==========
Off Camera
==========
There is an
old saying, an idiom in the English language, which refers to “walking the
green mile” and, while, they may in a car riding down a dirty, rocky road in
the dark of night on the outskirts of Boston, Massachusetts at this moment in
time, Kayla Jones and her father Bart Jones feel as if they are indeed walking
a green mile.
If you are
“walking a green mile” that means you are heading towards something that is
inevitable. On the streets it refers to
a prisoner on his way to execution. Even
though she grips the steering wheel tightly in a death grip out of fear of what
may come, Kayla realizes deep down inside that the person who is most likely to
not walk away from this is her father, the man riding next to her in the
passenger’s side, quietly contemplating his own potential demise.
It has been
months since Anastasia Jones began making her presence felt around the Jones
Family. Kayla and her older sister
Angelica were content, at first, to just ignore her and her demands. To them Anastasia was just an annoying
gnat. To them she was
insignificant. She was nothing. Even her claims of being their adopted sister
did nothing to sway their feelings towards her.
They remained steadfastly opposed to accepting her as a sibling,
regardless of whether or not their father Bart Jones actually did adopt
her. As far as Kayla and Angelica were
concerned, Anastasia was not a Jones and never would be a Jones.
It wasn’t
until Anastasia made an ominous threat that the Jones siblings began to sit up
and take notice. She told them that
there would come a day when they would beg her for
assistance, that they would beg her to be a part of the family. All of that seemed to be complete and utter
and nonsense, of course. How could one
insignificant woman come close to touching the great Jones family?
Then it
happened. Marie Jones and her new
fiancée Arthur Pond were assaulted in a local park by two thugs. Angelica had already jumped to the conclusion
that Anastasia was to blame. She had,
after all, made the threats to the family.
She was enraged and it was all Kayla could do to keep her calm. Little did they know that the assault on
Marie was just a distraction, it was all a ploy to get them to the hospital,
away from the safety of the Jones estate, and it is then, while they were away,
that the worst possible incident occurred...
…Kelly
Jones, Angelica’s youngest child, had been kidnapped.
“Are we there yet?”
It’s a
classic phrase the child asks of a parent when they are on a long trip. But here Kayla is doing the driving while her
father, Bart Jones, is the passenger.
Bart just so happens to know where it is they are going. She is relying on his sense of direction to
guide her to their destination.
“Not yet…but we are close.”
It is dark
outside, lit only by the light of the moon and a few stars overhead. Kayla can barely make out trees on either
side of this dirt, rocky road they have been traveling on. They are out in the middle of nowhere and she
doesn’t like it.
“I still don’t like this, dad. There has to be another way.”
“There is no other way.”
“I don’t believe that.”
Kayla shakes
her head vehemently.
“We have always found ways out of every
situation. We have always dealt with
every problem and crisis that has ever come up.
There has to be another way.”
“Not this time.”
There is a
solemn gravity in the voice of Bart Jones, sounding almost like a prisoner on
death row who has accepted his fate.
“Dad…”
“I’m sorry, but this is how it has to be.”
A note was
found at the ransacked Jones estate when Kelly was kidnapped. The note was written in Russian and while
Angelica and Kayla were able to get the police to translate it for them, they
still did not know what it meant. But
Bart Jones, their father, had a very bad feeling that he knew what the note
meant…
The note
requested that the Jones family hand over someone named “Simpson” in exchange
for the safe return of Kelly. “Simpson”,
as Bart would inform them, happened to be Bart’s FBI codename. Another wrinkle in all of this is the fact
that Anastasia Jones had asked Angelica and Kayla to turn Bart over to her once
before so that’s he could exact revenge, revenge for abandoning her in Russia
many years ago.
Kayla and
Angelica would not agree to the terms.
They would not betray their father, despite how much they also
distrusted him and hated him. And yet
here Bart finds himself with Kayla, traveling to a destination where he thinks
he will find Kelly Jones and her kidnappers, and he is ready to turn himself
over in exchange for Kelly, against the better wishes of Kayla.
For Bart
this is about redemption. He did abandon
Anastasia in Russia after adopting her and taking care of her for many
years. He also abandoned Kayla and
Angelica after the death of their mother.
This is Bart’s way of redeeming himself.
He will give himself, perhaps his whole life, for the safe return of
Kelly.
But Kayla
does not have to like it.
“We’re here.”
The car
pulls into a clearing. Kayla finds a
spot to park and then stops the car. She
sighs as she turns the car off and turns to face her father, gazing at him with
an uncertainty on her face. As she
gazes into her father's eyes, Kayla begins to think about the past,
specifically about all of the time she could have spent with her father, time
that she lost and, perhaps now, will be gone forever. And maybe, just maybe, now is as good a time
as ever to catch up. This is their last
chance, after all.
“Dad, may I
ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“I don't
want to know why you abandoned us. We
have been through that before and there is no use going through that
again. But when you came back to the United
States, why did you seemingly avoid all interaction into mine and Angelica's
lives?”
Bart
furrows his brow out of curiosity.
“What do
you mean?”
“Angelica
and I have full lives but you have never been a part of them.”
Kayla shuts
her eyes tightly, mainly out of frustration.
She takes in a deep breath and sighs, before opening her eyes and
continuing.
“Look...let's
take someone like Taylor Chase for an example.
Her father, Broderick Chase, is still active in her life. Don't you think he was there when she won her
world titles?”
She points
a finger at Bart.
“But where
were you when Angelica and I won the SCW World Tag Team Titles? Were you at Retribution to support Angelica
in the Shot of Adrenaline Semi-Finals or to support me against Stacy Kissinger?”
Kayla
shakes her head.
“No, you
weren't.”
Despite his
daughter's emotional outburst, Bart Jones remains stoic and emotionless.
“Do you
want the truth?”
“Yes!”
He sighs.
“The truth
is...I didn't think either of you wanted me around.”
“What would
make you think that?!”
He smiles
warmly.
“When I
returned to the United States, the first thing I did was track you girls
down. I found Angelica and she seemed so
happy and overjoyed to see me. It was a
wonderful reunion.”
The smile
on his face fades. A frown replaces it.
“When she
told me the two of you were wrestlers I decided to attend one of your
shows. She even managed to get me
backstage passes. That was a mistake. I went backstage and she attacked me.”
Kayla looks
positively stunned at this revelation.
“Angelica
attacked you?!”
“Yes, she
did. I wasn't as old as I am now, I
guess I could have defended myself, but I couldn't bring myself to hit
her. Plus I felt as if she had a right
to be angry with me, considering how I had abandoned you girls. So I just assumed neither of you wanted
anything to do with me in your lives.”
This is a
story the younger redheaded Jones sibling never heard. She never knew her older sister attacked
their father and she would go on thinking that he didn't want anything to do
with them. As it turns out the opposite
was true. He thought they didn't want
anything to do with him. Kayla leans
over and embraces her father in a tight hug.
“I'm sorry,
daddy! I never wanted that! Never!”
“It's ok,
Kayla. It's ok. Besides...”
He breaks
the embrace and winks at her.
“Who says
we can't start now?”
She
chuckles lightly.
“Heh, this
is true...”
He folds
his arms over his chest and waits. Kayla
sighs...
“...I'm
wrestling for Supreme Championship Wrestling.”
“I knew
that already, Kayla.”
She sticks
her tongue out at him.
“Let me
finish!”
“Sorry.”
“Anyway, I
did beat Stacy Kissinger at Retribution and I guess SCW is rewarding me because
now I'm in a Television Title eliminator against Craig Thomas.”
Bart
furrows his brow out of confusion.
“Eliminator?”
“Yes, if I
win the match, I'm the next contender for the Television Championship.”
“Well that
sounds excellent!”
He kisses
her on the forehead.
“And I
promise to be there to support you the whole way, through the eliminator and
through the title match itself.”
Tears form
in Kayla's eyes. She reaches up to wipe
them out of her eyes.
“Don't make
promises you can't keep.”
“I
know...I'm sorry...”
At that
time their conversation is interrupted by a pair of headlights approaching them
headlong from the other side of the clearing.
As high up off the ground as these headlights are in comparison to the
smaller car they are driving, Kayla and Bart immediately recognize that this
must belong to a large truck or van. As
the other vehicle comes into view, coming to a stop in front of their car in
the clearing, they can tell that this is a large white van.
A long,
tense moment passes as Kayla and Bart stare into the headlights of the opposing
van. Eventually the doors open. Out of the passenger's side steps a female
with red hair. Immediately she is
recognized as Anastasia. The driver
stays inside but the backseats exit and two large men dressed almost entirely
in black exit, one of whom has Kelly Jones with him.
“Anastasia...and she has Kelly.”
“Just stay calm.”
It is
extremely difficult for Kayla to stay calm in this situation. It isn’t every day that you see your niece in
the clutches of criminals. Yet,
something about her father’s soothing voice helps to her maintain her
composure.
“I can’t believe they actually came.
“I can.”
“Explain it to me, then, because I can’t! I mean, they are so open, so exposed, it’s so
risky for them to be out here like this.”
“This is The Bratva, Kayla. This is the Russian Mafia. They have been trying to kill me for a long
time now so it’s fair to say that we know each other well. They knew I would not be wearing a wire or
have any cameras on my person to incriminate them in any way. Besides…”
He looks
over at Kayla with a stern look on his face.
“…this is a rare opportunity for them. They want me dead and they now have me gift
wrapped ready to be handed over. They’ll
take this minor risk.”
He reaches
for the door handle but Kayla reaches out and holds him back with a death grip.
“Don’t go!
I don’t want you to hand yourself over!”
He looks
over at Kayla with loving eyes.
“I am glad we could make peace, Kayla, but you
have to understand that I am nearing the end of my life. Kelly, out there, has a lot to live for. It would be unfair of me to preserve my life
at the expense of hers.”
“You don’t even know if they’ll live up to their
end of the bargain.”
“You’re right, I don’t know, but I have to try.”
He kisses
her on the forehead.
“I love you, Kayla.”
Bart opens
his door slowly and starts to get out.
Kayla refuses to let her father do this on his own, so she slowly opens
her door as well and she also gets out.
The stare down continues once father and daughter have exited the
vehicle. Anastasia then breaks the ice
by playfully waving at them.
“Good evening, my sestra!”
She motions
to Bart.
“I see you brought part of my request. Good evening, otets!”
Bart shakes
his head in disbelief.
“I still find it inconceivable that you would
side with The Bratva. Don’t you care
about they did to your mother?”
“My mother abandoned me and so did you! You have no right to speak, otets! NO RIGHT!”
This takes
Kayla by surprise. Each and every time
she has seen Anastasia, she has always been playful, almost in a psychotic sort
of way. But now she seems legitimately
angry and enraged. Kayla isn’t quite
sure what to expect as Anastasia begins to speak again.
“The Bratva stepped in to protect me and raise
me after you abandoned me.”
“They corrupted you, you mean.”
“You say corrupt, I say protect, you say
poe-tay-toe, I say poe-tah-toe…”
Bart rolls
his eyes.
“Look, I came here, just as you wanted. Now please let Kelly go.”
“Oh, you mean the little plemyannitsa?”
She smirks.
“Go ahead, child…greet your grand-papa and your
aunt.”
Kelly, who
is being held in place tightly by one of the large burly men, is trembling with
fear.
“Grandpa, Aunt Kayla, please help!”
“Oh that is so sweet! I think she wants your help!”
Anastasia
motions to Bart to come over.
“Come with us, otets, and I shall release the
child.”
“Fine…”
Bart starts
to walk over but Kayla stops the proceedings with a shout.
“NO!”
Bart stops
dead in his tracks as he turns to face his daughter. Anastasia grins from ear to ear as she stares
into the enraged eyes of Kayla Jones.
“Don’t go, dad…”
“But Kayla…”
“I said NO!”
Kayla turns
her attention back to Anastasia.
“We want Kelly first.”
Anastasia
giggles maniacally.
“Ah, ha ha, what a smart girl you are. Our otets did not raise any dummy. But then again, he did not really raise you,
did he? He abandoned you just as he
abandoned me. Which is why you should be
thanking me, for getting revenge, revenge for the both of us.”
“He did wrong to us both but this is not the way
to settle it!”
“Perhaps not, but it is the way I have chosen to
settle it. I asked a few weeks ago for
the location of Bart Jones and for you and your sister to accept me as your
sestra. But you refused my kindness.”
“Kindness?
More like psychosis!”
“Call it what you will, you rejected my offer
that day, but I did promise you that one day you would give me this man on a
silver platter and today you have. And I
also promised you that one day you would beg me to join the family. So let’s make it happen, shall we?”
She snaps
her fingers. The man holding Kelly
places his large hands on her head and neck.
It becomes clear to Kayla that he is threatening to snap Kelly’s neck
and, from the looks of this large burly man, he easily could do it.
“I hold all of the cards, sestra. I could easily get my revenge by snapping
this young girl’s neck. I’m sure our
otets would be properly upset by that.
But I am not that kind of person.
Kelly should not have to pay for someone else’s crime. I want to make him pay, Kayla, but I also
want you to accept me into the great Jones family. So get on your knees and beg, beg and then
your precious Kelly will be released first.”
Bart and
Kayla exchange nervous looks. They do
not know what will happen next but both know what Anastasia wants. Kayla proceeds to drop to her knees.
“Please, my sister…please let Kelly go…”
Anastasia
playfully cups her hand over her ear.
“What was that?
I did not hear you…what did you call me?”
“You are Anastasia Jones and you are my sister.”
A grin that
will have to be surgically removed forms across Anastasia’s face.
“See? Was
that so hard?”
She snaps
her fingers and the large burly man releases his grip on Kelly. He then gives her a gentle shove, encouraging
her to run. Kelly makes a run for it,
right into the waiting arms of Kayla Jones.
Anastasia then motions towards Bart.
“Now then, you…in the van…”
One of the
men opens the door. Bart begins to walk
towards the van.
“Don’t!”
Kayla
shouts out after him. Bart turns and
looks back at her and smiles.
“I love you, Kayla…”
With that
said, Bart gets in the back of the van.
The men get in the back with him.
Anastasia then looks back at Kayla.
“Now sestra, as you can see I have a lot of
powerful friends. They easily kidnapped
the little child all to force you to give us Bart and to accept me into the
family. But know that if you ever decide
to change your tune about me, to reject me from the family, if you ever disown
me from the family just because you have Kelly safe and sound, think again and
understand that you are not safe. Do we
have an understanding?”
Kayla nods
her head.
“Yes, yes we do…”
“Wonderful!”
Anastasia
claps happily.
“I love happy endings!”
With that,
Kayla watches on as Anastasia gets into the van. The van starts back up and it drives off into
the night.
==========
On Camera
==========
We open in
a typical what appears to be a typical classroom, with an average sized brown
teacher’s desk with an apple sitting on it.
There is a name tag on the desk that reads “Jones”. The wall is a cream color and there is a
standard chalk board on the wall. Just then the sound of a door opening can be
heard, and then just as suddenly slamming shut.
It isn’t long until the clicking of heels can be heard and Kayla Jones
enters into the scene wearing a black knee length pencil skirt that hugs her
curves, a purple blouse that dips enough to show plenty of cleavage, black
sheer hose and black high heeled pumps.
Smart-looking glasses are on her eyes.
“Hello class, I am your teacher, Ms. Kayla
Jones! You may call me Ms. Jones, or you
may call me The Next SCW Television Champion, I will gladly answer to either!”
She reaches
down and takes the apple. She takes a
bite of the apple and then places it back down on the desk. She chews for a few moments and then swallows
the bite of apple before continuing.
“Today we are going to discuss why some people
are stupid. Now there are two types of
stupid, one type is what I call ‘born stupid’…”
She turns
towards the chalkboard and picks up a chalk.
She writes the words “BORN STUPID” on the chalkboard and then underneath
writes the names “Stacy Kissinger” and “Texas”.
She turns back to face the camera.
“There are approximately twenty-seven million
people living in the state of Texas and not one brain between them all, not
even in the head of Stacy Kissinger. The
dumb bitch thought she could hang with yours truly but at Retribution I proved,
once again, that I am superior to anyone and everyone I step into the ring with. And still to this day dumbass Stacy makes her
threats about how I’ll regret this or how I got lucky. That’s because she, like every other Texan,
was born stupid. She was born stupid and
she will never advance beyond where she is right now.”
Kayla turns
around and takes the chalk again. Next to what she had written earlier, she
writes the words “LEARNED STUPID” and underneath that she writes the name “Craig
Thomas”. Kayla places the chalk down and
then turns around to face the camera.
“The other kind of stupid we will learn about
today is what I call ‘Learned Stupid’.
These people learn how to be stupid because they listen to their own
hype and they believe it. They hear what
others say about them and they believe it.
Some might call it a form of brainwashing but the fact is that even
these people, whether it is their fault or not, are indeed stupid.”
Kayla walks
over to the front of the desk and proceeds to sit down on the edge of the desk,
ostensibly crossing her legs.
“Take Craig Thomas as a case study of Learned
Stupid. Him and Tyler Tucker of
Adrenaline Rush have been billed and hyped as the future of SCW’s tag team division
and yet each and every time they have tried to make waves, they pair of them
have fallen flat on their ass in total failure.
And now, for reasons that are completely unknown to me, he has been
gifted with the opportunity to earn a shot at the Television Championship. All he has to do is defeat me.”
She smirks.
“We’ll get to that in a moment, but here’s a pop
quiz, class! What exactly did Craig
Thomas do to EARN a spot in this Television Title Eliminator?”
Kayla looks
to the right and then to the left, as if she were scanning the room at her ‘students’. Kayla then shrugs her shoulders.
“No one?
Anyone? Well the fact of the
matter is that Craig Thomas did nothing to earn this spot against me. Hell, in
his last outing as a wrestler he LOST!
In his last match, he was a big fat assed loser! He and his butt-buddy Tyler Tucker LOST to Standing
Room Only, and yet HE gets an automatic opportunity to get a television title
shot?”
She motions
to herself.
“And now by comparison, what about his opponent,
namely me? What did I do at Retribution?”
Once again Kayla
looks to the right and then to the left, as if she were scanning the room at
her ‘students’. Kayla smirks.
“I just kicked Stacy Kissinger’s fat ass all
over town! I win, I get rewarded with a
TV Title Eliminator match, someone else loses and that person also gets
rewarded with a TV Title eliminator match.
Whoever came up with THAT logic gets a big fat F for this class!”
She hops up
off of the desk. Kayla then walks around to the chalkboard and grabs the chalk
and writes an “F” on the board. She
drops the chalk and turns back to face the camera.
“YOU FAIL!”
She grins
from ear to ear.
“Now getting back to Craig Thomas and his
stupidity, it is clear that he is definitely suffering from Learned Stupidity
because he actually believes these voices in his head that are telling him that
he has a chance at beating me. Me and
Angelica, The Sisterhood, have kicked Adrenaline Rush’s collective asses so
damn much that we’re getting bored with kicking their asses. Yet he thinks he can do it. He thinks he can win this time, despite all
of the evidence that proves otherwise.
That is evidence of Learned Stupidity.
So allow me to take this time now to address Craig Thomas directly.”
Kayla takes
the glasses off and sets them on the desk.
“You know you can’t win this, Craig. You know that this is a pointless endeavor
for you. When was the last time
Adrenaline Rush held the tag titles? Oh
right, NEVER! When was the last time you
even won a match? You may not be Born
Stupid but you are a born loser and that in and of itself gives you hope. You have the capability of learning from your
mistakes, Craig, so don’t make the mistake of stepping into the ring with
me. Be smart. Use your brains for once in your professional
career and understand that you are stepping into the ring with a winner. And you won’t even accomplish a damn thing,
Craig. You will serve zero purpose
except to be my stepping stone towards the SCW Television Championship. So you may as well just give up now and make
it easier on you.”
She winks
at the camera.
“Class dismissed.”
