactly what I was going to do!
LACKLANLAND
SATURDAY...
Maine wasn’t for me, but the extravagant lifestyle that Jean Paul Lacklan had laid out for the people that he trusted and that advised him certainly was. I was living the life I always knew I deserved, even it was currently under the yoke of a crazy person like Le Bord Dieu. From time to time, we all had to do things that were unpleasant in order to serve the greater good. I would have to step into the ring on Monday night against a pair of idiots that weren’t worth the effort it would take to lace up my boots, but such was the cost of doing business in this industry. The cost of doing business in Lacklanland was quite different these days…quite different indeed…
Le Bord Dieu was insane…literally batshit crazy. I had known it from the first moment I laid eyes on her but like I said before, she was going to be the clear winner in the test of wills between herself and Sarah. Not because she was anymore ruthless than Sarah, but because Sarah had a fatal flaw…her love for my daughter. At first, I admit it, I thought that it was nothing more than the lusting of a weird adolescent who had been raised in some incestuous cult that was destined to die out now that its only heir had rolled snake eyes in the ‘I love penis’ sweepstakes. The Lacklan legacy was still going to die, but it would do so willingly as Sarah had proven time and again that she really did love Kenzi.
While I didn’t like it…I wanted a life that included a rich and successful husband for my daughter, I did appreciate the fact that Sarah loved her more than anyone or anything on the face of God’s green earth. She had many reasons to kick Kenzi to the curb; not just one, but two secret marriages, her devotion to a ridiculous cult of rich celebrities who were better off throwing themselves into a flaming volcano, and last…but certainly not least, Kenzi inviting the devil right into Sarah’s home…where she promptly took over and evicted the two of them. I couldn’t lie, if it were me…Kenzi’s stupid ass would be back on the street looking for marriage number four while I did everything in my power to get my kingdom back.
…from the look of things, that time was drawing nearer and nearer…
The Banquet Hall was decorated from floor to ceiling in the most magnificent manner that I had ever seen in my time there. Banners of purple and red hung from the rafters in a crisscrossed pattern that dazzled the senses. The entire place glittered and sparkled, reminding me of that dinner scene in ‘Beauty and The Beast.’ I knew that Aveline fancied herself as the Beauty in this scenario, but when I saw her breeze into the room, she looked to be anything but!
Her dyed platinum hair had begun to grow out with the dark roots showing in the disheveled tangle atop her head. I could tell that her servants had been stopped before they could finish styling it. Likely she had just gotten up and walked away in the middle without rhyme or reason. Her makeup and bright red gown were equally haphazard in appearance. She no longer resembled ‘The Queen of Red’ as she had taken to calling herself as more of a poke at Sarah than anything, she now looked every bit the crazy person that UGWC had initially got to know as Bordy…the very same person Sarah had imprisoned in an insane asylum…most likely rightfully so.
Bordy breezed through the Hall with a maniacal grin on her face as she oversaw all the details of this ‘welcome’ she had planned for her ‘children.’ The servants moved about like buzzing bees as they prepared the table that would serve as the scene for this contest she had cooked up. I folded my arms as I did my best to not look for all the world like I was about to have a conversation with Forrest Gump.
“AVELINE! May I speak with you please?”
Bordy whirled around, her dress spinning as she sought to find the author of the call that beckoned her. When her eyes found me, she grinned even broader, so much so that I thought her face might actually crack in two. She rushed over and I had to resist the urge to flinch back as she grabbed my face and pulled me in close to look directly into her wild eyes.
“THE CHILDREN? HAVE YOU BROUGHT THEM HERE GRAND VIZIER GREY?! J'ai tellement de choses à leur montrer! I have such sights to show them, indeed!”
I tried to ignore the fact that she drifted back and forth between English and French as best I could. I didn’t speak her native language…so I didn’t even try. I found her new language of insano just as hard to get though. I put on bright smile, yet and still, pulling her hands from the sides of my head as I looked at the spread that she had put together in the center of the Hall, a total of six hotdogs sat on a table set for two, surrounded by an enormous ‘U’ shaped banquet table that was set with the most delicious looking entrees, main dishes, and desserts that I had ever seen. The hotdogs seemed weirdly out of place in all this.
“Aveline…I don’t know what this contest is all about, but I needed to speak to you about this thing with Kenzi, I…”
Bordy waved her hand dismissively, glossing over my question for her.
“Kenzi disappointed me last Monday night, but it wasn’t the only disappointment. Il y a des traîtres partout, il doit y avoir un exemple! I must ferret out the roots of this revolution and put an end to it! Examples must be made!”
“Not of Kenzi!”
Bordy recoiled as if I had struck her. She pressed her hand to her chest as her face blanched at the very thought.
“NOT THE CHILDREN! I shall spare them the rod…mais pas les spoile! But no, I shall not spoil them! Examples will be made however! I will not see Jean Paul’s legacy torn apart by des voyous, des putains et des indignes! Those that stand with Sarah…those that stand against me!”
I breathed a sigh of relief, still this contest seemed a bit ominous. I looked back to the small table for two that sat in the middle of the great hall…seeming for all the world like a gallows.
“Seats for the guests of honor?”
Bordy cackled, covering her mouth like a giddy child as she patted me on the back.
“Pour un! Only for one! The other shall get a turn upon the Croix de juif! Praise him, I shall lash another traitor to cross in the square named for that whore! My people will see the price of sedition and they will fall in line! Félicitez-le!”
Despite the utter weirdness of this entire thing, the one saving grace was that my daughter would not be the focus of any of this woman’s madness. Despite our differences, I loved my child dearly…not only for her future earning potential…though that was a very nice and sizable perk. I didn’t know what lunacy was about to take place, but at least I could rest easy knowing that it would be something that didn’t involve my daughter and it would be over in very short order…or at least I hoped…
________________________________________
A FEW MOMENTS LATER
BANQUET HALL...
The banquet hall was filled to capacity with all of Lacklanland’s finest citizens…mainly those that supported her and her usurping of Sarah’s throne. To say it was a hostile environment for us would have been an understatement, but such was to be expected as Bordy’s grip continued to slip from the power she had stolen. No doubt this was an effort to get that power back…at our expense.
I looked over at Sarah and Angie sitting next to me on one side, and both of them looking back at me with questioning looks, though they tried to give off an air of assurance that whatever game Bordy was playing would soon be revealed and then dealt with. I turned back to look at Bordy, with my mother sitting on the other side of her. I did my best to show Bordy that my apology was sincere as I gave it.
“Aveline…I wanted to apologize to you for my match on Monday. I know that you expected aggression from me, but I…”
She raised a single finger to stop me.
“Non! You are as your creator made you child. I had hoped that my light would be enough to illuminate you and those that do as you do, but J'avais tort. I hate being wrong, but we are only human and we all make mistakes…from time to time.”
Her smile was more a lopsided smirk than anything. She put her hand on my shoulder, then stood up, plucking a fine crystal goblet from the table as she addressed the masses that watched her with their big doe eyes.
“UN MOMENT TOUT! Please, help me to welcome back our victorious children! They survived Day of Reckoning with their championships intact…fighting and winning…though not as Jean Paul has always preached…not at all costs…”
She placed one of her hands on my shoulder, giving it a generous pat.
“…tout le monde ne peut pas se battre comme nous, nés de sa parole, not all can be as we, the people of Lacklanland. Strong, true, and brave! In fact, there are some among us now who do not embody our ideals, and instead they seek to subvert our way of life. They seek to saper son église avec la flamme de la revolution! They desire revolution…but their bellies cannot stomach what sedition will bring them! Those who cannot and will not embody our ideals must be ferreted out removed from our sight.”
She gestured to the hotdog laden table for two at the center of the Hall and her royal guard came forth, with all stopping in unison and clicking their boot heels together loudly as they saluted the Queen of Red.
“Welcome to the First Annual ‘Gluttony is the Devil Hot Dog Eating Contest!’ Mais pourquoi la gourmandize? Why gluttony indeed! I do not only speak of the over consumption of food and drink, as the fat sow Kem Dynamo continually does, but the over-indulgence of the wealth and power of Lacklanland. In these times of strife and divisiveness…when those who would stand with another queen seek to bring my reign to an end, I need loyal and trusted advisors…I don’t need traitorous gluttons!”
She scanned the Hall until her eyes fell on the one she sought to point out. She made a few quick gestures and her guards seized the man from his seat to his shock and dismay. Bordy smiled viciously as he was dragged to the table and forced to sit.
“Sabastian Hargrave…despite your gaunt appearance, you’ve grown so fat from the wealth of my husband. Eating and eating from his table, but never bringing anything to further his cause. You’re a taker Sabastian…greedy with even your secrets…”
She looked around, her eyes falling on Angie and Sarah for some odd reason. She turned back to the man opened his mouth to protest, but a wave of her hand silenced him.
“…silencieux! You had your chance to speak the truth to me, and you squandered it. You’ll prove your loyalty to me and the people…just as my Grand Vizer will!”
I glared at Bordy, as did my mother, both of us with confusion etched on our faces. Unlike with Hargrave, Bordy mearly gestured for my mother to step down and join the thin worm of a man. Sid stood slowly as if waiting for the punchline to a joke, but when it didn’t happen she moved with more purpose, making her way down and to the seat next to Hargrave. Bordy clapped her hands and cackled manically.
“Merveilleux! Let’s hear it for them people! Cheer them!”
The clapping came in a muted smattering, but she didn’t seem to notice or care. Instead she continued her speech to the masses.
“My Grand Viser! The one I trust with everything as a mother, like myself! Your child has only known your kindness and affection, and yet…she still cannot follow simple instruction…to win at all costs. Une telle déception pour votre pauvre mère! But as always, it is left to us mothers to show them the light.”
I had no idea what was going on. I looked at Sarah and all she could do was shrug as well, we were both lost. Was she really going to force them to eat hotdogs? Soon enough my question was answered.
“The Queen of Red demands obedience…expects loyalty…asks for only your love in return…not unlike any good canine would offer up willingly! Now, these two will get to show Lacklanland their loyalty…to me! They will consume these hot dogs in the Queen of Red’s honor! Specially prepared from the…”
“ALL HAIL THE QUEEN OF RED!!”
Hargrave, eager to regain Bordy’s favor, snatched up one of hot dogs and shoved it into his mouth. Bordy raised her eyebrow as she watched him take that first bite, then his expression changed as his sallow cheeks seemed to grow even more pale. She cocked her head to the side.
“Do you not enjoy hot dog Sabastian? Will you not honor your Queen?”
Bordy watched as realization dawned on him and everyone in the room that it was not hotdogs, but it was as she said...hot dog. She cackled with delight at this, mocking the man as she did.
"WOOF WOOF!!"
Hargrave looked at Sidney, who swallowed and took a step back from him in fear that he might vomit on her. He looked back at Bordy with big pleading eyes.
“My Q-Queen…I…I cannot…I…”
“Cannot, or will not?”
The man shuddered and blanched, utterly disgusted. He tried to eat again, but he gagged and nearly vomited. He stepped away from the table to plead his case, but the Queen’s guard seized him immediately, though he continued to plead his case.
“PLEASE! MY QUEEN!”
Bordy waved her hand in a complex series of gestures and the guard acted immediately as they grabbed the thin man and dragged him away kicking and screaming. My mother breathed a sigh of relief as she started to walk back up to her seat, but Bordy signaled and she was stopped by the guards.
“Not so fast Grand Vizer. The Queen of Red promised a contest of loyalty to her people and they shall have it! The question is…who else needs to prove themselves to their Queen?”
She looked around at the masses, but none met her eyes, either because they didn’t want to face the meal she prepared or they didn’t want to face whatever fate she had for them should they not complete the task. After a few hushed moments, she turned her attention to my mother.
“Mother Grey…it appears as though I have no choice but to lock you away as well since there is no one for you to prove your loyalty against. I’m sorry…I know that you…”
“AVELINE!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU KNOW I AM LOYAL!!”
“I know you are…but the people…MY people, they need assurances. I need to know that people will take me seriously as a person of my word. I…”
“I will do it…”
“BELOVED!”
“EWE!”
I looked at my wife and my friend, giving them a look to make it clear that this was my choice and they could not deter me. I turned back to Bordy, looking her in the eye as I repeated.
“I will do it…”
I leaned in and whispered to her…
“…you said you are a person of your word…no one else will be hurt. That was your promise…”
“Ma parole, mon lien…you have it child. Do your mothers proud.”
I pulled back as I walked down to the table at the center of the Hall as mummers rippled through those that watched. I could see Angie holding Sarah in her seat and my heart ached to see her that way, but I was heartened that she didn’t go against my wishes and make a scene. I made my way down as my mother glared at me, her face panicked. I brushed my hand against her arm, leaning into her.
“…just do this…close your eyes and just eat…”
Her face was still panicked and she shook her head.
“…Kenzi…I can’t…I just can’t do this…”
I grabbed her arm, shaking her hard. This was my chance to make things right and I wasn’t going to let her or anyone else destroy my chance.
“…think about the money mother! You like her money…you said you’d do anything for it…now is your chance to prove it…”
Her face was as pale as my wife’s, but she walked back over to the table, taking her place beside me. I stared down Bordy as she watched me with wide eyes that were wild with anticipation. I reached down and picked up one of the hot dogs, holding it tentatively in my hands. This was an unsavory prospect and not the way I wanted to earn Bordy’s promise not to hurt anyone, but I had no choice. My stomach churned at the thought of what I had to do, but I turned my mind to the more important matter of bolstering my mother’s resolve so that she could stomach the task ahead as well…
“…just close your eyes, chew and swallow…I…”
My mother was halfway through her second hot dog, no doubt with visions of Lacklanland’s enormous wealth dancing in her head. I turned and shoved mines into my mouth, hardly tasting it as I just chewed and swallowed, then rinsed and repeated. I choked the urge to vomit, swallowing and chewing, swallowing and chewing.
I fixed my eyes on Bordy’s, using that eye contact to fuel my resolve. I pushed the sounds of choking and gagging from those that watched to the back of my mind as I continued to eat; one dog…two dogs…three dogs gone. I slammed my hands down on the table as I finished and heard my mother do the same…our task complete. I felt my stomach lurch, but I refused to let her have the satisfaction of seeing me vomit in front of everyone. I wanted her word…and now I had it.
“ALL HAIL THE GRAND VIZER AND DUCHESS LACKLAN!”
Bordy clapped her hands as she got to her feet, pointing to my mother and I. The rest of the onlookers stood and did the same…pretty much the entire room was on their feet…all accept Sarah and Angie. I could see the look on their faces and I understood their feeling on the matter, but my principles meant a lot to me. I had almost threw them away at Day of Reckoning, but I wouldn’t to it again…my word meant a lot to me and now I would find out what Bordy’s word meant to her...
“I STAND WITH SARAH!”
The air was nearly sucked out of the Hall as people gasped at my sudden outburst. I watched Bordy’s face drain of color as she glared at me, thin lips quivering. I doubled down as I turned to face everyone in the Hall.
“I STAND WITH SARAH! I STAND WITH THE ONE TRUE HEIR OF JEAN PAUL’S LEGACY…SARAH SELENA LACKLAN!!”
Bordy pounded her fist on the table over and over, overturning plates and cups as she grimaced. I watched as her left eye twitched uncontrollably and she waived for her guards to seize me. Strong hands were on me, almost immediately. I should have been afraid, but I saw the eyes on me…watching me for any sign of fear…I showed none. If any of the rest of them needed reason to ‘Stand With Sarah’ I would give it to them.
“TAKE HER…TAKE HER RIGHT NOW!!”
I waited for the hammer to fall as Redmaine worked his hands into hammer-like fists, no doubt ready to smash them against my skull. Sarah and Angie were on their feet as well, awaiting her edict as she delivered it...
“YOU ARE BANISHED!!! YOU WILL NEVER STEP FOOT WITHIN THIS COMPOUND WHILE THE QUEEN OF RED RULES!!! Take her out…take her now…”
She plopped down in her seat, looking a disheveled mess with her eyes wide with shock and confusion. As the guards took me out, I saw the looks on the faces of those that watched the spectacle. Most were disgusted, but some…some were looking at me with something that I could only attribute to…hope…
____________________________
MINUTES LATER
LEAVING LACKLANLAND...
“I HOPE YOU’RE PLEASED WITH YOURSELF!”
I screamed at my daughter as we were all escorted out of the compound. Only Kenzi was exiled, but at least Bordy had allowed us to take her out. Likely she was still in shock over what had happened. Sarah and Angie sat on either side of her, holding her hands with a look of pride on their faces. Kenzi’s face was completely placid with just a touch of satisfaction.
“She gave her word that she wouldn’t hurt anyone. That is all that matters.
“How in the fuck do you even know that she will keep it?!”
“Because she let me walk out of there. She’ll keep her word and that is all that I care about.”
I shook my head as I was rendered speechless by this. Her and that stupid goddamn clarity was going to be the death of her. Maybe not today…she had outsmarted the Devil today, but would she be able to continue to do that if Bordy found some new way to come after her…or her friends?
I sat back in my seat and watched the trio as they supported and loved one another. I turned my head and cast my vision out the window, watching as the fields of Lacklanland’s famed blueberries receded into the distance. I had hitched my wagon to Le Bord Dieu and she had won and I was enriched for it. Now I wondered if the tide was on the verge of changing once more…
…maybe I would have to change one more time before it was over and done…
MONDAY…
I stood in our team’s corner as my wife…my fierce and beautiful wife battled it out inside the ring. She looked like an otherworldly creature to me, platinum hair like a magnificent shimmering crown, smooth alabaster skin, and eyes like glimmering rubies. I was mesmerized as she fought off Deimos, stunning him with a crafty low blow out of the referee’s sight, then sending him tumbling out of the ring and down to the floor. I didn't approve of her tactics, but she was a force that I could never tame. Deimos’ partner was quick to come into the ring to point out the cheating tactics Sarah had employed, and I felt his indignation, I really did…but it was a luxury that I could no longer afford. Le Bord Dieu…or Aveline Lackan, as she was known to me had given me an ultimatum; win the match at all costs or see her decimate the followers who were still loyal to my wife in Lacklanland.
It felt like I was walking through quicksand as I fought against my nature and went for a steel chair…one I planned to use on Deimos. I didn’t want to do it…I HAD to do it. My hands were slick with sweat as I stalked my quarry. Once I had him in my sights I felt sick to my stomach, my heart telling me not to do it, but my mind knew that I had no choice.
My mind turned back to the locker room before the match. I had poured out my heart to Sarah about what her step mother had asked of me. It had been a plea…but one that was laced with a threat. She wanted me to cast aside my morality, she wanted me to cut loose against my adversaries, she wanted me to fight like a Lacklanlander…she wanted me to win at all costs and show no mercy. Of course I would balk at this, but Aveline had another card to play. She told me that she would put down those who opposed her like rabid dogs if I refused her…their suffering would be my fault…their blood would be on my hands.
As I stared down at Deimos, I tried to recall the memory of the sleeper slam he had ambushed me with last week. I thought that if I could conjure up enough anger, then I would be able to justify smashing his head to pieces with the steel chair...but the only image that kept coming to mind was of the beaten boy in the town square in Lacklanland. It was Le Bord Dieu's message for me and that message was screaming for me to bend the knee to her will and cast aside my clarity for the sake of those she would hurt if I didn't. How could I, in good conscience, put my ideals before the needs Sarah's people? I am the one who had set that madwoman's rage upon them in the first place. I raised the chair, baring my teeth as I committed myself to the act. The crowd reacted to what I was about to do...even though they did not know the reasoning behind my actions. I would have to ask for forgiveness later...if there even was a later.
A flourish of green and platinum rushed into view as I brought down the chair causing me to pull my swing, stopping just inches from hitting Sarah as she dove in front of Deimos, putting her own body at risk to stop me from erasing everything that I had come to be so proud of. My heart skipped a beat as I realized how close I had come to hitting her and I could see the look on her face of relief...but it wasn't for the fact that I hadn't knocked her block off, it was because I hadn't followed through with her step-mother's insane decree.
Sarah took the chair from me and cast it aside, the look on her face an implicit plea that I not sacrifice who I was...not for Aveline Lacklan...not for the people that stood with Sarah...and not even for Sarah herself. She wanted me to be true to myself...to be strong and to be virtuous!
___________________________
WALDORF ASTORIA
TUESDAY…
I hardly slept a wink thinking about the choice I had made and it could be affecting the people of Lacklanland...my wife's people. Sarah may have had faith that they would all be okay...but I wasn't nearly as optimistic. If even one person was hurt, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I had messaged Aveline several times, but she never responded. All through the night I randomly picked up my phone and checked my messages, then put it down for 15 minutes before picking it up again and repeating the process.
DING!
When I finally got a message, I snatched up my phone and stared at it, completely dumbfounded. It wasn't from who I thought it was, it was from the executive office of UGWC Chill...
CHILL #3
Monday, August 27, 2018
Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
Cooperative Match
Kenzi Grey and Sidney Grey
vs
Darren McCoy and Taylor Ryan
Referee: Alice Nasmith
Monday, August 27, 2018
Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
Cooperative Match
Kenzi Grey and Sidney Grey
vs
Darren McCoy and Taylor Ryan
Referee: Alice Nasmith
Kenzi Grey and Sidney Grey...
Daughter and mother...
Me and HER?!
You have to be freaking kidding me! YOU HAVE TO BE FREAKING KIDDING ME! Let alone the fact that I was facing a pair dudes that I had never ever heard of before...a couple of dudes that we apparently were being tasked to face without the slightest clue of who they were! Ordinarily I would complain, but being paired with my mother was more than enough to bitch about at the moment! This was not the way that I needed to start my day!
Waking up to the news that I would be tag teaming with my mother was a sobering proposition on a great many levels. Not only did I just flat out hate it…it seemed so weird to me. Tag team wrestling required a level of trust and intimacy I only shared with a very few people. I have that with my partner in Queen City Pro, where we are the reigning Tag Team Champions and I have that with my wife, and we are the current UGWC Cooperative Tag Team Champions. I had no doubt that if I were ever teamed with Angie, we would be champions somewhere as well. That was chemistry that didn’t just happen overnight…that was part of the reason that this match seemed so weird to me.
This was my mother! The woman that I should have one of the closest bonds with, yet the reality of this pairing is that we were opposites despite the shared DNA. There was pretty much nothing else that we had in common. We didn’t act the same or value the same things, how could we possibly co-exist against anyone at all…even a tag team that I knew absolutely nothing about? This was going to be a car crash of epic proportions! Or at least…that is what I wanted to believe…
The real truth of the matter was I worried that we would jell together somehow. My mind turned back to my appearance on the Tonight Show and Jimmy’s stupid game of me guessing who’s face I was wearing as he acted out who it was for me. It was funny and I was having a blast until the very last face that I guessed was me…but it turned out it was my mother. It was a moment that hit me square in the gut. Was I really like my mother…even after I had come so far with my #Clarity? I couldn’t imagine anyone ever thinking that we were alike…and yet it hadn’t just been anyone…IT HAD BEEN ME!
Maybe I wasn’t terrified of us being bad…what if we ended up being really good? What would that say about my relationship with my mother…or more importantly what would it say about me? My mother had never had the capacity to love anyone more than she loved herself, which I suppose is the reason that she went out and found me a big brother during her run in the Quag Cup…not that I didn’t appreciate it, because as strange as it was to magically have a big brother, I really did love and appreciate him. Basically…Deuce Holmes was the best present my mother ever got me!
That reminded me…I had to send my brother a present! I met a porn star online the other day and I was pretty sure it would be hilarious to send him to one of her porn shoots! I got him an autographed headshot and EVERYTHING!
“Beloved…what are you doing?!”
“NOTHING!”
I fumbled my phone and nearly dropped it, a dead give away that it was anything but nothing. Sarah plucked the phone from my hand and stared at the picture. I was ready for her to give me the third degree over it, but instead she smirked and handed it back to me.
“I thought she overdosed…on a bunch of penises.”
I frowned at first, then curiosity seized me as I wondered why she wasn’t angry…and more importantly…
“HOW DO YOU KNOW A PORN STAR?!”
I tried to seem angry, but I could tell by the way she was smirking at me that it wasn’t working. She sighed, then gave a nonchalant waive of her hand.
“She use to work for UGWC Beloved. She wasn’t doing pornography beck then…just a bunch of shitty direct to video horror movies.”
She smiled as she leaned in close and kissed the tip of my nose.
“She never made epics like ‘The Blood Princess Bride.’ Trust me, you’re still the biggest starlet in UGWC history! All mines!”
To say my mind was blown was an understatement. I couldn’t believe that I had come across another legit actress…and one that had been in UGWC to boot. What were the odds? This had to mean something…I had to be for a reason! I just needed to figure out what it was. Before I could ask a follow up question, Sarah kissed me on the cheek and started for the door.
“Beloved, I have to step out for a bit. I have a follow up appointment with the Doctor.”
Instinctively, I hoped up off the couch looking for my purse, but Sarah stopped me.
“Stay here and rest…it’s nothing. Just a follow up and then I’ll be back before you know it.”
I was ready to cause a huge scene over this. We had been practically inseparable since her accident. I had a hard time doing anything when I didn’t know where she was or how she was doing. Admittedly, since she was cleared to return to the ring I shouldn’t have been such a baby to her…
“Did you hear that?”
“What?”
“I thought you said baby!”
I rolled my eyes, wondering how she was reading my thoughts. I didn’t want to hear any more talk about babies! They weren’t compatible with our lifestyle…or my life, period! I started to protest, but before I could there was a knock at our door. I was going to continue our conversation, but the look on her face told me not only that this was not up for debate and she also knew who was at the door. She glanced through the peephole then turned back and gave me a sly wink before throwing open the door and announcing rather loudly…
“MOTHER GREY! SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!”
I had to stifle a laugh as Sarah threw her arms around my mother and her eyes bugged out of her head. I could see that she was readying something vile to say, but Sarah disengaged and was already halfway out the door before she could.
“I told her about your little conversation with Aveline…OKAY, BYE!”
I stared at my mother, her botoxed face unable to betray anything of what she was thinking…
“Mom…”
“Tell me everything and don’t skip a single detail!”
_________________________________
ONE HOUR LATER...
"You're a goddamn idiot!"
I stared at my pigheaded daughter, wondering what in the fuck her major malfunction was. I had given her every advantage in life...well, I had after I brought her on to my reality television show and exposed her to the world so that she could become a global icon! Instead of thanking me for what I had so generously given, she had taken it and thrown it away so that she could become a crotch-licking professional wrestler...not unlike her goddamn father! I could blame him for this, even though she had never met him, but the blame was more accurately laid one place and one place only...at the feet of Sarah Selena Lacklan!
Kenzi was ready to give up on wrestling until that rat-eyed scamp came around filling her head with nonsense about fighting all over the world and being a filthy lesbian! I am her mother and I know for a fact that my child is NOT a fighter and she is certainly NOT a lesbian! If it wasn't for the fact that pasty-faced brat hadn't been worth millions, I would have NEVER allowed her to trick my child into marriage! The one saving grace is all of this had been the fact that I was allowed to share the wealth, so to speak. At least I could keep a close eye on my child and make certain she wasn't abused any more than I found to be acceptable...especially inside the ring!
I won't lie, this last year Kenzi had been impressive inside the ring, but that didn't mean that I needed to be proud of it! She wasn't meant for this life of living out of suitcases and flying from city to city to fight in front of drunken assholes for pocket change! She was meant to be up on the silver screen rubbing elbows with stars and introducing her mother to rich young studs! That was the life that my daughter was meant for and if I got my way, that would be the life that she returned to in short order. She couldn't go on getting her brains beaten out, night after night. Eventually she would realize that her mother was right and then we could drop this farce and get down to the business of making her the star she was always supposed to be!
My eyes were narrowed to thin slits as I focused in on Kenzi after she told me about the more-than-generous offer that had been extended to her from Aveline.
"You mean to tell me that Aveline offered you a truce, but you didn't take it? Are you fucking insane?! That woman controls all of Lacklanland! She controls all of its wealth and all of its holdings! You and Sarah could STILL be living like queens, but instead you'd rather live out of a ratty hotel because of your precious ego! Face it, you and Sarah lost and she won...do what she tells you and then you can finally go back to living the life you two had!"
Kenzi rolled her eyes at me, making me want to slap them completely out of her head. She should have been more respectful.
"I DID ACCEPT HER TRUCE! At lease, I tried! I was going to knock Deimos' head clean off his shoulders, but Sarah stopped me...and you know what? I'M GLAD THAT SHE DID! Aveline has NO business sitting her ass on the throne of Lacklanland, especially since she can't keep her back off the canvas of a UGWC ring! She is a freaking crazy person!"
"Yes! A crazy person...WITH A CRAZY AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE CAN BOTH SHARE IN!"
"Mother, there is a lot more to life than money!"
I could have slapped her for making such a stupid statement, but she was hardheaded and it wouldn't have resonated anyway.
"Money buys everything Dear! That is why money IS life!"
I pulled out my phone and started to find Ava's personal number. Maybe it wasn't too late to salvage this situation.
"I will take care of this! I'll talk to her and get this whole thing smoot..."
Kenzi snatched my phone out of my hand and I could tell by the look on her face that this ran deeper for her than just a place on the Cincinnati Hit Girls LFL team that she was now a majority owner of. Kenzi seemed concerned...actually concerned that something bad would happen.
"What is going on Kenzi? What aren't you telling me? SPILL IT!"
She flinched as I rose my voice and I could see that it annoyed her that I could still get that kind of reaction from her. Her shoulders slumped as she answered.
"Aveline told me that she would hurt Sarah's supporters if I wasn't ruthless out there. She said it would all be on my head."
"Jesus Mackenzie."
The bottom line was that she should have just done what Aveline asked and things would have been just fine. That was what I had done. When I saw that Aveline was going to be the winning horse in the race for Lacklanland's gold, I hitched my star to her and I never looked back. That was the kind of bold intellect that made me the greatest mind in this business! Had I been 20 years younger, no one would even know any other name in this sport! Unfortunately I had been forced to harbor a career-killing twitter lesbian in my vagina and now I was no longer in my prime. Of course, prime was a relative thing, I was still better in the ring than a majority of the 'so-called' talent that was out there.
"Just call her and tell her that you fucked up and you'll do better next time."
"I think you and I know better than that! She's a total nutcase! She had some kid beaten and strung out in the square...just for Sarah and I to see! I am not going to have anyone else get hurt because of me!"
I ran my hands down my face, hoping to clear away the urge to scream. This child was infuriating.
"What do you care? It's not you! Those people made their choice to live there!"
Kenzi's expression changed from anger to one of complete shock and disbelief. I signed, preparing myself for the lambasting she was about to give me.
"THESE ARE PEOPLE'S LIVES! I CANNOT LIVE WITH THAT ON MY CONCIOUS MOTHER! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN!"
"I was kidding...of course..."
I wasn't kidding. I didn't give a flying fuck about anyone in that whacked out fairytale kingdom! They looked weird, they dressed weird, they acted weird, and they worshipped wrestling...that shit wasn't at all normal! I wouldn't have given them the time of day, but the Lacklan's were rich...as FUCK! There was no way that I was going to look that gift horse in the mouth! If they needed me to play Renaissance Fair with them to get my hands on some of that money, then I was going to play dress up right alongside them and kill dragons or whatever the hell Aveline told me to do! I played ball, and that is what Kenzi needed to do!
“…but, maybe you should consider the fact that you can do more good from the inside than you can from the outside. If you go to Aveline, show her that you are sincere, then maybe you can convince her to stop without anyone getting hurt. That’s certainly worth a try, isn’t it?”
I watched as the wheels inside my daughter’s head turned. I hoped that she would listen to reason. Aveline was the ruler of Lacklanland, for better or worse, so there was no need in starting a war with her when it was so much nicer to do what she told you and hold out your hand. That’s what I did and there was no shame in it…none at all.
“I guess…I need to try something…anything.”
She let out a weary sigh that told me that she was far from thrilled over the prospect of heading back to Maine. That was a reaction that I had personally never seen before out of her. She loved going to the compound, with or without Sarah. For the first time I started to think that maybe there was more to this than I really knew.
“Okay…so we are heading back to Maine to talk to her. Maybe that will give us enough time to talk about this match we have on Monday.”
I paused, shaking my head as I tried to figure out if I had heard her correctly.
“Match? What match are you talking about? One with you and Sarah?”
“No…you and I are booked in a match on Chill against Darren McCoy and Taylor Ryan. I’m surprised you didn’t see it.
I stood there staring at her as my brain tried to process this. I had competed in the Quag Cup a few months ago and I had done pretty well…I had done awesome in fact as I made it to the finals after a 3 year layoff. I had nothing to be ashamed of. I had proved my point and now I was ready to transition into being the best damn manager in the business. I could do that from outside of the ring instead of being in the thick of things…not that I couldn’t still destroy whomever was placed in my path, but still, this isn't how I operated!
“This is complete bullshit! Where did you even see this?”
Kenzi forwarded the message to me and as soon as I got it I read over the particulars as it irritated me even more.
“Who in the fuck are Darren McCoy and Taylor Ryan? They aren’t even on the Chill roster! Are we being punked? This is one of those prank shows where they do something stupid and we have to react to it?
“Of course I knew that it wasn’t, but that didn’t stop me from being indignant at the thought that my very first match in UGWC would be one that I didn’t ask for against a pair of no-named jabbronies that didn’t even have the decency to post a goddamn bio that I could properly ridicule on UGWC.com! It was obvious that I was being set up to look like a fool and I didn’t appreciate that…I didn’t appreciate that one fucking bit.
“This is going to get sorted out! Right now…RIGHT FUCKING NOW!”
I pulled out my phone and I scrolled through my contacts as I found the number that I wanted and I pounded out a quick message…
Of course, Hastings wasn't getting off so easily on this either! He may have claimed to not know who I was, but they would find out soon...and so would my opponents...whoever the hell they were; McCoy and Ryan! I wasn't just a beautiful face and a killer body, I was still one of the most dangerous people in this business and I had retired more people than AARP! Those two jackasses didn't need to worry about posting a stupid bio, after I beat the shit out of them and sent them packing it wouldn't have been worth the effort for the webmaster to move them into the retired portion of the Coalition website!
I wasn't going to show Kenzi that I was secretly relishing the opportunity...but relishing it, I was. I had shown Kenzi and the rest of the world that despite a 3-year layoff, I was just as much a force in this sport as I had ever been! Kenzi may have been riding high on a few accolades here and there, but she wasn't the Grey that this industry should have been fawning over. I was the one that the spotlight shown brightest for and I would be the one that show everyone in UGWC why that was!
PRIVATE PLANE
BOUND FOR MAINE...
Angie Vaughn and my mother had decided to come to Maine with us, and luckily that meant that we would get to fly back in style. It had been a long time since Sarah and I had flown on a private flight. After Aveline had cut us off we had to tighten our belts a bit, or rather I had to tighten our belts. Sarah still had the ideals of a sovereign queen, so she spent money like there would never be an end to it. There almost was an end to it...she might have given me a lot of crap over my commercial endorsements of EconoLodge and Claires Adult Store, but those two alone had gotten us moved into the Waldorf Astoria and kept her in red bottom shoes for quite some time. Of course, the more I made, the more she spent, so I had to stay on my grind!
“Beloved! Look! Look at how cute this baby is!”
Sarah squealed as she showed me a picture of another child from her phone…
What in the hell did we need with children? We were the Cooperative Tag Team Champions…we weren’t even in a position where we had time for a kid. Sure, when she was home and confined to a wheelchair, she could have raised an entire legion of children. There was nothing but time on her hands back then…or at least there would have been if she hadn’t worked so hard to get back into UGWC so that she could win herself another title. Like it or not, she was a professional wrestler again and that lifestyle didn’t assure the rearing of well-adjusted children. As far as I was concerned, she was living her dream…OUR dream and kids didn’t fit…AT ALL!
She elbowed me in the side, another tell-tell sign that I was about to be bombarded with baby pictures in short order. I had to think quickly and instead, I held up my phone as I started playing Doja Cat’s ‘Mooo!’ as I sang the lyrics loudly, if for no other reason than to annoy her…
What was it?
It was something I’d stumbled on quite by accident. While playing a prank on my brother, Deuce Holmes, I discovered that the porn star I was trying to fix him up with was actually a former member of the UGWC roster, Gabrielle Montgomery. I found that incredibly ironic. Out of all the people I’d run into, how funny that it would randomly be someone who use to work here...and what was more, she actually had mainstream movies to her credit instead of the ones she had told me about; ‘Thobbin Hood 4’ and ‘Village of the Rammed 2.’ Gabby had legit films under her belt. Maybe not blockbusters like ‘All That Glitters’ but they were actual acting credits.
I had wondered why she had transitioned to pornography when it was clear that she could have avoided the stigma of adult films all together. Her listing of movie credits might have been even longer than mines. That was something, but that wasn’t what peaked my interest. It was the fact that most of her movies had either gone direct to video or were no longer available. The light bulb inside my head brightened as I realized that if I partnered with Gabby, perhaps I could re-release her films with my production company, Dark Goddess Productions, with wider distribution…and at a nice profit for the both of us. How could anyone say no to that?!
I messaged Gabby about my plans and the two of us struck up a conversation about not only filmmaking but her time in UGWC. I mentioned my match on Monday and the fact that I was facing a couple of unknowns, and to my absolute joy, she told me that she was familiar with the two of them...
I settled in and starting reading up on my opponents, exploring the archive of matches on UGWC as I tried my best to distract myself from the reason for my side journey to Lacklanland this weekend. I was coming back with my hat in my hand as I apologized for not following through on her request. I didn't know what to expect when I arrived...if she even knew that I was coming at all...
That question was answered in very short order as a notification popped up on my phone, causing me to roll my eyes as I signed, wondering what she was playing at now...
I should have been happy about this...but it actually worried me even more. She was probably becoming desperate right about now...desperate for a victory...either in or out of the ring. This contest of hers...it was going to be about humbling me in some way. I didn't know what or how...but this wasn't going to end well.
All I could do was sit back and sigh...hoping that I found a way to prevent innocent people from being hurt. If that meant that I had to eat a bunch of hot dogs to do it, then that was exactly what I was going to do!
LACKLANLAND
SATURDAY...
Maine wasn’t for me, but the extravagant lifestyle that Jean Paul Lacklan had laid out for the people that he trusted and that advised him certainly was. I was living the life I always knew I deserved, even it was currently under the yoke of a crazy person like Le Bord Dieu. From time to time, we all had to do things that were unpleasant in order to serve the greater good. I would have to step into the ring on Monday night against a pair of idiots that weren’t worth the effort it would take to lace up my boots, but such was the cost of doing business in this industry. The cost of doing business in Lacklanland was quite different these days…quite different indeed…
Le Bord Dieu was insane…literally batshit crazy. I had known it from the first moment I laid eyes on her but like I said before, she was going to be the clear winner in the test of wills between herself and Sarah. Not because she was anymore ruthless than Sarah, but because Sarah had a fatal flaw…her love for my daughter. At first, I admit it, I thought that it was nothing more than the lusting of a weird adolescent who had been raised in some incestuous cult that was destined to die out now that its only heir had rolled snake eyes in the ‘I love penis’ sweepstakes. The Lacklan legacy was still going to die, but it would do so willingly as Sarah had proven time and again that she really did love Kenzi.
While I didn’t like it…I wanted a life that included a rich and successful husband for my daughter, I did appreciate the fact that Sarah loved her more than anyone or anything on the face of God’s green earth. She had many reasons to kick Kenzi to the curb; not just one, but two secret marriages, her devotion to a ridiculous cult of rich celebrities who were better off throwing themselves into a flaming volcano, and last…but certainly not least, Kenzi inviting the devil right into Sarah’s home…where she promptly took over and evicted the two of them. I couldn’t lie, if it were me…Kenzi’s stupid ass would be back on the street looking for marriage number four while I did everything in my power to get my kingdom back.
…from the look of things, that time was drawing nearer and nearer…
The Banquet Hall was decorated from floor to ceiling in the most magnificent manner that I had ever seen in my time there. Banners of purple and red hung from the rafters in a crisscrossed pattern that dazzled the senses. The entire place glittered and sparkled, reminding me of that dinner scene in ‘Beauty and The Beast.’ I knew that Aveline fancied herself as the Beauty in this scenario, but when I saw her breeze into the room, she looked to be anything but!
Her dyed platinum hair had begun to grow out with the dark roots showing in the disheveled tangle atop her head. I could tell that her servants had been stopped before they could finish styling it. Likely she had just gotten up and walked away in the middle without rhyme or reason. Her makeup and bright red gown were equally haphazard in appearance. She no longer resembled ‘The Queen of Red’ as she had taken to calling herself as more of a poke at Sarah than anything, she now looked every bit the crazy person that UGWC had initially got to know as Bordy…the very same person Sarah had imprisoned in an insane asylum…most likely rightfully so.
Bordy breezed through the Hall with a maniacal grin on her face as she oversaw all the details of this ‘welcome’ she had planned for her ‘children.’ The servants moved about like buzzing bees as they prepared the table that would serve as the scene for this contest she had cooked up. I folded my arms as I did my best to not look for all the world like I was about to have a conversation with Forrest Gump.
“AVELINE! May I speak with you please?”
Bordy whirled around, her dress spinning as she sought to find the author of the call that beckoned her. When her eyes found me, she grinned even broader, so much so that I thought her face might actually crack in two. She rushed over and I had to resist the urge to flinch back as she grabbed my face and pulled me in close to look directly into her wild eyes.
“THE CHILDREN? HAVE YOU BROUGHT THEM HERE GRAND VIZIER GREY?! J'ai tellement de choses à leur montrer! I have such sights to show them, indeed!”
I tried to ignore the fact that she drifted back and forth between English and French as best I could. I didn’t speak her native language…so I didn’t even try. I found her new language of insano just as hard to get though. I put on bright smile, yet and still, pulling her hands from the sides of my head as I looked at the spread that she had put together in the center of the Hall, a total of six hotdogs sat on a table set for two, surrounded by an enormous ‘U’ shaped banquet table that was set with the most delicious looking entrees, main dishes, and desserts that I had ever seen. The hotdogs seemed weirdly out of place in all this.
“Aveline…I don’t know what this contest is all about, but I needed to speak to you about this thing with Kenzi, I…”
Bordy waved her hand dismissively, glossing over my question for her.
“Kenzi disappointed me last Monday night, but it wasn’t the only disappointment. Il y a des traîtres partout, il doit y avoir un exemple! I must ferret out the roots of this revolution and put an end to it! Examples must be made!”
“Not of Kenzi!”
Bordy recoiled as if I had struck her. She pressed her hand to her chest as her face blanched at the very thought.
“NOT THE CHILDREN! I shall spare them the rod…mais pas les spoile! But no, I shall not spoil them! Examples will be made however! I will not see Jean Paul’s legacy torn apart by des voyous, des putains et des indignes! Those that stand with Sarah…those that stand against me!”
I breathed a sigh of relief, still this contest seemed a bit ominous. I looked back to the small table for two that sat in the middle of the great hall…seeming for all the world like a gallows.
“Seats for the guests of honor?”
Bordy cackled, covering her mouth like a giddy child as she patted me on the back.
“Pour un! Only for one! The other shall get a turn upon the Croix de juif! Praise him, I shall lash another traitor to cross in the square named for that whore! My people will see the price of sedition and they will fall in line! Félicitez-le!”
Despite the utter weirdness of this entire thing, the one saving grace was that my daughter would not be the focus of any of this woman’s madness. Despite our differences, I loved my child dearly…not only for her future earning potential…though that was a very nice and sizable perk. I didn’t know what lunacy was about to take place, but at least I could rest easy knowing that it would be something that didn’t involve my daughter and it would be over in very short order…or at least I hoped…
________________________________________
A FEW MOMENTS LATER
BANQUET HALL...
The banquet hall was filled to capacity with all of Lacklanland’s finest citizens…mainly those that supported her and her usurping of Sarah’s throne. To say it was a hostile environment for us would have been an understatement, but such was to be expected as Bordy’s grip continued to slip from the power she had stolen. No doubt this was an effort to get that power back…at our expense.
I looked over at Sarah and Angie sitting next to me on one side, and both of them looking back at me with questioning looks, though they tried to give off an air of assurance that whatever game Bordy was playing would soon be revealed and then dealt with. I turned back to look at Bordy, with my mother sitting on the other side of her. I did my best to show Bordy that my apology was sincere as I gave it.
“Aveline…I wanted to apologize to you for my match on Monday. I know that you expected aggression from me, but I…”
She raised a single finger to stop me.
“Non! You are as your creator made you child. I had hoped that my light would be enough to illuminate you and those that do as you do, but J'avais tort. I hate being wrong, but we are only human and we all make mistakes…from time to time.”
Her smile was more a lopsided smirk than anything. She put her hand on my shoulder, then stood up, plucking a fine crystal goblet from the table as she addressed the masses that watched her with their big doe eyes.
“UN MOMENT TOUT! Please, help me to welcome back our victorious children! They survived Day of Reckoning with their championships intact…fighting and winning…though not as Jean Paul has always preached…not at all costs…”
She placed one of her hands on my shoulder, giving it a generous pat.
“…tout le monde ne peut pas se battre comme nous, nés de sa parole, not all can be as we, the people of Lacklanland. Strong, true, and brave! In fact, there are some among us now who do not embody our ideals, and instead they seek to subvert our way of life. They seek to saper son église avec la flamme de la revolution! They desire revolution…but their bellies cannot stomach what sedition will bring them! Those who cannot and will not embody our ideals must be ferreted out removed from our sight.”
She gestured to the hotdog laden table for two at the center of the Hall and her royal guard came forth, with all stopping in unison and clicking their boot heels together loudly as they saluted the Queen of Red.
“Welcome to the First Annual ‘Gluttony is the Devil Hot Dog Eating Contest!’ Mais pourquoi la gourmandize? Why gluttony indeed! I do not only speak of the over consumption of food and drink, as the fat sow Kem Dynamo continually does, but the over-indulgence of the wealth and power of Lacklanland. In these times of strife and divisiveness…when those who would stand with another queen seek to bring my reign to an end, I need loyal and trusted advisors…I don’t need traitorous gluttons!”
She scanned the Hall until her eyes fell on the one she sought to point out. She made a few quick gestures and her guards seized the man from his seat to his shock and dismay. Bordy smiled viciously as he was dragged to the table and forced to sit.
“Sabastian Hargrave…despite your gaunt appearance, you’ve grown so fat from the wealth of my husband. Eating and eating from his table, but never bringing anything to further his cause. You’re a taker Sabastian…greedy with even your secrets…”
She looked around, her eyes falling on Angie and Sarah for some odd reason. She turned back to the man opened his mouth to protest, but a wave of her hand silenced him.
“…silencieux! You had your chance to speak the truth to me, and you squandered it. You’ll prove your loyalty to me and the people…just as my Grand Vizer will!”
I glared at Bordy, as did my mother, both of us with confusion etched on our faces. Unlike with Hargrave, Bordy mearly gestured for my mother to step down and join the thin worm of a man. Sid stood slowly as if waiting for the punchline to a joke, but when it didn’t happen she moved with more purpose, making her way down and to the seat next to Hargrave. Bordy clapped her hands and cackled manically.
“Merveilleux! Let’s hear it for them people! Cheer them!”
The clapping came in a muted smattering, but she didn’t seem to notice or care. Instead she continued her speech to the masses.
“My Grand Viser! The one I trust with everything as a mother, like myself! Your child has only known your kindness and affection, and yet…she still cannot follow simple instruction…to win at all costs. Une telle déception pour votre pauvre mère! But as always, it is left to us mothers to show them the light.”
I had no idea what was going on. I looked at Sarah and all she could do was shrug as well, we were both lost. Was she really going to force them to eat hotdogs? Soon enough my question was answered.
“The Queen of Red demands obedience…expects loyalty…asks for only your love in return…not unlike any good canine would offer up willingly! Now, these two will get to show Lacklanland their loyalty…to me! They will consume these hot dogs in the Queen of Red’s honor! Specially prepared from the…”
“ALL HAIL THE QUEEN OF RED!!”
Hargrave, eager to regain Bordy’s favor, snatched up one of hot dogs and shoved it into his mouth. Bordy raised her eyebrow as she watched him take that first bite, then his expression changed as his sallow cheeks seemed to grow even more pale. She cocked her head to the side.
“Do you not enjoy hot dog Sabastian? Will you not honor your Queen?”
Bordy watched as realization dawned on him and everyone in the room that it was not hotdogs, but it was as she said...hot dog. She cackled with delight at this, mocking the man as she did.
"WOOF WOOF!!"
Hargrave looked at Sidney, who swallowed and took a step back from him in fear that he might vomit on her. He looked back at Bordy with big pleading eyes.
“My Q-Queen…I…I cannot…I…”
“Cannot, or will not?”
The man shuddered and blanched, utterly disgusted. He tried to eat again, but he gagged and nearly vomited. He stepped away from the table to plead his case, but the Queen’s guard seized him immediately, though he continued to plead his case.
“PLEASE! MY QUEEN!”
Bordy waved her hand in a complex series of gestures and the guard acted immediately as they grabbed the thin man and dragged him away kicking and screaming. My mother breathed a sigh of relief as she started to walk back up to her seat, but Bordy signaled and she was stopped by the guards.
“Not so fast Grand Vizer. The Queen of Red promised a contest of loyalty to her people and they shall have it! The question is…who else needs to prove themselves to their Queen?”
She looked around at the masses, but none met her eyes, either because they didn’t want to face the meal she prepared or they didn’t want to face whatever fate she had for them should they not complete the task. After a few hushed moments, she turned her attention to my mother.
“Mother Grey…it appears as though I have no choice but to lock you away as well since there is no one for you to prove your loyalty against. I’m sorry…I know that you…”
“AVELINE!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU KNOW I AM LOYAL!!”
“I know you are…but the people…MY people, they need assurances. I need to know that people will take me seriously as a person of my word. I…”
“I will do it…”
“BELOVED!”
“EWE!”
I looked at my wife and my friend, giving them a look to make it clear that this was my choice and they could not deter me. I turned back to Bordy, looking her in the eye as I repeated.
“I will do it…”
I leaned in and whispered to her…
“…you said you are a person of your word…no one else will be hurt. That was your promise…”
“Ma parole, mon lien…you have it child. Do your mothers proud.”
I pulled back as I walked down to the table at the center of the Hall as mummers rippled through those that watched. I could see Angie holding Sarah in her seat and my heart ached to see her that way, but I was heartened that she didn’t go against my wishes and make a scene. I made my way down as my mother glared at me, her face panicked. I brushed my hand against her arm, leaning into her.
“…just do this…close your eyes and just eat…”
Her face was still panicked and she shook her head.
“…Kenzi…I can’t…I just can’t do this…”
I grabbed her arm, shaking her hard. This was my chance to make things right and I wasn’t going to let her or anyone else destroy my chance.
“…think about the money mother! You like her money…you said you’d do anything for it…now is your chance to prove it…”
Her face was as pale as my wife’s, but she walked back over to the table, taking her place beside me. I stared down Bordy as she watched me with wide eyes that were wild with anticipation. I reached down and picked up one of the hot dogs, holding it tentatively in my hands. This was an unsavory prospect and not the way I wanted to earn Bordy’s promise not to hurt anyone, but I had no choice. My stomach churned at the thought of what I had to do, but I turned my mind to the more important matter of bolstering my mother’s resolve so that she could stomach the task ahead as well…
“…just close your eyes, chew and swallow…I…”
My mother was halfway through her second hot dog, no doubt with visions of Lacklanland’s enormous wealth dancing in her head. I turned and shoved mines into my mouth, hardly tasting it as I just chewed and swallowed, then rinsed and repeated. I choked the urge to vomit, swallowing and chewing, swallowing and chewing.
I fixed my eyes on Bordy’s, using that eye contact to fuel my resolve. I pushed the sounds of choking and gagging from those that watched to the back of my mind as I continued to eat; one dog…two dogs…three dogs gone. I slammed my hands down on the table as I finished and heard my mother do the same…our task complete. I felt my stomach lurch, but I refused to let her have the satisfaction of seeing me vomit in front of everyone. I wanted her word…and now I had it.
“ALL HAIL THE GRAND VIZER AND DUCHESS LACKLAN!”
Bordy clapped her hands as she got to her feet, pointing to my mother and I. The rest of the onlookers stood and did the same…pretty much the entire room was on their feet…all accept Sarah and Angie. I could see the look on their faces and I understood their feeling on the matter, but my principles meant a lot to me. I had almost threw them away at Day of Reckoning, but I wouldn’t to it again…my word meant a lot to me and now I would find out what Bordy’s word meant to her...
“I STAND WITH SARAH!”
The air was nearly sucked out of the Hall as people gasped at my sudden outburst. I watched Bordy’s face drain of color as she glared at me, thin lips quivering. I doubled down as I turned to face everyone in the Hall.
“I STAND WITH SARAH! I STAND WITH THE ONE TRUE HEIR OF JEAN PAUL’S LEGACY…SARAH SELENA LACKLAN!!”
Bordy pounded her fist on the table over and over, overturning plates and cups as she grimaced. I watched as her left eye twitched uncontrollably and she waived for her guards to seize me. Strong hands were on me, almost immediately. I should have been afraid, but I saw the eyes on me…watching me for any sign of fear…I showed none. If any of the rest of them needed reason to ‘Stand With Sarah’ I would give it to them.
“TAKE HER…TAKE HER RIGHT NOW!!”
I waited for the hammer to fall as Redmaine worked his hands into hammer-like fists, no doubt ready to smash them against my skull. Sarah and Angie were on their feet as well, awaiting her edict as she delivered it...
“YOU ARE BANISHED!!! YOU WILL NEVER STEP FOOT WITHIN THIS COMPOUND WHILE THE QUEEN OF RED RULES!!! Take her out…take her now…”
She plopped down in her seat, looking a disheveled mess with her eyes wide with shock and confusion. As the guards took me out, I saw the looks on the faces of those that watched the spectacle. Most were disgusted, but some…some were looking at me with something that I could only attribute to…hope…
____________________________
MINUTES LATER
LEAVING LACKLANLAND...
“I HOPE YOU’RE PLEASED WITH YOURSELF!”
I screamed at my daughter as we were all escorted out of the compound. Only Kenzi was exiled, but at least Bordy had allowed us to take her out. Likely she was still in shock over what had happened. Sarah and Angie sat on either side of her, holding her hands with a look of pride on their faces. Kenzi’s face was completely placid with just a touch of satisfaction.
“She gave her word that she wouldn’t hurt anyone. That is all that matters.
“How in the fuck do you even know that she will keep it?!”
“Because she let me walk out of there. She’ll keep her word and that is all that I care about.”
I shook my head as I was rendered speechless by this. Her and that stupid goddamn clarity was going to be the death of her. Maybe not today…she had outsmarted the Devil today, but would she be able to continue to do that if Bordy found some new way to come after her…or her friends?
I sat back in my seat and watched the trio as they supported and loved one another. I turned my head and cast my vision out the window, watching as the fields of Lacklanland’s famed blueberries receded into the distance. I had hitched my wagon to Le Bord Dieu and she had won and I was enriched for it. Now I wondered if the tide was on the verge of changing once more…
…maybe I would have to change one more time before it was over and done…
