Welcome, friends!
If you follow Whispers in the Dark, I explain my hiatus there. In a nutshell, life has been shit. Long story short, my grandma was diagnosed with cancer at the end of February and to say I was having a hard time coping would be an understatement. But, writing has done well at keeping my mind busy...and that's exactly what I need.
If I didn't know any better, I'd say there are WWE officials watching my story. I kind of sort of a little bit expect a Sister Abigail debut soon. Kind of hoping for it. The storyline between Bray and Orton is actually pretty impressive. 'Course, everyone knew that RKO would change his tune eventually, so that wasn't much a shocker. But when you write things properly, it's all good!
So yes, I chose Mandy Rose as Sami's girlfriend. Yes, I did it with a reason, which you'll eventually see. ;)
September 28, 2016: Cleveland, Ohio
"Well, you look like you haven't slept a wink," Bray Wyatt noted as Chara met him in the lobby. She hadn't bothered to brush her hair, so she'd thrown it up in a very-slept-in ponytail. Her Friday the 13th tank top that she'd grabbed this morning was wrinkly and still a little smelly from the last time she'd had a workout with the Wyatt Family mastermind, having forgotten to wash it.
She hadn't bothered to wash off last night's makeup, either, so she was sure she had sexy blackened raccoon eyes.
So, admittedly, she looked like shit. And it wasn't as though she'd been drunk the previous night, although she was beginning to wish that she were. Had she been obliterated, she would've been able to boldly flirt with Baron Corbin more than she had, even if it had only been through text. She would've been able to text the unknown number back, to confirm the identity of the sender...even though she had a good idea of who it was.
"I had a pancake pillow," she replied to Bray. "And a lumpy mattress," she added, hoping it was convincing enough. "Honestly, I'd rather have spent the night on the floor than try to get comfortable on that piece of shit."
In reality, she kept opening and re-opening that text message, wondering if she could ever be on good terms again with Sami. Even though they'd argued like kids during most the meal last night, he'd really impressed her. It seemed that he'd changed a ton in the years past, having moved upward and onward. While she had never expected to see him again, there he was...
"Language, language, m'lady," Bray tittered, though he didn't look put off by her foul language one bit. "How was the evening with our fellow comrades?"
Chara smiled. "I promise you, I really did have a rough night. I was back at a reasonable time and all that. I had a lemon martini. Umm...Nikki Bella is beautiful, Eva Marie is a self-absorbed imbecile, and Renee Young is lovely but doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut."
Bray smirked in response, his eyes crinkling in the corners. "I heard you had a surprise visitor, as well?"
Oh, crap. How had he found that one out?
"That we did," she offered, thinking quickly on her feet. "And just like you thought, the cameras were there for part of our dinner. I didn't sign the disclosure, so I won't be used for television," she added quickly, Bray's gaze not faltering at all.
"I knew you were a smart woman," he smiled. "I didn't mean the cameras, of course. Although it does sound oddly like a recruitment attempt to get you to sign on for the next season. But that point is moot; as I learned that Daniel Bryan was included to this lovely dining experience. Knowing that the last time you were at a table with him wasn't your finest moment. How did things pan out?"
It took a moment for Chara to follow the maze he was speaking in, doing her best to make sense of his words. This was still taking some getting used to. When she'd realized he thought that the cast of Total Divas had all been present and only the cast, her spirits perked up a bit. He wouldn't be frustrated with her back and forth banter with an ex-boyfriend, which he'd deem childish. Chara simply did not want to disappoint the bearded swamp man.
So, she would have to watch her footing in the future. One slip-up, and she could lose everything.
"Well, I think it went fine. Daniel didn't say much to me, anyways. Probably didn't want to start a whole thing in front of the girls."
There was an extended moment of quietness before Bray gave her a silent nod, breezing through the exit with only a hint of a smile. Sometimes, he was hard to read. Chara thought she'd given him proper enough of an answer, but normally, he'd be more affirmative. Right now, the silence worried her a little. Then, something she'd been asked last night had popped into her head, and she found herself so curious that she had to know.
"Hey, Brother Bray," she asked sweetly, and he turned to her with a sharp smile.
"I like that," he wagged a finger towards her. "You should use that in the ring. When we get that far, of course."
"Okay," she laughed merrily, glad his chipper mood had returned. "I was just wondering, before we got to work...if I could ask you something?"
"I suppose so," he conceded.
She looked around, unsure how to go about the thoughts weighing heavily on her mind. She peered towards the fitness room, making sure that none of their peers were around. Most of them had moved on to the next town or city already, some were still fast asleep. She was glad to see that there wasn't anyone around, so she drew a long breath before finally allowing her mind to clear enough to speak:
"Why am I here? Why did Hunter track me down at my home to ask me to sign with the WWE? I mean, I was ready to hang up my boots for good, too ashamed to face this industry again. There are tons of other women who could've taken on the role. So...why me?"
Bray's mouth formed a thin, pressed line. His normally shining eyes clouded over, and Chara was afraid that she'd struck a nerve.
"What makes you think that I'd know that?" he asked finally. "As much creative control as I'm allowed, I don't think I've got the influence to bring someone into the company. Whatever you did in your prior promotion got you noticed, Chara. In a good way."
"But for so long, I couldn't find work. Everyone had already proved their loyalty to AJ, and I wasn't important. Just some girl that was sleeping with AJ Styles. I caused such a mess that I wasn't worth contracting anymore."
Bray clapped his hands together, startling her. "Some days, dear, you are the mess. Other days, you are the broom. And on the worst days, you are both."
Taking in this peculiar advice, she raised her eyebrows, ready to continue the conversation. Bray, it appeared, had other plans as he began basic stretches as a warm-up.
"I believe you've gotten here on our own merits," Bray finally spoke after she joined him.
"I don't know, I don't think that'd be enough to make it this far," Chara said slowly.
"Perhaps you are everything that the WWE needs right now," he countered. He said it with such finalization that she didn't question or push the issue any further; the conversation was over. Though Chara believed without a doubt in her flitting mind that there was more reasoning behind the sudden interest shown by the company, it would have to be a conversation for a later day.
Deciding to focus instead on the task at hand, which was the unfortunate grueling workout she'd endure, she let it go.
Meanwhile, in Lakewood, Ohio
"I'm just saying, if we want to get signed to another season, we need some more women interested in sharing their lives," Nikki Bella was complaining on the phone to the love of her life, John Cena, who was busy with another appearance for USA Today. It had been awhile since the two last spoke, and she was missing him with all her heart. She'd told him of her attempt of bringing Chara Wright into the group last night, and how it had been an epic fail...with no help from her brother-in-law. Things were cutting it too close to deadline for her liking; The E! Network hadn't yet bitten on the contract for another season, and for all the exposure and money the women could have because of another pick-up, it was important to keep things entertaining.
But with the darling Paige doing whatever it was Paige was doing, and with Naomi's lackluster personality...well, the spokeswoman for the company was very clear that there needed to be more drama than there had been. Which, Nikki had concluded, would be a fantastic opening to bring in that newbie. Nat had been all in on this idea, too; and now, she was trying to talk John into calming Bray Wyatt's nerves regarding his new little family member.
John took a deep, stretched breath through the receiver. "I understand why this is important to you, Nicole. But to be fair, I don't think Chara wants to put her life out there. The stigma put on her from all those years ago is probably still embarrassing for her. While you and I don't mind the cameras, there are people who have their guards set quite high because of their pasts..."
Nikki made a grumbling sound, knowing exactly where this was heading. "You're taking that stance again? You did the exact same thing when AJ Lee decided to decline the show! And then, her lovely pipebomb totally humiliated all of us. Chara's got a similar personality to that little goblin. I can just imagine the promo she'd give, especially since Bray is her trainer." Nikki had a hard time hiding the ounce of jealousy she still had over AJ Lee. Not only had the little twerp been good friends with John, she was essentially the reason that Dolph Ziggler and the Fearless Bella twin had broken up at all. So, the fact that John would even try and bring that bitch into the conversation at all was slightly irritating.
John gave a small laugh. "I think you're thinking too far into this, babe. Even if this new girl doesn't want to sign on to the show, so what? If there's not enough interest there, I'm sure you will find something else to occupy your time with. Remember when you'd mentioned getting into the wine business? Well, there you go. You're a smart woman, and you'll move on to something else if it's necessary."
Nikki sighed. "Yeah, I guess," she muttered. John was right, even though it was annoying. Still, she hoped that the pretty blonde with next to zero sense of fashion would change her tune. The amount of intrigue the women's division would receive because of her role in the company would be huge, not to mention the real-life backstory.
"Don't worry about it, Nic," John murmured to her on the phone. "Everything will work out. I promise you."
October 4, 2016: San Diego, California; Smackdown Live
A solid week of working house shows, and it was finally, finally, time.
Smackdown Live was going to be huge tonight for Chara, as she was finally going to be revealed. Well, more so, Sister Abigail would be revealed. Her cloak would be dropped, and if she had any fans out there, the speculation of her true identity would begin.
For the first time, Abby would be a real character. In turn, Chara would finally be allowed camera time.
The past few days had been tumultuous. She hadn't expected for the Abigail character to formally debut tonight, but it seemed as though the fan base had grown somewhat bored of the cloaked figure that would often shake things up for the Wyatt Family. The general consensus was that this whole Abigail character was a fraud, much like the continuing vignettes of "Emmalina" on Monday Night RAW. So, in a quick work to prove the internet wrong, the writers wrote up a decent script for the night. Of course, it had blindsided literally every superstar involved, the course of the evening taking such a complete and drastic turn.
It was nice to know she'd be used, not sitting in the vacated locker room, occupying herself with her own mind while lights flickered and weird promos played to capture the fan's attention. Though she'd been training with Bray for weeks for both her in-ring work and her character, she still couldn't help but feel nervous getting involved into an actual match. It was a small step; eventually, she'd be setting her sights on the women's division. For now, she would reunite with her dear Wyatt Family to help elevate them.
Unfortunately, she'd have to deliver a quick move to startle AJ Styles in order for Bray to pick up a win. This part was where the writers had changed their minds: For so long, AJ Styles believed that the cloaked figure who kept forcing Bray to lose was his ally; someone who had a bone to pick with the Wyatts. Their segment would close the show, and everyone would wonder why the change of heart. Until next week.
"Nervous, kiddo?" Erick Rowan spoke as she tried to tape her wrists. The show was set to begin in a half hour, and she still had to get into her bomb-ass gear and let one of the WWE's glam squad ladies give her a rough, mean look. She was running behind, but was having too tough of a time swallowing the jitterbugs that kept invading her. The privacy of the room she was sharing with her brothers was much more comfortable than running around backstage, where she'd have no choice but to be seen.
She'd done this a thousand times before, but she here she was, scared shitless. Perhaps it was the immaculate crowd? The amount of fans in attendance was more than TNA could ever hope. WWE was an entirely different world compared tot he ones she had been a part of once. Perhaps she was nervous to be working with AJ Styles once again in such close proximity. What if she wasn't well-received? What if she botched? What if she embarrassed the Wyatt Family? This was such an honorable character, she couldn't fuck it up...
"I can see that you are," Erick continued when she didn't respond immediately. "Don't worry, Chara. It's just us. Me and Bray. You've been working alongside us for quite awhile now, and we've got your back. No matter what happens, we'll defend you. Bray will make the in-ring calls for you tonight just as he does whenever you two lock up during practice. So, all you've got to do is pay attention to him and his cues."
Chara didn't know what to say. Once again, Erick Rowan's normally strong, silent nature all went out the window when he'd offered supportive advice. Bray was normally the one that volunteered to calm Chara's nerves, and Erick had shocked her once more.
"We believe in you, Abigail," Erick smiled-a foreign look for him, his red mustache lifting as his face gleamed with true excitement. "This is going to be a good night."
Chara bit her lip, then gave the mammoth of a man a giant hug. "I needed that. Thank you," she murmured into his fuzzy beard. Grumbling a reply, Erick stepped back.
"Get movin', now. You won't fit in with the rest of us if you don't look haggard," he said matter-of-fact; and she knew he was right.
Chara let out an awkward giggle. "I think somewhere in there, there was a compliment?" she asked. "I mean, I'll take what I can get. Next time you guys see me, I'll be malevolently transformed."
"We'll see you out there, kiddo," Erick replied.
"That you will."
Chara couldn't wait to shed this smelly trench coat once and for all. And tonight, Sister Abigail would finally be revealed.
Crouched beneath the hollow steel stairs with a tiny headset on, she patiently awaited the prompt from the referee, who was directly connected to her. She held her breath as Bray's eerie song filled the arena, the echo of his swamp song vibrating the steps. She wished she was able to see the fans, holding up their cell phones as they usually did whenever he made his entrance. Though she'd seen it quite a few times already, each time was surreal with how many people supported the man.
Bray had the microphone now, and she could hear his footsteps near her head against the canvas.
"So it would seem, the Phenomenal AJ Styles has been able to grasp pinfall after pinfall with each week that passes. But, I dare say, that just as the seasons change, so will your reign as WWE champion. There is no bad omen or angry spirit that will divert that. The season of AJ Styles...has ended. And it's time for something new. Something colder. And, mostly, something darker."
Chara's heart leapt when she heard Bray's promo, which was barely scripted at all. Shit, he amazed her; and she could only hope to one day be able to give a promo that she just thought of right then and there. At least, she supposed, under his expert tutelage, that wouldn't be completely impossible.
"Nope, they don't want none..."
AJ's music now rang in Chara's ears, and her throat was instantly dry. In just a short while, she'd see him face-to-face. She'd have no hood covering her face anymore, nor would she be able to hide in a locker room from his gorgeous blue eyes. Trying to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat, she ignored the nerves that were beginning to climb as the so-called "face that runs the place" got a massive pop from the crowd.
"Cut the music," AJ's drawl now filled the air. Immediately, his entrance theme ceased; and the fans obediently silenced.
"I think, Bray, that you forget who you're talking to. As a matter of fact, there would be no Smackdown without AJ Styles. And, if there were no Smackdown, I would bet there would be no Bray Wyatt. Though, perhaps, that wouldn't exactly be a terrible thing.
"See, Bray, you might think that you can stand toe-to-toe with someone like me, but at the end of the day, you're just a strange swamp creature that hasn't come to terms that nobody can save you. No Erick Rowan can help you defeat me. No Braun Strowman, and no Luke Harper can help you achieve that much!" There was a curious mixture of boos and cheers from the spectators, but AJ held up his hand to quiet them.
"It looks as though Bray Wyatt and his band of circus clowns are nothing more but something to laugh at. A punch line. A...joke." With each word, she could hear AJ's voice nearing her. She was unsure if AJ's bit was scripted or not; it seemed to be a partial shoot on the Wyatt family. Then again, AJ did such an excellent job in nearly every aspect of the business that it wasn't a surprise he did as well as he had during this segment.
And with that, she could hear three sets of feet above the ring, listening intently to the referee's prompts in her ear. She could hear AJ call the moves throughout the match, but only barely. His voice carried so little that not even the microphones that the company normally put around the ring could pick up the sound. This was something that a true professional could perfect.
With each Irish whip, she grew increasingly warm. The cloak clung to her arms, and all she could imagine was the excitement of peeling off the wretched thing before helping her kayfabe brother finally pick up the win against this jackass. While she'd been ruining each match for the Wyatts in the past, all would be explained in time. This made things much more interesting, her character's complexity being both likable and infuriating. How many women right now could really say the characters they played were well-rounded? Chara knew she was lucky.
"Alright, we need to wrap up. We go off-screen in eight minutes," she heard the referee tell both the competitors. Chara could hear the men begin to move back to the center of the ring, and she could hear AJ call for the Styles Clash. With an enormous thud above her, she heard her signal.
"Light's out, Abby," a voice told her in her ear. Was that Vince McMahon's voice? It kind of sounded like it.
With that, she peeked out of her hiding spot under the hollow steps, the arena black. The plugged whispers became increasingly loud as she stretched for a split second before climbing up to the ring apron. The referee was nowhere in sight, as planned. She could see Bray Wyatt flat on his back, AJ standing over him with his hands on his hips. Even in the dark, she could see the glorious etched muscle of his abdomen. What she wouldn't do just to feel him against her once more...
Enough. Wrong time, wrong place, she thought to herself, adjusting her hood as the titantron now played a short video of a young girl's dirty feet running through a dark forest. Suddenly, the video stopped; the whispers grew louder, filling the arena in such a horror-movie way that it actually felt as though the room got cooler. She noticed the tech team had actually set up a fog machine, where a gopher had switched it on. She stood in a cloud of smoke, and she tried not to breathe in the cool, startling air.
She watched as the lights turned back up slowly. AJ's confused look was now on the titantron, his back to her. The crowd popped quite loudly once more, and she realized: The audience was cheering for her. For Abigail.
Trying to keep her eyes from wandering to AJ's spandexed ass, she kept her head down, watching the Phenomenal One's feet until she could see that he had completely turned around to face her. Slowly, she put her head up, the hood still covering her eyes. A small, evil smile broke across her face. AJ, being ever the excellent actor, returned her smile. He pointed to Bray as though he expected her to finish the man off, and she moved her head in a slight nod.
Pointing to Bray, she began to close in on the ringpost. The crowd responded loudly as both her feet stood on the bottom rung, her cloak barely dusting the apron now. Still pointing at her brother, she watched as AJ neared her, and she slowly dragged her finger from one man...to the other. Now, her index finger was aimed directly at AJ Styles' heart.
"What? Why me?" AJ asked, pointing once more to Bray. This time, Chara got down from her perch, slowly pulling the hood from her head. In a few short seconds, the sweaty cloak had fallen to her feet. It was clear by her ring gear where her loyalties truly were, and AJ sold the reveal well. Her ring gear was excellent and grungy, dark brown shorts that had been designed by a company that also designed Bray's pants, Wornstar. They were short, full of studs and holes, and perfect. In a way, she felt like Lara Croft in them: a true bad-ass.
Her hair had been styled in an extremely messy, slept-in boho look. If she didn't know better, she'd expect a bug to crawl from behind her ear at any given moment. Sure, she looked gross. Yet somehow, the team had managed to make her look weirdly hot. The way she'd been made to look was unlike anything ever seen before. No woman had played a gimmick quite like this before within the WWE.
Though her eyes had been masked in dark makeup, her makeup artist had smudged her with bronzer, giving her a dirty appearance. As though she just walked through the forest to be there, and was now covered in mud.
She caught AJ's piercing eyes with her own, and her stomach dropped. Still pointing at him, he drew nearer, pleading with her to go after Bray. She smirked, holding his gaze still.
It was in that moment that she felt sheer loathing for her former trainer. As he stood there looking as gorgeous as he always had, he held an air of arrogance. The look in his eyes told her that he wasn't sorry. That he didn't care about what he did to her, betraying her and almost fucking up her entire career. For so long, Chara had held her own pity-party, believing that if she hadn't been so careless, she'd still be wrestling regularly.
But wasn't AJ partially to blame, too?
Still standing on the apron, her eyes seared into AJ's, the burning fury almost unbearable. She knew she had to do something. And what she wanted to do? Something that would embarrass him as much as he had to her.
"I'm coming for you," she murmured inaudibly.
"You're supposed to go up top," AJ said quickly.
"Nope, not this time. Trust me," the short conversation was so quick that nobody could have guessed it had taken place at all. Though Chara could watch AJ hesitate, she bounced over the ropes to execute his move with ease.
Her body clashed into AJ's as he took a Phenomenal Forearm, both of them crashing to the ground. She recovered quickly, sitting on her knees as hands dragged through her raggedy hair.
"You're going to get fined for that," she heard AJ whisper as he lay there motionless. "Changing the match and using my move against me."
"You deserve it, champ," she replied bitterly as she crawled away towards the other body. Though the larger man had began to stir, she helped dragged Bray up to a standing position. Bray looked at her with confusion and wonder, much like a child. Again, she wondered if he was playing his character or if he was actually embracing the small change of the match. She had a feeling it was a combination of both.
With still no referee in sight, she knew that the match was over. That the show was nearly over, too. This match would be ended as a draw. But not before...
As she thought it, Bray's knees hit the ground, his arms outstretched before him. His head was bowed down, and Chara watched as one of the hands by the announce team slid a microphone towards the Eater of Worlds. She stood there as a queen might do, watching Bray praise her while he was in her mystical presence.
Grabbing the microphone, Bray looked up at her with a large smile. Still on his knees, he drew a breath.
"Oh, Abigail, I knew it was you," he stated simply, dropping the microphone with a plunk. Once more, his arms were outstretched, and his head bowed down.
The show closed with the painfully loud whispers, and the lights dimmed.
Sister Abigail had finally debuted.