Off Camera
Emily Desmond looks across Salt Lake City, Utah having arrived earlier today from New York City. This time of year was hard as it was 15 years ago that her mom, her real mom, Selena Desmond, had been killed in a savage attack carried out by people that were looking for her dad Christopher, aka Chris, Desmond. They had broke in, guns ready, and Selena had grabbed Emily’s hand, who was 5 at the time, and ran for the back door….
Selena: Go! We have to run!
Emily was being pushed out the back door, and all Emily knew was it was what her mom had kept warning about, the thing that Selena had practiced for. Emily runs out the back door, hearing both gunshots and shouts, but also her mom’s footsteps behind her. Her mom’s hand was in hers, and suddenly Selena stumbled as if she had found a depression in the ground. The fall tore her hand from young Emily’s and it made Emily turn around. Selena was holding her upper stomach. When she pulled her hand away there was blood. Selena looks at Emily, trying to stay upright.
Selena: Run! Go! Someone will come for you, I promise. You have to hide.
Emily stares at her mom, but the shouts in the house are coming closer.
Selena: Emily Christine! RUN!
Emily started running toward the woods near their house, but then she had an idea. She ran to the playground that was sort of on the same course. She got to it and turned around, and so far the people weren’t after her. She climbed up on the equipment and then slide about a quarter of the way down one of the tubes and waited, trying to catch her breath, and also trying not to cry out loud. As she wipes at the tears she hears voices, and footsteps so she waits, almost holding her breath, then she hears the voices trail towards the woods. She waited for what seemed an eternity, and then she heard a voice. She had looked out and all the people were gone. The voice came from her father, who was kneeling over Selena’s body. Emily carefully climbed down as Chris got closer until she was certain he would see her, and she finally exited the last few feet. Chris is almost frantic until he sees her standing there, her face with streaks from where the tears had ran through the dirt. He runs up to her, kneels down and hugs her to him. She pulls back and looks him in the face, then over his shoulder towards her mom’s body. Chris follows her gaze.
Chris: Yes honey, I’m sorry.
Emily looks into his dark green eyes, trying to comprehend that her mom was indeed gone, would never be there for an encouraging word, a hug, tucking her into bed. She swallows her tears, trying to gain composure but the man she knew as her father was crying to. He hugs her to his warm body before she pulls away again.
Emily: She’s dead, isn’t she?
Chris: Yeah. I won’t ever ask this of you again unless you want to, but I need you to tell me exactly what happened here today.
Emily goes into an incredibly well described scene for a 5 year old, but then when it comes to Selena falling to the ground Emily can’t hold back the pain and tears she’s feeling. She starts crying and Chris comforts the dark hair child. He looks around before he backs her up a step to wipe her face.
Chris: Emily we can’t stay here. The bad people might come back.
Emily: Why? Why did they do this?
Chris lets out a sigh, wondering how to put his complicated life….their complicated life into words that Emily would understand.
Chris: Ok when you’re older, you have to be at least 12, I’ll tell you everything. For now we’ll pack a few things for you and then we’ll leave.
Emily: Where are we going?
Chris: I have a friend who has a home in Tokyo, well an apartment. We’ll go there, I know she won’t mind when I tell her.
Emily: Her?
Chris: Trust me, Anna really is a friend, a friend who could never turn her back on us.
They go inside, and Emily makes her way to her room, which looks exactly the same as it did when she had got up. Nothing had been disturbed by the bad people so Emily goes and finds a small suitcase. She pulls open a couple drawers as her father appears in the doorway.
Chris: Don’t worry too much about clothes past a two or three days. We’ll buy you new stuff. But take any mementos you want. I’ll have someone come and pack up the house, but take stuff you want now.
Emily grabs the stuffed bear that her mom had given her on her birthday, and then finds the picture of her with both of her parents, during a time that seemed simple, well simple to a 5 year old. She also has a picture where its just her mom and puts that in the suitcase. She opens the dresser and pulls out a few shirts, undies, nightgown, and a couple pairs of pants. Knowing that one day she could get the rest back makes it a bit simpler. She can hear her father on the phone.
Chris: Its….its bad. I need a huge favor from you. Yes I’m catching a flight to Savannah and then…..I need your help Anna. I’ll explain a lot better when I see you.
Emily closes her suitcase and goes out to see her dad making another call. He raises a hand to her to indicate just a minute.
Chris: Yes…..Yes I need someone to come and pack up the house, especially Emily’s stuff. OK yes, we won’t be here…….I prefer to wait until I’m certain where I’m going but she’ll be with me…..thank you.
He looks at Emily who has her suitcase in hand. Chris walks over and and takes the suitcase and looks at her, concern and love in his eyes.
Chris: Why….don’t you wash up a bit honey. We don’t want people wondering why one of us looks like I kidnapped her.
Emily nods and goes in the bathroom. Looking in the mirror she can see why her dad was a bit concerned. Her hair was going every direction and she looked like she had been playing in mud. She goes back to her room, pulls out a new shirt and pants, then goes in the bathroom. She picks up the washcloth and washes her face, arms and hands. She changes into the clean clothes and is trying to brush her hair when her dad comes in. He smiles at her and takes the hair brush. In moments he has it pulled back in a ponytail and she grabs a ribbon on the counter.
Emily: Can you do it? Mommy always did.
Chris takes the ribbon and ties it around the ponytail also. He kneels down and looks her over. He nods.
Chris: Way better. You ready?
Emily: Do we really have to go?
Chris: Em, sweetheart, if we stay here they might figure it out and come back and …..I can’t lose you too. These people are bad people, and I’m not sure they wouldn’t hurt you just because you’re a kid. So yes.
Emily: Where we going?
Chris: We’re catching a flight to Savannah, Georgia and we’ll stay with my friend for two or three days while we get things figured out with traveling to Tokyo, and then we’ll catch a flight, or a few flights, and go there. I wish…..I wish I could give you time to say goodbye to your friends and all.
Emily: Can we stop by the school? My favorite jacket is there and I can say bye to my teacher.
Chris smiles, and strokes her head the way Selena use to.
Chris: We can, you just can’t tell her anything beyond that …..blame me. Tell her that my job calls for us to immediately leave. If she asks….
Emily: Mommy always say be careful what I say unless you or her says it’s ok.
Chris: Your mom was right.
He straightens up and goes out to the living room and she follows. He picks the suitcase up again and then opens the door for her. He looks outside then he lets her out first. She stops and looks back into the house she had shared with her mom, painful memories erupting, but she refuses to cry. She goes down the steps as her dad closes the door. They make their way to the car that is out front, and he helps her into the back of the car. She waits as he buckles her in, and then he goes around and puts the suitcase in the back seat next to her. He starts the car and Emily cant help but look at the house again. She would almost swear that she sees her mom waving goodbye and it brings new tears to her eyes. She cries quietly for a moment before her father is handing her a tissue….well several. She takes them and dries her eyes and blows her nose.
Chris: No one will hurt you again, at least people like this.
Emily lets out a sigh and turns around and looks back into the suite. The memories sometimes feel as fresh as the day they had happened. She remembers the stop at the school and she said good by her teacher as her dad withdrew her officially. They had flown to Savannah and Emily met the woman who would love her like a mother, Lynn’s heart had gone out to Emily, and eventually Emily had come to love Lynn like a mother. In fact when she was in high school Lynn had officially adopted Emily, but had told Emily she didn’t have to take her last name, that she could go by Desmond.
Emily walks into the suite then had taken at the Grand America, the the presidential suite, and it was more luxurious than she had hoped for Salt Lake City. But then she couldn’t remember when she had ever been here, so she had a skewed view of what it would be like. She had heard that the Mormon church (Well if we go by what they say Church of Latter Day Saints of Jesus Christ) controlled everything. What she had seen on the news thus far didn’t make it seem like they did, well not true, they did have their hand in a couple different election results, but still, it wasn’t involvement like she thought it would be. Emily knows that this show would be a bit different, but she also feels she has a decent chance to win. She walks into the room and her dad is looking at his laptop and shakes his head. He seems Emily and nods towards his computer.
Chris: Have you seen what Larissa said?
Emily: You mean she really did say something?
Chris: Apparently you might have hit a nerve.
Emily: She’ll be lucky I don’t take a bat to her. Do I even…..do I want to see this?
Chris: I hope so. I called the tv station down the street and was able to rent a camera crew for a bit. They’ll be here in about…half hour.
He stands up, holding the laptop. Emily takes the seat he had been in and he hands her the laptop. She makes herself comfortable, and hits play…….
A few minutes later Emily closes the laptop.
Emily: Come on dad, is she for real?
Chris raises an eyebrow at her and cocks his head to the left. Emily rolls her eyes and then puts the laptop on the end table next to the chair. She stands up and stretches.
Chris: What are you doing?
Emily: Changing my shirt and brush my hair….and get something. I need a few minutes before you put me on camera. So get them set up, and I’ll be ready.
Emily goes into one of the bedrooms and shuts the door. She goes over to the closet and finds the shirt she wants. She takes off the tshirt she had been wearing and puts on the light pink, nearly white, silk shirt. She steps into the bathroom and brushes her hair. When she comes back out she walks over to a duffle bag and pulls out what is probably her most cherished possession….the Alternative title belt. She looks at it, grabs the washcloth off the dresser, and rubs it across the face, making sure its clean. She hears a knock, and hears her dad’s voice. She opens the door and the camera crew are setting up. Chris looks at her and she smiles and goes over to him.
Emily: Relax Dad, I have this.
Chris nods, and goes to the camera crew, directing them to focus on the chair Emily had been sitting in earlier. She grabs a water out of the refrigerator, opens it and takes a couple drinks so her mouth hopefully won’t go totally dry. She picks her way over a couple electrical cords and sits down, placing the water bottle on the table next to the laptop, and the title belt in her lap. Granted the belt isn’t on the line at this show, but she is still Alternative champion, a position she loves having. The camera crew look at her.
Emily: I’m ready whenever you guys are.
On Camera
Emily Desmond is sitting in an armchair, next to a table that currently holds a laptop and a bottle of water. Her dark hair is loose, with a piece of it tucked behind an ear, and she’s wearing a silk shirt, but one can tell it’s not a perfect white, but it’s hard to determine the color. .She has her legs crossed, and in her lap is the thing that sets her apart from others in SCW, the Alternative title. A title she’s held 537 days, an incredible feat not just in SCW, but anywhere. She looks up at the ceiling for a moment, and then she gazes out the nearby door that opens onto a small balcony where one can look down at Salt Lake City’s east side, clear up to the University of Utah. The outside crew are preparing for Christmas, finishing up a few small last details. Emily takes a deep breath, and lets it out, almost with a sigh, and then she looks at the camera.
Emily: Larissa…..has no one ever told you that you should do your homework before you climb in the ring with someone. Especially where I’ve been in SWAT nearly two years, so it’s not like you have to search very hard to come up with intelligent things to say. Instead you chose to wholy focus on what I did say and you actually gave me a headache. You might ask why, and its because so many things in what you said are….so incredulous that I can’t believe you even dared to say them. They only served to make you look …..well I won’t say stupid, as that’s not what it does, but makes you look……well like you didn’t do your research. So along the way I hope to clarify a few things.
Now first off I’m glad you have something to occupy your mind, but I’m starting to think that you shouldn’t just make it a side thing you have going on, but make it not just your primary concern, but your only concern. But then if you make the mistakes that you made in approaching our match, mall restoring won’t be very profitable for you either.
You start off with something that screams you didn’t do some looking, because if you had you would know that I’m very well versed in submission. Hell I had a submissions only match back at Spring Meltdown and I took on a man who knows me better than anyone. I faced my own tag partner and even he knows that they man who trained me, who was in SCW years ago, is a submissions expert! In fact he taught me all he knew about submissions. Before you try saying he was some newbie or such, keep trying. The man has held titles around the world, hell he held the SCW tag titles twice, so obviously he knows his shit. You could have even asked Alzy about him, as they have faced each other, or about me for that matter, but again your lack of checking your facts screams so loud. So you know how to do an armbar, or as you put it, several of them. Yay for you? If that was meant to scare me, it didn’t even register on the meter. So let’s keep going.
I would hope that you respect me, given how long I’ve held this…..
Emily taps the Alternative title in her lap.
And yes, I said your win over Jessica was a fluke. Well I’m sorry but I must stand by my words there, something had to be off in Jessica’s mind to even allow it to happen, and then you went and broke her arm even! Was that so she wouldn’t come racing at you for a rematch? Was that it was the only way you could win? I……I have to ask it because all of SCW wants to know why take it to that extreme, a simple submission move would have been just as effective. I’ve put people in….you name it, sharpshooter, figure four leglock, and a crossface, which is the one I’m most effective with, but I didn’t put them in it to injure them so they can’t compete for a few months. If that’s how you show respect my heart goes out to your other competitors in the months to come. Because seriously Larissa, that’s not how you do it. I don’t care if you’re training to be a wrestler, or even MMA. In fact breaking an arm might be seen as tame in MMA but this isn’t UFC or the like, this is WRESTLING. We want slow our opponents down, not risk a potential career ending injury.
Emily picks up the water bottle, and takes a long drink. As she replaces the cap she seems lost in her thoughts, but she’s not there for long.
You know Larissa when I started watching what you had to say, for a moment I was confused. Not because I had some blow to the head or such, but because you talk about the Dragon’s Lair. You know the only dragon I know around here is…..Jessica. Wait, did …..are you one of her dragons? Because if you were I wouldn’t hide it. But I have a feeling that you’re not because Jessica carefully picks the ladies, well anyone who is allowed to say they are one of her dragons, and seriously I’m pretty damn sure that she wouldn’t take you, partially because of your lack of training, but also because that away from the ring she would want you focused on HER enterprises. You went on and on about how you were this “red headed dragon”. Well I’m sorry but the red headed dragon that I recognize….and have a great deal of admiration and respect for….once again the name Jessica Tendonin comes to mind. You talk about how her ego will be knocked down, but are you really that dense? Because all you have done is awoke the dragon, the TRUE dragon, and she will come back with one thing in mind, and that is to end your career. Keep calling yourself the dragon and you will only serve to intensify her anger towards you.
Larissa that’s not how you earn respect in wrestling, around here especially. If you think that you need to maim and injure everyone, pretty soon you will find that no one respects you. I know right now you really aren’t earning points with myself or with Alzy. In fact I had to check, and let’s see…..
Emily picks up a piece of paper that had been laying on the table as well.
Overdrive 47 you took on Miranda Jones, who hasn’t been heard from since, and you lost to her. Then at the very next show, Overdrive 48, is when you lost to Alzy. See Larissa, I’m saying that you beating Jessica was a fluke because…you weren’t winning! You were becoming very good at losing. I mean people would remember your name because they would say “didn’t she lose pretty much a great deal of her matches in SCW” and I’m proving you’re doing just that. Yet you think I should respect you. Well as I said, I respect Jessica. Oh I might not be her number one fan, but I respect her. Same can be said for Paige Lewis, and it’s not simply because she’s beat Jessica as well. That’s part of it, part of its because of how she’s handled herself in the ring. If you’re curious how they earned my respect its because of the poise and grace they show when they have defeated someone, even when that person is my own tag partner. They don’t come off as an obnoxious …….well bitch. Sorry but it’s true. For me you seem to try and come off as some egotistical “I only care about myself” person when you’ve barely done anything that is noteworthy. So that is why I’ve said you are a fluke, and you don’t have any of my respect. You can try and play the “cool as a cucumber” all you want, but eventually you will show that you are a narcissist and that when it boils down to it, you’ll never have that respect that so many of us crave. Not many in SCW can I say I have it for them, but the few know who they are.
Emily lays the piece of paper back down, and picks up the water bottle again. This time after she takes a drink, she tightens the lid back on but then sort of tosses back and forth, not a great distance, in fact less than an inch, but it seems she needs something for her hands to do.
So you hold the “secondary” title. I see…..and I don’t? Because you see Larissa, this title…
Emily lays the bottle in her lap and picks up the Alternative title as if for effect.
Is at least the secondary title, hell maybe even equal to the World Heavyweight title that is held by Paige. See Larissa I took this title and I made it being so prestigious. I made it a title that people want to hold for a few reasons. One is…well as I said it’s possibly even equal to the World title, but because if they do beat me, they have beaten one of the best. See I didn’t win this title yesterday. In fact June 17, 2017 is when I won it, defeating a man who some thought couldn’t be stopped, I beat Priest for it. In fact look what happened when I did defeat him, he left SCW. I know it’s said he’s returned to the fed that he was once so well known for, and he did take me on in a rematch, but he lost. I’ve put this title on the line several times since then, each time in different type of matches, and I have several more in mind. I just have to figure out how feasible they are, but Larissa you’re lucky, ours is a simple wrestling match, one that I plan on winning.
Emily sets the title back in her lap, and then starts drumming her fingers on the gold that is shining and reflecting the light.
I can’t……you say that you respect people in this company, then you threaten one of the top people with the breaking your neck line, ending your career line. Hell I would thought you were smarter than a rock, but do you realize you could paralyze someone? Would you be able to look at yourself in the mirror if you heard that your opponent would never walk again, never be able to use their arms? While I may not like many around here, I would NEVER threaten to end a career. See that’s the type of shit that will earn you less respect, even lose it. You have no class or couth when it comes to this business and you have no right to be here. In fact your attitude here can dribble over into your other career. I have to wonder how you would feel if you lost clients because they heard you being a bitch and threatening like you do. But still you said that no one was above you except Paige and I disagree a great deal with that because it’s not like I’m not defending this title. I am, plus ….and I hope she’s fine, but when was the last time we saw Paige? Hell when she didn’t show up for TLC is when I closed my eyes and hoped they find her in one piece and not hacked into little pieces. But seriously Larissa for you to think that my title means less than yours…..your attitude seriously is starting to sicken me.
Emily picks up the water bottle, but she doesn’t take a drink. She holds it, but one can tell that her hand is tightening around it.
I’m not wanting your title Larissa, never mind that I could beat you for it if I wanted, then I would hold two titles in SCW. No, I have my eyes on a different title, and as you were so kind to point out, Paige is the one who holds it. I hope to get a shot at it at some point, but in the meantime Larissa I’m going to teach you what respect means. When I’m done, you will respect me. You might not like me…..but you’ll respect me. I’m not going to threaten to break your bones, or end your career like you did, I’m simply going to put you through hell and when it’s over, you’ll know you should be careful what you say.
Emily stands up, holding the Alternative title with one hand. She drops the water bottle into the chair she was sitting in and the camera fades to black.
