"Hello," Skylar Omega grumbles into her ringing phone after grabbing it from the bedside table.
"Hey Sky, I hear congratulations are in order," her older brother says excitedly.
"Kenny," she replies flatly. "It's three in the morning."
"Shit, I'm sorry Koneko," he apologizes using his nickname for her. Japanese for 'little cat'. "I forgot you were home."
"I'm in Winnipeg you idiot," she can feel herself smirking sleepily as she delivers a play on one of her favorite Chris Jericho lines.
Kenny laughs, "Go back to bed then Koneko. I just wanted to wish you good luck!"
"Thank you Hoshi," she yawns calling her brother the Japanese word for 'star'. "I'll call you when I wake up."
She tosses the phone back onto the nightstand and rolls over. Wrapping herself in the soft covers she falls asleep as soon as her eyes close. As soon as her eyes close she falls back asleep.
A few short hours later the tiny raven haired girl boards a plane destined for Orlando, Florida. She fidgets the whole way there, both nervous and excited for what potentially lies ahead. After what seems like forever the plane finally touches down. She breezes through customs, picks up her rental car and starts driving towards the WWE Performance Center.
Two weeks earlier she had received a call from head trainer, Matt Bloom, with an offer for a try out. Following a lengthy discussion with her brother she decided to do it. Kenny had been in the developmental system before, but ultimately was never offered a contract. She made the choice to take the tryout with his encouragement. Her brain races as fast as the cars around her on the highway as she weaves her way through traffic. Possible scenarios run through her mind only adding to her nerves. Before long the Performance Center comes into view. She guides the rental into an open spot, checks her makeup in the visor mirror and heads inside with her gear bag.
Once she crosses the threshold of the state of the art facility she's whisked into a tornado of activity. Running drills in the ring, promo classes, interviews, style consultations, and even more in ring training. Before she knows it she's sprawled out across her hotel bed, exhausted. She repeats the same process the next day. With hardly a moment to breathe she ends her second day with a handshake from Matt Bloom.
"We'll be in touch," he tells her. "Expect a call in the next couple of days either way."
Feeling slightly dejected, she boards a plane and heads home to Winnipeg. The next few days crawl by as she waits, sometimes literally, by the phone. When it finally rings she scrambles to get to it, then takes a moment to compose herself before picking it up.
"This is Skylar," she answers as calmly as possible after seeing the Orlando number on her caller ID.
"Skylar, Matt Bloom. How are you doing?" He doesn't really ask.
"Doing well Matt," she tells him nervously.
Before she gets a chance to ask him how he's doing he cuts right to the point of his call, "So I wanted to call you personally and let you know that I have good and bad news."
Cautiously her voice barely manages a whisper, "Go on.."
"Bad news first then," he states as she gulps. "There is not a spot for you currently on the roster as an active wrestler. Raw, Smackdown or NXT... Good news, however. You were really solid on the mic and we do have a spot on Raw for an interviewer." He can hear her sigh. "I know it's not what you were hoping for, but the opportunity exists. It'll get you on TV and you can work your way up from there."
Not wanting to sound ungrateful she hesitates to speak, "There's no wrestling positions anywhere, huh?"
"Not at the moment," he confirms. "But you never know when something will open up."
She knows he's right, "I'll take it."
"Good move," he chuckles. "I'll send you over the details. Your first day will be Monday in Kansas City, Missouri. You'll be expected to be there on Sunday, and to be at the production meeting Monday. Keep an eye on your email for your paperwork and initial travel itinerary."
"I will," she tells him. "Thank you."
"And hey, don't stop working towards your goal," he adds. "It worked out for your brother."
She smiles, "Thanks Matt."
They hang up after a quick goodbye. Skylar sits in silence for a few moments, unsure about her decision. She turns her phone over and over in her hands nervously. Her first instinct is to call her Kenny, but she decides against it. What if this opportunity doesn't work out? She decides that she'll tell him eventually. Maybe after her first day, just in case she hates it.
Sunday afternoon is bright and sunny as Skylar's plane touches down in Kansas City. No stranger to traveling, she traverses the big airport with ease. Her bag rounds the conveyer belt almost as she arrives. Lost in her own little world she collects her black rolling suitcase.
"Skylar?" A thick Irish accent calls from across the baggage claim area. She smiles to herself when she hears the ridiculous but familiar pronunciation. Skoi-ler, it always makes her laugh.
She looks up to find a friendly face smiling across the bulky conveyor. "Ferg?" She beams as the Irishman, now known as Finn Balor in WWE, hurries around the machine and pulls the tiny girl into a hug.
"What are you doing here?" He asks excitedly.
She's reluctant to spill her secret quite yet, "Oh, just passing through. I've got a long layover."
His crystal blue eyes glitter in the neon overhead lights, "If you're here overnight we should get a drink or two later. Gallows and Anderson will be landing soon too."
"I don't think I can't tonight," she lies. "I've got a red eye out. Next time though!"
"It was good seeing you Sky," he hugs her again. "Give Kenny my best."
She nods and does her best to sneak off to the rental counter undetected while he waits for his friends. As soon as he's out of view she lets out a sigh of relief. That was harder than she expected. Skylar quickly finds her rental and heads to the hotel. She orders some Chinese delivery and relaxes, hoping to fall asleep early so she can be well rested for her first day. Luckily, she manages to drift off before midnight.
The alarm on her cell phone blares its wake up call at seven the next morning. Skylar silences it and pulls the covers up over her head. Moments later she flings them off as she remembers where she is. Leaping from the bed she begins to get ready excitedly. She lays out her clothes for Raw before changing into her gym clothes. The hotel gym is quiet at this early hour, letting her get in a solid workout in peace. After a long hot shower she puts on some smoky eyeshadow and dries her long black hair.
She checks with building security before noon and weaves through the backstage area of Monday Night Raw. Kevin Dunn, head of production, directs her to a small locker room where the female talent will be for the evening. She drops her bag in a corner and grabs a notepad for the production meeting.
Everyone is nice enough, but she can feel some animosity in the room when she goes back to her bag. She recognizes a few of the girls from the indies and some others from her tryout. The women's champion, Alexa Bliss, is the only one to really reach out to her and be outwardly friendly.
When the show begins Skylar is too busy to even notice that the other women aren't embracing her. She sticks close to the production crew for the first ninety minutes of Raw. As the clock nears ten o'clock she's told to get ready, that they're adding a last minute interview segment to the show. She fumbles nervously as the crew places her in front of the camera. The interview set is a simple red and black background with a large flat screen TV on the back wall. Very brief instructions are whispered to her just moments before a live microphone is thrust into her sweaty palms.
The camera crew counts her down as they prepare to go live. She stands up a little straighter and takes a deep breath as they reach zero. The director points to her. She doesn't even bother introducing herself to the camera after being assured that the commentary team has taken care of it. Instead she calls in her guest, Roman Reigns. The live audience can be heard booing all the way in the depths of the arena. She just barely manages to contain her amusement. She asks him about his upcoming match against Finn Balor, giving him a few moments to answer.
"Roman, your confidence is refreshing," she speaks into the mic determinedly. "But you have to be at least a little concerned about the Balor Club being at ringside."
He chuckles at her statement, "Skylar, I'm not worried about Balor or his Club..." She hears movement off to her side as Roman continues. "And even if Gallows and Anderson do try to stick their noses into my business... I've got my own reinforcements."
A thunderous reaction from the live crowd literally shakes the building as the camera zooms out to reveal Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose flanking Roman and Skylar. She shifts her weight from foot to foot uncomfortably as The Shield looks her up and down like a hungry pack of wolves.
"Cut!" Kevin Dunn calls as the show goes back to ringside. "Nice job Sky. Well done guys."
The camera crew disperses as soon as the scene is over giving Skylar a chance to introduce herself to the Shield guys. She takes care not to mention her brother or her wrestling career, not wanting anyone to think that she's using his name to get special treatment. She watches them wander off towards gorilla, unsure of what to do with herself until the end of the show. She gasps as a pair of hands covers her eyes from behind.
"Guess who!" A terrible impression of Howard Finkle asks her.
She laughs, "Gallows!"
"No, I'm Howard Finkle," he continues butchering the famous announcer's voice.
"Let her go Fink! You dumb son of a bitch!" Karl Anderson pipes up.
The hands move restoring her vision. "Fuck you Karl! I'm leaving!" Fink declares.
"What are you doing here, Hoot?" Karl asks in confusion.
"Took a chance on a job," she confesses. "I'm hoping it leads to more than just some interview segments."
"That's a complete waste of your talents," Gallows states, back to his regular voice. "They're not gonna let you wrestle?"
"At least not right now," she nods sadly. "There are no positions for a wrestler on the active roster right now."
"Well that's some horse shit," Karl crosses his arms.
"It is what it is," she shrugs. "At least I'm here. I'll get my name out there and get my face on TV. Until there's a spot on the roster. Then I'm coming in and taking over."
It's at that moment that Finn rounds the corner. He stops in his tracks when he sees Skylar. He raises his pointer finger and wags it at her in a tsk tsk motion. "Skylar, I taught you were waitin on a red eye," he grins catching on to her game.
"Didn't want to ruin the surprise," she smirks.