"The Twilight Zone"
By: TwilightMadrigal17

Characters used: Athena, Bel Biggz (with permission), random coffee people, and a camera man
Characters mentioned: Death, Mars, Kyla Strong, Nick "Six" Vaughn, Samoa Joe, Trent Steele, Raven, Taranis, "Shadow" Lance Hoyt, Team Canada, Alice Kristi, and more!
Lyrics underlined: "Outside" Stain'd
Perspective: Bel POV (1st person view- eyes of another person)
OOC Note: Special thanks go to Morrigan for suggesting the promo to be in the view of another person, Bel for allowing me to use Mr. Bel Biggz in this promo, and Dr. Edsel Close for helping my music muse. Also this is written under a writer's block, so this probably sucks... I apologize in advance if this promo offends any of you. To the E-Fed staff, you know what the win/lose stipulations are for my trophy hunter via e-mail. Win or lose will lead to a nice war

12:00p.m. - The Academy main hallway

Doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo...
Dee-doo, dee-doo, dee-doo, dee-doo...

... Gosh, I love that eerie, tweak-like tune. And this is... the Twilight Zone... DUNDUNDUUUUUUN!
Yes, boredom has slapped me across the face again. The usual people walkin' around here in the Academy, nothing new really, blah-blah... oh my god, is that who I think it is? My pretty eyes must be deceiving me!

"Athena?"

Black trench coat, midnight blue blouse, dark brown hair, 5'10" frame; it's her alright! Gosh, she looks more beautiful than the last time I saw her... which was in the hospital... damn; I still hate you, "Mojo" Joe-Joe, for what you did to her fragile, yet strong body that night. What the jeepers creepers is she doing down here? I was frantic to approach her, step by step, coming to a run from the distance and purposely slamming myself against the wall next to her. My head is turned to face her and I see her facing me, right bang brushed in front of her right eye as usual. Black eyeliner, black lipstick-applied lips, light tan-caramel skin... despite the similarities, she's changed. She's even changed since I saw her on last week's iMPACT episode through the television. I pushed myself away from the wall and gave her a silly grin.

"Heyyy, long time no see Athena!"

"Likewise Bel, likewise."

She seems a bit down, I can hear it in the tone of her voice (Everyone's down talking to you). Oh, the voice in my head again? Damn thing won't ever leave me alone...

"I saw you on iMPACT last week. Wow, you pulled off some insane moves in the ring!"

"... I always forget that it's LIVE not just for Orlando, but for the whole beeping world..."

"And you can bring me to my knees... again...
All this time when I could beg you please... in vain...
All the times when I felt insecure... for you...
And I leave my burdens out the door..."

Oh yeah, she's down. I can see it in her eyes and the way she talks supports the feeling. She places her hands in her coat pockets and stares at the ground blankly, strands falling in front of her loosely. Poor girl...

"Want to talk about things over a cup of coffee?"

"If you don't mind me possibly screaming, sure; coffee does sound nice."

"Would you like dessert with that?"

Her head tilted for eyes to look into mine, a weak smirk coming across her face.

"You know I always love a chocolate muffin with coffee."

12:10p.m. - Regular coffee shop

Athena's been quieter since we got here, it must be the publicity. She's looking out the window to her left with emptiness in her eyes, body unmoving but only the slightest from silent breathing is seen. I can hear some people making comments about her, however, and they're not very pretty either... stiffly, she seemed to ignore them. Her cup was still full of Folgers coffee and she hadn't taken a bite out of her chocolate muffin I bought her. I finished off my cup and cleared my throat, leaning in a bit forward with my eyes attentive on hers.

"It's story time chica, tell me what's up."

She remained in her seated posture, but her lips parted to suck in a breath of air.

"Long story Bel, long story... it all started with hatred that was spread from within Stage 21. Somebody on the roster's been talking crap about me, but I don't know who it is yet... when I find out though, there's going to be hell to pay. I think you know what I'll do according to in-ring experiences."

Oh yeah, I definitely know. My eyebrows arched, propping my elbows on the table and listening closely.

"Ever since joining Hell, it's been rough. Each step I've taken, something's happened, starting with meeting Joe since our last encounter... along comes X Division Champion, Alex Shelley, to step into business that's not his and acknowledge Joe- when he's drunk. So I step out for chocolate ice cream... and when I come back, I bump into Christopher Daniels. Here comes an exchange of rough words between us, and then all of a sudden, A.J. Styles steps in to "defend" me and push Daniels down. Huge fight breaks out between them- which comes to an end by security guards and "Shadow" Lance Hoyt throwing a tequila bottle at a wall to silence everyone. Joe and I meet again," --

"Whoa, slow down! I'm trying to absorb all this very important information into my wee brain."

(Yes, wee because you're unintelligent.) Won't you ever shut up?

"... Sorry... as I was saying... Joe and I meet again, but then Cam steps out and says "Joe's gonna eat your ice creeeeaaaam" for his own amusement... and then..."

Oh, the suspenseful "and then" coming into play. I lean in closer, eyes refusing to blink until she speaks again.

"... And then the NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Nick "Six" Vaughn, makes an appearance!"

Holy smokes, da world champ himself; now THAT'S awesome. Now, I don't mean to zone out while she's telling the story, but I'm only trying to catch vital information that's leading to her depression. So far, all it seems is a talk about her exciting adventures, which makes me want to join so badly that I could bob apples for 24 hours for an opportunity... or face Samoa Joe with one arm tied behind my back. Athena seems hyperventilated talking about this, maybe this is helping her get away from bad feelings; who knows. Looking at her though makes me remember how she looked like when she was still hangin' around in the Academy. Sad because she left for the dark match without saying goodbye... but hey, what else would a badass mofo like her do? She's not the kind of person to wait for big things to happen to her; she looks for big things and makes them happen. All grown up with a sense of pride, toughness, and coldness...

"He licked me..."

"What?"

(Hold the phone.) There isn't a phone around to hold. (... It means "wait a minute" you dumbbeep.) Oh, sorry.

"Joe... that beep... he beeping licked me across my cheek, giving Vaughn the evil eye at the same time!"

"But I'm on the outside
I'm lookin' in...
I can see through you
See your true colors
'Cause inside you're ugly
You're ugly like me...
I can see through you
See the real you..."

... Gross... that fat tub of lard, with his slimy, salivating, germy tongue, licked her beautiful cheek... now I know why Athena's depressed. Or at least part of the reason to why... she finally turned to face me, hazel green eyes filled with disturbance.

"I ran away after my iMPACT debut match, terrified, paranoid, and upset because of so much hate. I wanted to quit, I wanted to drop the ball, nobody liked me except for a select few, and one of them I'm going to turn away from at Against All Odds; Kyla Strong. The past three days I've been having fights with my mother over the phone. She was screaming at me to quit, to give up, to walk away from wrestling for the rest of my life. In the situation I was stuck in, could you imagine how I felt?"

Horrible.

"... But you know what...? I didn't listen to her."

I watched her pick up her cup of coffee and take a sip from it, settling it back down on the table, and pushing out of her chair softly to stand on her feet. The precise moving of her arms meant something... so I jumped out of my chair and backed off. That moment, she slammed her fists hard on the edge of the table, causing it to lift- in what seemed like slow motion to my mind- off the ground, the table cloth spun off and faltered all the items upon it. Fragile things collided with the floor in distinct crashes, the table flying at her as she kicked a hole through it, her coffee spilling all over the floor surprisingly- as if it was prohibited to lay a drop on her. In the midst of this fast action, she caught her chocolate muffin in her left hand, and brought it up to take a bite out of it. Chew, chew, chew, everyone was staring just as much as I was, and a swallow, licking her lips to retrieve the crumbs that absently settled on them. Swift movement flashed and her other foot kicked the table, breaking it easily into pieces to free her once trapped leg, landing on her feet with dangerous grace.

"That's when I decided my life decision in wrestling. If I quit, then I break my internal moral of "never give up; never surrender". Breaking that would be giving up on the elite, my best friends, who have believed in me since day one. Breaking that would be giving in to my mom, having her be the right and me the wrong- again. Breaking that would be giving what every single hater of mine wants. Breaking that... would break me... and that's why I decided to come back and STAY in TNA. Love me or hate me, it doesn't matter, because I am who I am whether anybody likes me or not..."

Me-ow kitty, me-ow (You're so inquisitive, why don't you ask her how old she is?) I will... in a minute, I'm fantasizing her strong beauty right now. (... Idiot...) Don't hate my girlish locks (. . .)

"All the time that I felt like this won't end...
It's for you...
And I taste what I could never have...
It was from you...
All the times that I've tried
My intentions full of pride
But I waste more time than anyone..."

"Hey Athena... ya feelin' better?"

The Trophy Hunter, formally known as the Bounty Hunter- rightfully, looked over at me, a blank expression for a moment... but then she smiled faintly, brushing a bit at her coat and shorts before taking another bite out of her muffin.

"Yeah, I am actually."

"Alrighty, mind telling me how old you are?"

I am so curious to know how old the lovely lady is

"... Haha, I'm 18. I'm the youngest star on the roster."

. . . (What a kick to the coin pouch, eh?) S-shut up...

"Bel, you look like you ate a lemon."

"... I think I did..."

I want to run out, call a taxi, and get out of the city, but that's mean... OH MY GOD, 18 YEARS OLD! God damn, I feel like a child molester... (Maybe you are) Lord, no-no-no, that's BAD for my reputation! (Haha.)

"You know staring is rude."

"R-right, sorry..."

"Were you expecting me to be an adult?"

"Actually, I..."

A frown comes across my face.

"... I was..."

Her hazel green eyes dimmed down a bit at my response, a frown coming to her own face. Dark brown strands brush in front of her right eye, a few slightly in front of her left as she looks out the window, blank and soulless. She turns her attention back to me after a moment, body movement showing my eyes that she's walking towards me, stopping before me and... hugging me, arms around my back comfortably. It made me react softly, wrapping my arms around her in return, patting her back. Maybe... she could be like a little sister...

"... Sorry Bel..."

A great little sister... (Oh, spare me the mushiness.) Quiet you.

"But I'm on the outside
I'm looking in...
I can see through you
See your true colors
'Cause inside you're ugly
You're ugly like me...
I can see through you
See the real you..."

1:00p.m. - Studio 21, backstage with a metal fence in the backdrop setting; promo time

I leaned against the fence, hands in my pockets, my body shivering a bit at the camera man with his camera on live. (He's camera shy folks.) Yes, yes I am-- live in front of millions of course that's understandable. (Indeed...) To my right was Athena, who was also against the fence, arms folded in front of her breasts- err, chest. Chest I say... (Ahem) Sorry. Athena bought me a front row ticket for the show, so I'm happy.

"We roll in 3, 2, 1..."

Those arms unfold, hands clenching into tight fists, eyes dead-on the lens; possible to send shivers down anyone's spine who was looking. Her partner, Kyla Strong, was excluded from this promo; Athena felt the need for a solo... with me by her side of course. The camera man doesn't count worth cookie crumbs.

"Horsemen of the Apo-- wait, no. I don't want to start with you two freaks... monsters... dare I say baby eaters? Ha, that joke's on you... it's me, it's me, it's the reincarnation of ying and yang, the Trophy Hunter Athena Chavéz. Tonight is destined to be an infamous night to never, ever be forgotten. Tonight is Against All Odds, tonight is the night history will be made. Some will stand and some will fall, blood will be spilled, sins will be made, and scars will be burned. I plan to make a sin... with this."

She walked off screen for a moment and came back with a steel chair in her hands.

"No one knows what I'm going to do with this common weapon. No one knows who's going to be on my list of "to decimate". No one knows anything, not even Kyla herself... I love suspense, I love surprises, and I hope all of you feel the same way I do. Let me point out some people before I get to Death and Mars. Trent Steele... look at yourself, walking around with the faux hawk, movie star looks, cockiness a pool couldn't hold if it was a liquid. You never looked at the Academy when I was down there, especially with my most critical matches against Samoa Joe. You don't know the history between Samoa Joe and I. He had made an open challenge and no one wanted to accept it... until I came into play. At first, I was trembling, I was nervous, I was facing the Samoan Submission Machine- I was his first female opponent EVER in his life. But I realized there was nothing to be afraid of because Joe fears me. He is intimidated by me, he is shallow of me, he is afraid of me without a shout of a doubt. I may be the youngest X Division star on the roster, but I am one of the toughest, smartest, and fastest stars you'll ever face in the ring- that goes for each and every one of you in TNA.

Joe, I've told you once, I've told you twice, I've told you a thousand times. It doesn't matter how many times you take me down, I'm still going after you. But I have a confession to make regarding you and I will say this in front of everybody right now... when you hospitalized me back in the Academy, kicked me, thrashed me, beat me bloody, and threw me through the gym window head first, I was... afraid... for my life..."

"All the times that I've cried
All this wasted, it's all inside...
And I feel, all this pain
Stuffed it down, it's back again...
And I lie, here in bed
All alone, I can't mend...
But I feel, tomorrow will be ok..."

My eyes shimmered lightly at her words, the memories of what had happened coming back to me through flashing images. The blood stains are still there, that same gym window is still broken and hasn't been replaced; every single hint of agony remained of that horrendous night... Athena's left hand let go of one end of the steel chair, letting it sway to her side with her right hand still holding the other end tightly. She took a moment to stare back at me, eyes empty and depressive with the threat of tears coming, but she held them in. I stared in return at her, forming a weak, warm smile on my face, and she weakly smiled in return before turning back towards the camera; game face back on in a split second.

"Trent, you stole my spot as Joe's #1 enemy. Joe, you're avoiding me by taking on Trent tonight. Ketchup versus ice cream, power versus agility, where's the element of intelligence? I don't see it with either one of you and it's the one thing missing to make the melting corruption complete. You might understand what I mean... but I'm not telling you anything. Figure that out for yourselves- if you're smart enough."

She unfolded the steel chair with both hands and set it down so it was up-right. Pushing her trench coat back, she settled down to sit on the chair, crossing her left leg over her right and hands put together for fingers to lace.

"If I made a list of the people I wanted to take on in the near future in my current thoughts, I'll give you the following names. Nicky-Six- allies alike, Alice Kristi- we've gotta talk soon, Samoa Joe- if it's not obvious enough, Trent Steele- see Samoa Joe, Team Canada- ALL three of you, "Shadow" Lance Hoyt- you're really interesting, and many others. But... there is one man I am going crazy to face- if I ever do, and that man is Raven."

Athena had told me since the day we met that she wanted to face Raven in the six-sided ring. (She idolizes him you know.) I know; I'm not stupid... sometimes. (You're hopeless.) Bah... anyways, she idolizes him from the bottom of her heart, admires him, cheers for him, and wants to follow him in his footsteps. Now you know why she wears black in all of her outfits. Now you know why she applies black eyeliner and black lipstick. Now you know why she paints her nails black. Now you know why she's very intelligent and sadistic in almost all of her matches... that's a lot of "now you know why's". (You emphasize a lot of things.) I know I do; it's just the way I am. But what I said gets the point across that she's "grossly" in love with him, but knows it's impossible. Like a simple fantasy crush... who knows? I wouldn't know anything, I'm not intelligent. (Finally you admit it.) ... Meh.

"I'm going to tell you right now that I'm not going to stand between you and Taranis. I've learned of the history between you two from others talking of the subject. I won't interfere in that; I simply want one, just one, match between you and me with any stipulations you want. If you could do that for me, then... you'd have made my dreams come true and I would be eternally grateful to you... please, with all your heart, take that into consideration. I promise you that I'll give it a 130; I promise..."

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, body moving to stand on her feet and side kick the chair away.

"Death, you weirdo- no wait- you pansy, talking about humanity, life and death, how there's no reason for our existence. Are you some kind of anthropologist? Because if you are, you're a horrible one. Why don't you look at yourself in a mirror? Height and weight consist of 7'2", 500 lbs? Holy crap... RAH!"

I jumped back against the fence further, blinking at the sudden yell she made. Athena threw off her black trench coat and let it float by my side and made these funny movements; gestures that made her seem "big".

"Ughhh, I am DEATH, I am HUGE, and I am a PANSY! I am a grim reaper WANNA-BE, I've been working my huge ASS off since day one, and I like POCKY and ICE CREAM for breakfast! Hear my RAH!"

I stifle a laugh... (No, you're laughing your ass off.) S-shut it, so I am! God, she can be so hilarious...! Breathe The Trophy Hunter goes back to her normal stance, snickering faintly to avoid bursting out in laughter, and taking a deep breath before continuing.

"Mars, you're... almost as bad- almost. Death calls you up because he couldn't handle "Mistah Jones" and was most likely crying like a baby, going "Wah-wah, Mr. Jones is mean, wah-wah!" How pathetic is that? You're almost 400 lbs, almost 7'0" tall, geez... you're twice my height and almost three times my weight; I bet that makes you feel great... NOT! It's no wonder Team Canada beat your asses 1, 2, 3 last week, you're already distracted by each other and the cycle of life and death; how scary You may not have acknowledged me or Kyla, but it doesn't matter. As the last time she and I dance as a tag team tonight, we will make a name for ourselves; together against you and separately when the night is over. You cannot escape me, the bounty hunter, when there is a bounty of your head... that goes for the both of you."

"And... cut."

"But I'm on the outside
And I'm lookin' in...
I can see through you
See your true colors
'Cause inside you're ugly
You're ugly like me
I can see through you
See the real you..."

Athena suddenly gave out a heavy sigh, taking time to breathe and regain composure before turning to face me. I grinned at her and she grinned at me.

"Great job Athena; I'll be watching you and cheering you on at the front row towards the face side."

"Thanks Bel, I hope to see you there."

With that, she waved at me and walked off towards her locker room to get ready. I waved back at her, knowing all the reasons why TNA management brought her up here to where she is now. (You'll be joining soon, if you stop being an idiot.) Won't you ever leave me alone? Gosh...

End of Promo...
Win/Lose Stipulations!
... Authorized to STAFF only...

Dee-doo, dee-doo, dee-doo, dee-doo, dee-doo, dee-doo