Toronto, Canada

11/19/21



In the earliest hours of the frigidly cold morning, soft snow was beginning to fall as Betsy and Adelaide Granger stood outdoors, staring heavenward. It was the night of the eclipse, and despite her offers, Addy and James had insisted they kept their feet planted firmly on the ground to take in the view. So there they sat in the back yard of the home Betsy shared with her longtime lover, James Raven, who was inside on an important business call for the time being. He would join them when he was finished, but for now, Betsy was glad to have the time with just Addy. She didn’t often get to spend time with her sister, and something about the sun-kissed blonde was soothing to her. Feeling her gaze, Addy sweeps her green eyes from the stars to her younger sister, a confused smile touching her lips.



“What’s up, Bets? You look kind of pensive.” Addy asks, causing Betsy to stir from her thoughts.



“Pensive? When did you learn what that means?” Betsy asks in a startled tone.



Addy’s green eyes narrow as she pouts. “I learned it from that calendar you gave me; the one where it teaches me a new word every day? Pensive came up a few weeks ago and you match the definition it gave.” Her eyes soften as she gazes into her sister's face. “Talk to me, Bets.”



Heaving a sigh, Betsy turns her head away from Addy to avoid her eyes. “There’s nothing to talk about, everything is fine.”



“I don’t believe that for a second.” Addy snaps. “You haven’t been acting like yourself lately, everyone has noticed whether you thought so or not. So go ahead and spill sis; what’s going on with you?”



“I... Don’t know. And that’s the part that scares me the most.” Another sigh and Betsy finally turned to face Addy fully. “I can feel something inside of me, something evil that’s spreading like a disease. I don’t know how to stop it and I can feel it changing me... Everything about me. It’s a poison that’s eating away at everything good and allowing my rage to take the reins.”



“Does this have anything to do with what you’ve discovered about yourself lately?” Addy asks carefully, surprising Betsy to her core. It was the first time Adelaide had ever questioned that part of Betsy’s heritage.



”I don’t think so... there's always been chaotic energy inside of me, but this is much darker than that. Something that, if I fail to fight off before takes a firm grasp of my soul, will unleash the worst parts of myself to the world.” Neither woman has noticed James, who’d quietly come out from his phone call and was listening intently.



“You’re the strongest person I know besides Papa and Stephen; if anyone can fight off their demons, it’s you.” Addy’s voice is strong with her conviction, causing Betsy to smile gently.



The name of Addy’s lover causes Betsy’s eyes to narrow, but she keeps her comments to herself. ”It gets harder every day and I’m exhausted. I know this is causing even more tension between James and I, and there’s been enough of that lately. He doesn’t seem to realize that he’s the one thing I couldn’t stand to lose in all this.”



“I looked Death in the eye to bring you back to me... I’m the last thing in your life that you’ll lose.” James says, finally announcing his presence to the women.



Both jump in surprise, Addy letting out a little breathless shriek while Betsy shakes her head and saunters over to him. ”How long were you standing there listening.”



“Long enough to know that I have to remind you again that it’s going to be you and me, for as long as you want it that way,” James says sternly, taking her into his arms.



They lean in for a kiss, but a loud voice from the porch breaks them up before their lips can touch. “You have this whole house to do that stuff, knock it off!”



James and Betsy grin at one another before turning to greet the arriving Shawn Warstein and Kasey Winterborn. They were exiting from Excellence after Betsy had sent the ship to collect them for the eclipse party. Kasey smiled and closed the gap to hug Betsy while Shawn pulled his hoodie over his head, a surly expression on his face.



”So glad you guys could make it!” Betsy says happily, moving past Kasey to give Shawn a one-sided hug.



“Well, when Excellence materialized around us out of nowhere, we felt obligated to show up at that point.” Kasey quips playfully. “If you wanted our company that badly, all you had to do was ask. You know I can convince him to come along, no matter how much he says otherwise.”



Shawn looks between the two women before shaking his head and wrapping an arm around Kasey’s waist to steer her away. Watching as they greet Adelaide warmly, Betsy drinks in the view of the people she loved most in the world. On the outside, everything seemed the perfect picture of bliss, a family of successful folks ready to take over the world.



If only they knew what was coming.



****



”Well, well, would ya lookie here; Charlie Nickels manages to stumble his way through the tournament to get exactly what he wanted. He’s made it no secret over the last few weeks that Betsy Granger is the target his beady little eyes have been locked on. This match was never going to be about the TV Title, although I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt his feelings to walk out with that either.



At the end of the day, however, Charlie’s goal seems to be to maim and destroy Betsy Granger.



Go ahead and give it your best shot you chunky cunt.”



The leering face of Betsy Granger appears to hover in the air, suspended in place before the lens of the camera. Baring her teeth, her voice comes out in a hiss.



”As I come upon one year in the XWF, I allowed myself to reflect on where I started versus where I stand now. And while the run hasn’t been a total disappointment, there were plenty of stumbles along the way. One of them is a loss I was forced to eat, and that was against you and that idiot Jim Jenson, or whatever the fuck his name was.



I think I’ll be taking back that loss, along with the good ten months of interest accrued with it.



Weakness is no longer an option if I’m to achieve everything I’ve put my heart into. Not only have I begun to cut it out of myself, I see now that it is my mission to prune this world of its evolutionary mishaps. That’s where you come into my story, Charlie; I couldn’t think of a better example for my crusade than you. An ass-backward troglodyte who’d fall to his knees before Donald Trump wearing MAGA lingerie and his mouth wide open.



The biggest disappointment of 2021 was the loser who took a shot at you and couldn’t even make it count.”



A light begins to shine from the ground, casting an eerie green glow from beneath her feet. Now the camera can pick up the ripped, dirty white dress she’s wearing, along with the knotted disaster that her golden hair had become. Her skin is ghostly white, her lips a hideous shade of blue against her pale face.



”To whoever fired at Charlie Nickels, your biggest mistake was being too much of a pussy to let him see your face. Step out of the shadows with a smile as you aim dead between his eyes; but what else can I expect when I’m surrounded by the most cowardly and inadequate specimens the Y chromosome had to offer? Every time I step through the doors of the XWF, my poor nose is invaded unwillingly by the putrid stench of males who cling desperately to patriarchy.



And you, Charlie Nickles, reek of it the worst.



Long gone from the halls is the sweet aroma of success from legends like Beloved and Brother Mine. The stink of mediocrity has long since seeped into the walls, clinging forever in the air around us.



I do believe it’s time for some changes; this place is in severe need of a woman's touch.



Her dark eyes lighten up for a moment as her head tips in wonder.



”I must concede that not every male in the XWF is afflicted with a bad case of misogyny. Alias has always treated me as an equal, even when he was determined to tear my head from my shoulders. How unfortunate that he’s forced to taste the wrath of Lycana for the biggest prize the XWF.



There’s also Peter Vaughn, with who I’ve recently had the pleasure to become more acquainted. In a world of puny little boys, there are men who shine like the very stars I travel. He is of an advanced state of mind that allows him to recognize a valuable ally when presented before him.



To the rest of the puny boys who would toss me out of the ring and back into the kitchen... Or to the brotherhoods that only kept me around while James and-or Shawn came with the package...



Go fuck yourselves.”



She winks into the camera and blows it a kiss, an icy smile spreading across her face.



”I hope you’ve been watching me closely Charlie, and I don’t just mean on our home turf. Even before I stepped beyond the doors of the XWF, I had multiple companies knocking down my door with contracts in hand. My name was a popular brand before I ever truly proved my worth; in one year, The Impossible Traveler became the rising star every company wanted to snatch up.



And what have you managed to accomplish in that same span of time, Chaaaaaaaaarlieeeee?



I remember how you couldn’t make it past good ol’ Doc in the March Madness finals. I also remember how you went down in War Games and watched as the best members of your team moved on only to get burned in the finals. Now I’d be remiss if I didn’t admit to my own shortcomings in both events; hell, I’m only just pulling myself out of this strange little slump I’ve been in. But I still, and will always, look fondly back at March Madness; I may not have won the tournament, but I will always maintain that I won the night.



The smile fades as she loses herself in her thoughts for a moment.



”To go back and answer my own question, you’ve done nothing, Charlie, also-fuckin'-lutely nothing of note because that is exactly what you’ve allowed yourself to become. I remember when I walked through the doors for the very first time and you were one of the boys to beat. What the fuck happened since then? I may have failed back then, but I won’t be making the same mistakes twice. We won’t have the distraction of tag partners this time around; this time, we get fifteen minutes to tear each other apart. I underestimated you last time, attempted to appeal to your humanity, and inspire a spark of empathy from you.



What a laughably naïve child's quest.”



A sneer crosses her lips as green eyes darken into obsidian.



”I plan to use every second of that fifteen minutes to make you hurt for every word you’ve ever uttered. I hope you like it rough because Mistress Betsy is coming in to punish you for every sin you’ve ever committed. If you thought you were coming in to face the same, sweet, lovely little Betsy Granger you took down with ease the last time we fought, then you haven’t been watching. Would you truly look down your nose at me again after all this time, after everything I’ve done?



Of course, you would, because men like you don’t change. Stubborn, stupid, full of puss, piss, and bullshit, spouting off hate-fueled nonsense that only makes you look like a blithering idiot. You’ve already had your opportunity to taint the reputation of this title by having your name attached to it. You, like so many others, are unworthy of holding this, or any other accessories that would mark you as anything other than subpar. Now that this belt is in my competent hands, I can take my time to take to clean the stains left behind by the champions before me and bring back the shine to this division. Let's face it, this face and body were made for television and Betsy Granger is a guaranteed rating grabber.



I’ve got so many ideas on what to do with you in that fifteen-minute span, Chaaaaaaaarlie. Maybe I’ll kick that ugly, empty head off your shoulders all the way to Candy Mountain. Perhaps I’ll reopen the bullet wound and fillet you like a fish from the entry point. I’d love to take your manhood as a trophy, but you’ve loudly and proudly made it clear that you are a dickless blunder. It may not seem like much to someone watching, but you know as well as I do...



Depending on what’s going on in that ring, fifteen minutes can feel like an eternity. And when I’m finished with you, you’ll be begging for me to put you out of your misery.”



Betsy spits on the ground in front of the camera before turning her back on it. Lifting her hands in the air, she calls out a single word in Latin; moments later, she’s consumed by the green light and disappears. The camera cuts out as the crew begins to pack up in a hurry...



****



As the mostly full moon continued to fade into a deep red hue, Betsy watches feeling the dark entity inside her clawing its way towards her heart. A shiver passes through her that has nothing to do with the chilly morning air. Sprawled around her on thick blankets were James, Shawn, Kasey, and Addy, all of them quietly staring up at the stars with her. Suddenly she was glad that she’d allowed herself to be convinced to stay on Earth for the show; this was a moment she would carry in her heart, locked tightly away like a beacon of hope.



”Why fight this, Betsy? Give in to my will and I will make you more powerful than you could possibly imagine.”



She squeezes her eyes shut in a futile attempt to make the voice go away. Reaching out her hand, she finds James’ hand and their fingers entwine tightly. His thumb begins to caress the back of her hand, causing a momentary flush of warmth to spread through her.



”You can keep them all, Impossible Child; submit to my will and together, we will make them see the power they could possess by standing by our side.



Squeezing James’ hand tightly, Betsy shakes her head as she feels hot tears threatening to escape. When she opens her eyes again, she’s staring up at a full, October moon from a shallow, freshly dug grave. Her white gown is covered in mud and blood, her hair a bouquet of soil and leaves. A loud sob leaves her as she scrambles out of the hole, crawling away desperately. Backing herself against one of the gravestones surrounding her, she brings her knees to her chest and looks around desperately.



”You will never escape this place until you fulfill your destiny, Betsy Granger. When you finally accept in your heart that you belong to me, you will finally revel in true freedom.”



”NO” She screams, turning on her bare feet as she feels a heavy presence threatening to blanket over her.



Her eyes meet a set of terrible, glowing red orbs as she completes her spin, causing a genuine scream of terror to leave her. A malevolent smile lights up his dark face as he leans towards her, a long tongue flicking out to lick her along her face. Revulsion fills her as she trembles in his grasp, his nauseating breath blowing hotly in her face. “You taste of sunshine and strawberries.” He tells her in a husky tone.



Before she can stop him, he pushes her roughly, both of them landing in the shallow grave. Quick as a flash, he is on top of her, pinning her down easily with his enormous body, gazing down at hers hungrily. He overpowers her easily, forcing her legs apart with his, one giant clawed hand keeping both her fragile wrists locked tightly. With his free hand, he slides a claw down her body, ripping the dress clean in half. It slides away, leaving her naked and vulnerable before him. She fights him further, bucking as much as she can, but to no avail. With a groan of desire, the creature moves to take from her what he wanted. Her eyes close tightly as tears streak her cheeks, bracing herself for the excruciating pain she knew she was about to endure...



“BETSY!”



Loud, worried voices penetrate the fog and with a scream, Betsy leaps to her feet, ready to fight anyone that came near her. Looking around blindly, she can only make out shadows in the darkness; overhead, the moon had disappeared into a sea of red.



“Betsy, it’s us!” A calm, female voice calls to her.



As her eyes adjust to reality, her heart pounds in relief as she realizes she’s safe among her family. James held her tightly in his arms, while Shawn hovered over them both. Kasey and Addy stood together, looking on in concern and confusion. Sobbing uncontrollably, Betsy clings to James tightly, burying her head in his shoulder. Her words, though muffled from his thick winter jacket, were as clear as crystal. And they hung heavy in the air even after she’d spoken them.



“Help me.”

FORMER