A new girl in town
Chapter 5
Kayla/Taker/Kane/Sammy
Kayla wandered around for a while. The place was huge and she kept being distracted from her mission to find food by the various happenings around her.
"There's the dude on acid or whatever," she thought as she spotted Al Snow in the distance. He seemed completely absorbed in conversation with his 'head'.
"Kayla, you have an incredibly dirty mind," she thought as she passed him and tried not to laugh.
She finally rounded a corner and spotted what she'd been looking for: food; more food than she figured anyone could ever get through.
"Then again, Tye is a bottomless pit and he plays basketball for a living," she reflected as she joined one of the buffet lines.
Walking in Kayla saw Taker, Sammy, and Kane seated at a table together joking and eating.
Kane was wearing the same brown mask with a working jaw she'd seen the night before but in the pictures he was wearing one that was red and black with just a slit in the mouth.
She tried not to look directly at any of them as she waited in line. The smoke hadn't helped clear her head and she still felt unsure and out of her element.
She hated feeling either of those things; she was usually always in control. This sudden loss of it was deeply unsettling for her and made her wish she could just avoid the world entirely for a while.
Taker looked up as Kayla entered the room.
Man she looks lost. He thought. And a little upset. I wonder if she had a run in with Vince.
Sammy she looks so out of place like she doesn't feel welcome. Sammy thought. Maybe I should invite her to join us. No Taker wouldn't like that not after last night.
People are staring at her. I wonder if she's noticed. Does she feel as lost as I did when I first started? But I at least had father she doesn't seem to know anyone at all. Kane thought.
I also kept mostly to the locker room and the ring at that point too. Kane remembered.
The line finally dwindled and Kayla moved forward to the food. She made her selections quickly and picked up her tray. Then she began looking for somewhere to sit.
That's when she noticed that there was indeed nowhere to sit. All of them were full. Not precisely all of them, but the ones that weren't had people's things spread out everywhere which made it clear that they weren't inviting company.
She really didn't want to go back there though. It was a fairly small room that was starting to seem smaller by the second. She was also going to be stuck there all night once the show began. There had to be some other alternative.
It was then that she spotted two things at once. They'd been hard to see at first as they were both wedged in the corners but there were two empty seats after all.
"I am officially in fucking hell," Kayla muttered.
"This is my own fucked up version of Sophy's choice but either option is worse than the last."
The first seat was with Hunter's crew, right next to the man himself. The second seat was at Kane's table, right next to Taker.
"This is your chance," a little voice whispered in the back of her mind.
"You probably won't get another shot like this."
"Fuck off," she thought at the voice but it was no use.
She sighed and straightened her shoulders, then she walked over to the group.
They were in the midst of conversation when she arrived; no one seemed to take any notice of her as she stood a few paces behind where Kane and Taker sat.
"Fuck, guess I have to say something," Kayla thought.
She cleared her throat.
"Uh. . . hey," she said.
"Hey." Sammy said as Taker's head whipped around to see who was talking.
What the hell does she want? Taker wondered immediately on guard.
Kane's head turned more slowly but soon all three were looking at her.
"Yeah, so this is fucking awkward, right?" Kayla remarked as she felt everyone's eyes on her.
"Look, there's basically nowhere else to sit unless you really want me to sit with Hunter, so. . ." she shrugged and gestured to their empty seat in the corner.
No one said anything for a second. Then Kane stood to allow her to get to the empty seat.
"Kayla right?" Sammy asked. "I'm Sammy and this is Kane and…"
"The Undertaker," Kayla finished for her.
"I'm aware," she said, moving to the empty seat and dropping in to it. Then she looked over at Kane.
Thanks for moving, dude," she said, flashing him a quick, almost unnoticeable smile.
Kane nodded his head in her direction and took his seat.
"I think we got off to a bad start yesterday." Sammy said shyly. "Maybe we could start again."
Kayla shrugged and took a sip of coffee.
Then she made a face.
"This is crap," she stated.
"How do any of you drink this shit?" she asked.
"I can start again if she can." Taker said tensely. "I'm nothing if not forgiving."
Kane and Sammy gave a brief laugh then went silent.
Kayla stopped contemplating the horrifying coffee and looked over at Taker. Their eyes met.
"Yeah, whatever," she said after a moment's silence.
"We can try for civility, at least."
Taker smiled but didn't say anything.
Anything she can do I can do better. She wants civility she's got it. Taker thought.
This doesn't look good. Kane thought. They are both so tense.
I don't know if this is going to work. I hope they can work it out somehow she seems nice enough. Sammy thought.
"As for the coffee." Kane said. "You get used to it. Depending on where we are sometimes it's not bad."
Kayla looked over at him.
I figured he'd never talk to me, she thought.
Glad to see I was wrong, she concluded, trying not to change her expression.
"I guess I'm just spoiled," she said to Kane with a small laugh.
"There's this awesome roasting place a few blocks from my place. Best. Coffee. Ever," she finished with a thumbs - up.
"Ah, the joys of being famous," Kayla said.
Then she looked over at Kane.
Kane smiled though he doubted Kayla could see it.
Taker just looked at her with a slight smile.
"I wouldn't know." Sammy said with a laugh.
"Your books make you pretty popular even if people don't always know what you look like." Taker said.
"I'm glad they don't." Sammy said. "I wouldn't like to get attacked like you guys do."
Kayla looked curiously over at Sammy.
"You're a writer?" she asked.
"Yeah if you use the term lightly." Sammy said.
"Lightly you have three best sellers." Taker said.
"It's just teen fiction. Not like Stephen King or something." Sammy continued looking at Taker with a small smile.
"That's cool," Kayla said. "I'm not much of a reader these days. I'll take a good movie any time though. Or a Netflix binging session."
"We watch a lot of movies too." Sammy said. "What with Mark's work schedule and mine it's really the only time we get to relax."
"J.J. and I do as well." Kane said.
"So you do have a name," Kayla quipped.
"Only Sammy calls me that." Taker said pointedly.
Kayla shrugged.
"Whatever, dude," she said.
Kayla smiled.
"Favorite movies? Go!" she said playfully.
"He likes movies that scare the hell out of me." Sammy said pointing to Taker. "Things that make me jump out of my seat and into his lap."
Taker laughed.
"I like the man in the iron mask and the lord of the rings movies and the books for that matter." Kane said. "Though as you called it I have been binge watching Game of Thrones."
"She likes to watch things that make her cry. I have no idea why women like those movies." Taker said pointing to Sammy.
"Guys and their addiction to horror," Kayla replied with a laugh.
"I don't know what's up with women and tearjerkers either. I get put through the same shit at home."
"Game of Thrones is the shit!" Kayla enthused.
"I have an internal countdown going for the season premiere," she added.
"I can't pick favorites," she continued.
"Star Wars, the Rocky Balboa movies, and shit with explosions," she concluded.
"I'm only on season four of game but I know from the books what in general is going to happen." Kane said.
"I've read Tolkien several times and the movies are good but don't do it justice." Kane said. "As for the Rocky films they are ok. I like explosions too. I love the fight scenes in movies. I get some great ideas there." Kane added.
"Yeah you would." Taker said with a smile.
"J.J. goes between War movies, suspense and tearjerkers. I never know what she's going to put in on her nights." Kane said shaking his head.
"I'm totally going to have to start a 'Kane fight scenes movie pool', aren't I?" Kayla asked teasingly.
"But it definitely needs a better title. That one's terrible."
Kane laughed loudly prompting Taker and Sammy to join in.
"I doubt you'll see me doing anything crazy. Jackie Chan I'm not." Kane said.
"This needs to be a thing that happens," Kayla said once everyone had finished laughing.
"And I don't know about that. The camera don't lie; you've done some pretty impressive shit," Kayla said smiling.
"No Taker's got the prize on that one. Walking the rope is damn near impossible even for the small guys and he's not a small guy." Kane said looking at his brother.
Kayla looked impressed for a moment but quickly tried to hide it by taking a bite of her now forgotten meal.
That made her blink. Taker thought.
"Yeah the announcers call it 'old school'." Sammy said. "He gets up on the top rope and walks across it dropping an arm over his opponent."
"True." Taker said. "But I don't get nearly the height Kane does with the flying lariat."
"I definitely couldn't do what you crazy people seem to do day in and day out," Kayla said as she paused in her eating.
Is that respect I hear in her voice? Taker wondered.
"Well I for one wouldn't know how to do much on a computer." Kane said. "I don't think I could even draw with one."
"Sammy knows computers pretty well." Taker said in response to Kane.
"No hun I know how to type and get around but not much else." Sammy said smiling.
"Eh, it's no big thing," Kayla said.
"If you start off with a phone, the rest is pretty simple. Hell, my girl hardly ever uses a computer anymore - it's her phone or her tablet," she added.
My girl? Taker thought. I wonder if anyone else caught that.
"It doesn't seem that simple to me." Kane said. "I've never really had much use for them except watching movies in flight."
"That's because you haven't learned from the master," Kayla teased.
"Teach you everything, I will," she said, adopting a Yoda - esk inflection.
Taker laughed at her yoda impersonation as did Sammy but Kane just looked lost.
Why is she talking like that? Kane thought and why is it funny.
Kayla joined in their laughter.
"Sorry, I had to do it," she said.
"I'm the worst at voices but eh."
Then she saw Kane's look of confusion.
How does he not get the reference? She wondered.
Is someone else going to clue him in or am I? She thought.
Damn I guess it's another one of those things I should know. But what? Kane thought looking from one to the other at the table. They seemed to get it at least he thought looking again at Sammy and Taker.
Where did this guy grow up - a cave? Kayla wondered.
Then she looked over at Kane.
"It's a reference to the star wars movies," she told him.
"Oh I don't know those movies." Kane said.
"It's a science fiction kind of thing, set in a galaxy far, far away. Anyway, one of the characters is Yoda; he talks exactly like that. Kinda sounds like Grover from Sesame Street," she said with a laugh.
"But trust me, you really don't want to hear my Grover impression."
"Who's grover?" Kane asked.
Kayla stared.
"Uh, guys? Help?" she said, when no one said anything.
"Definitely a cave," Kayla thought. "Or on planet fucking mars."
"No a basement." Kane said sounding bewildered.
"Fuck me, was I thinking out loud again?" Kayla said with a groan.
"Sorry, dude. I do that a lot."
"Why would you think I was raised on mars?" Kane asked still sounding confused. "I'm obviously human."
Then she looked at Kane properly and processed what he'd just said.
"Wait, a. . . basement? Seriously? Am I missing something?" she asked feeling bewildered herself.
Kayla looked embarrassed.
"I didn't mean that you were literally raised on mars," she said with a quiet sigh.
"I was just thrown by you not getting the Yoda thing. And then there's Grover. I figured every North American kid watched that show."
"Oh. TV." Kane said. "Father didn't let me watch."
"Paul is not your father." Taker muttered almost imperceptibly.