A crowd begins to gather around the long-closed doors of broadway; A hand-chosen crowd made up of family, friends, and fellow roster members from various feds, invited to the show opening. Their wait in the frigid temperatures is blessedly short; a short while after the bulk of the invited guests arrive, the doors swing open. The welcoming warmth hits them one by one as they march inside and begin to fill out the theater chairs. A full orchestra warms up in the pit as the stage crew scurries around making last-minute preparations. Theater attendants dressed like penguins guide people to their chairs and take snack and beverage orders. Programs are handed out as everyone settles in.

After thirty minutes, the lights blink three times in succession, heralding the start of the show. The doors close firmly shut as the lights dim and the orchestra begins to play a cheerful opening overture.

Act One, Scene One

The stage lights flick on, flooding the entire area in blinding light. The stage is set to look like the outside of a sports venue. A sign that advertised that night’s XWF show was hung high above the doors. A chorus line of twenty men and women stream from both sides of the stage, humming to the tune of the orchestra. One of the female cast members dances to center stage and begins to sing.

“Welcome family, friends, and peers, to the show that never ends,
We’re sure you may have noticed that our guest list has a trend,
We’re ever so pleased to see that everyone could attend,
And now into this thrilling tale will we all ascend!”

The chorus line dances around the original singer, humming out the tune of the song as she sang. When they part again, a male has taken the center.

“Midnight shadows begin to spread, looming over the land,
More and more desperate fools seek to raise their Left Hand,
A few brave souls draw a line in the sand,
But it’s only when hatred dies can they finally make their stand,”

The chorus line crowds around the male again; when they part entire chorus line arranges themselves neatly and begins to dance in unison. Their voices harmonize beautifully as they echo off the walls.

“Hurry, hurry, hurry up, don’t be late!
It’s wrestling night and I’ve got a date
With XWF, isn’t that great?
I’m rocking all my swag and a front-row seat,
I’ll even be on camera, isn’t that neat?
OMG, I’m gonna be so close to the stars,
Close enough to count all of their scars!
Riding on my glory, high off my bliss
Is there anything better than this?”

Suddenly, the doors to the venue open and the dancers go pouring inside. The stage adjusts itself so that the inside of the arena can be seen. A wrestling ring appears from underneath the stage, surrounded by enough chairs to accommodate the chorus line. Each one grabs their chair and begins an elaborate dance number. As the song fades gently, the dancers sit in various poses in their chairs. A smattering of polite applause sounds as the lights dim softly and the curtain drops.

Act One, Scene Two

After a few moments, it lifts again. Betsy Granger is on stage now, surrounded by the members of Legacy. They appear to be in what is set up to look like a dojo.

“What the fuck is a Bearded War Pig?” Shawn Warstein roars as he stares at a computer screen.

“Probably the same thing as a Storyteller.” Noah Jackson declares.

They had gathered as a group to watch the second round of the March Madness drawings. Betsy herself had done the first round, and now the questions that had been burning the two men were being flung in her direction. With a shrug, Betsy keeps her emerald eyes glued on the computer anxiously as she replies.

“Bearded War Pig is a piece of human waste that would have sucked Hitler’s dick if given the opportunity. He’s vile and belongs with this fellow cavemen; I’m quite looking forward to you destroying him, to be honest. As for the Storyteller… I must admit that I’m not too familiar. However, I don’t believe him to be anything you can’t handle.”

“Then what has you so uptight, Dove?” Atara asks of her partner softly.

Betsy sighs, finally tearing her eyes away from the screen to meet Atara’s gaze. “They put us in this bracket together, I don’t like that. It’s been bugging me ever since I did the first-round picks. But I look at the rest of the list and there are a few on here that just call to me. Doc D’Ville, for certain, has an allure that makes me want to get closer and explore. I’d love to let that man play with some of the cowboys I’ve got going on up here. Marf is… obvious. Things didn’t go exactly as planned with Lycana…”

She stops herself dramatically as she recalls the triple threat and Lycana’s behavior. The softly whispered words rang through her head once again like a bullhorn. Closing her eyes, she balls her fist up tightly and slams it down onto the table. Opening her eyes, she looks determined.

“Redemption over Demos would be satisfying, a feeling I know you share. Getting to kick Jenny Myst or Geri Vayden around again could be fun, but… I’ve already done that. And have to do it again… It’s like an endless cycle with those two. Then there’s Terry Mother Fluffin’ Borden... “ She snickers. “That’d be fun, I’m not going to lie. That old geezer has more spunk in him than half the guys my age.”

She’s interrupted when an alert from the computer lets them know that the second half of the drawings had been posted. She lets out a breathless chuckle when her name is drawn first.

“Cool, it’s like they knew I have no patience left.”

The next few seconds tick painfully slow at Centurion digs around the hat for the next name. When he pulls it out and calls out the name, Betsy’s face breaks out into a wicked grin.

“Marf.”

All the lights flicker out, save for a spotlight on Legacy. They all freeze in their positions as the orchestra begins into a merry tune. Betsy rises from the chair and begins a well-rehearsed routine.

“Hark, hark!
As fate has willed it, I am to face Marf
Marf!
You dirty, no-good, Left Hand heathen
You’ve all the intelligence of a cretin,
To Baphomet you went a’seekin’,
And allowed his darkness to seep in,
Straight into the void you went a’creepin’,
And now I’ve got a funny feelin’
Our storied plot is about to deepen”

The lights go out on Legacy now as Betsy walks across the stage. When they flood back on again, she’s alone. She continues the routine unbothered.

“Who knew the stars could be so kind,
Indeed, most helpfully inclined,
So impossibly aligned,
When I’m focused, amped, and primed,
For the mountain, I must climb,
To put the Left Hand far behind,
And take back my peace of mind,
It’s so perfect, it’s divine”

As she sings, two figures enter from stage right. One of them is the man the show is named for, Marf. The other is his mysterious, dark tag team partner, Lycana. They take center stage and stay there as Betsy dances around them.

“Always together, the perfect team,
Heads together with wicked schemes,
Indulging each other in decadent dreams,
Depraved in all its violent themes,
Loyal to the Left Hand in the extreme,
Everything and nothing are what they seem,
This war has only just begun,
The battles I wage I will overcome,
I’ll take out their numbers, one by one,
To the Left Hand I will never succumb.”

The lights go out as the curtain drops.

Act One, Scene Three

Another round of polite applause for a moment, then the curtain rises. Now the scene is in a dark, shadowy room where Lycana and Marf sit across from each other at a small table. Lycana smiles over at her companion as she begins to speak.

“It seems you get to finish what I started… You’ve been drawn to face our Betsy Boo in the first round of March Madness.”

A malicious smile breaks out across the face of Marf. “How very kind of them.”

A peel of evil laughter erupts from both of them as they leap up from their chairs. The band kicks in with a fiery number, full of seduction and darkness. Falling into each other’s arms, they begin a beautifully violent Paso Doble across the stage as they take turns singing.

“Oh, Betsy, dear
Be a doll and do lend us an ear
We’ve much to say that we want you to hear
We’ll only say it once, so let us make it clear
We know that everyone thinks we’re queer,
It matters not, for all your times are near,
If a gaze into the future you wish to peer,
Just watch what we do to Betsy Dear.

Oh, Betsy, my sweet,
Our story is far from complete,
At long last, you and I have the chance to meet,
Face to face when we finally compete,
Are you ready to face the heat,
Of the hellfire, I’ll rain down at your feet,
To crush your bones will be such a treat,
Oh, Betsy, my sweet.”

Pulling apart, they each grab up a chair as the orchestra falls into a familiar children’s tune; they begin a routine with them as they sing playfully in unison.

“Betsy is a little lamb,
She fell victim to the scam,
Of the light that is a sham,
She’ll fall just like the rest.”

The bizarre interlude ends as the spicy number starts up again from the orchestra. Discarding their chairs, Lycana and Marf begin a passionate number across the stage. It imitates perfectly the violent nature of their bond while hinting at something deeper, not yet acknowledged. They sing to each other as the dance grows more primal.

“Revel we do in our fiendish deeds,
Watching with glee as our enemies bleed,
Spreading the word that He has decreed,
Converting more to our wicked breed,
If you remain against us, take heed
Our number grow with break-neck speed,
Through his dark glory, may your soul be freed.”

The number ends as Marf dips Lycana into an intimate dip. The band grows quieter as they stare intensely into each other’s eyes. The curtain begins to drop again as the lights dim.

Act One, Scene Four

The curtain lifts and we see Betsy Granger alone with her man, James Raven. A choice portion of the audience cheers loudly. The two are in the Dojo, training for Betsy’s upcoming match.

“Are you sure you won’t take a break yet? You’ve been at this for hours.” James’ voice is full of concern as he once again attempts to talk his lady into taking a break.

Betsy continues to jab and kick at the sparring dummy James stands behind. “I have to be ready, James. I’ve already given this group too much rent-free space inside of my head. It’s time to start collecting with some heavy interest.”

Her breath is ragged and shallow; sweat drips from every inch of her. Head to toe, she is bright red from exertion, but her green eyes are wild. Her lips are pulled back in a sneer of determination as she continues to take out everything on the dummy in front of her. Deciding he’d relented too many times before, James decides to take action. Moving around from the back of the dummy, he casually works his way around his girlfriend. Waiting for his moment, he pounces and tackles her to the floor. Caught off guard, she isn’t able to fight him off when he easily overtakes her and pins her gently against the floormats.

“Come on, James, don’t do this.” Betsy attempts to wriggle out from under him, but he continues to easily hold her down.

“Not until you promise to sit down and take a breather with me. You’ve been at this nonstop for hours… It’s okay to rest.”

She narrows her eyes up at him, attempting one last half-hearted escape. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she rolls her eyes and nods her agreement. Taking what he can get, James gets off of her and pulls her up into a sitting position. He gets up and offers her his hand, but she turns her head away, clearly not finished pouting. Trying not to let her see the grin that crosses his face, he turns away and fetches them both a bottle of water. Plopping back down across from her, he rolls her one gently. It hits the top of her sneaker, but she doesn’t move right away. Waiting patiently, James begins to drink from his own water bottle. Finally, she turns slightly towards him and snatches up the bottle. Glaring, she opens it up and makes sure to stare him in the eyes as she drinks. Unphased, James beams brightly at her.

“That’s much better. It’s all I’m asking of you, Bets. Take a break and stay hydrated.”

The fight leaves her eyes as she sighs heavily and slumps over. James scoots over to her and lifts her back up and into his arms. When she tries to look away, he turns her face towards his gently.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just strange to me… I’ve wanted this for so long. To compete in the ring, to be admired. My dream was to build a legacy no one could topple.”

“And so far, you’re well on track to doing just that,” James says, his voice betraying his confusion.

“Exactly. I came here looking for a challenge, and I keep getting met with bullshit. The achievements I have are remarkable because of the stupidity I had to jump through to get them. There’s been no actual challenge, save for thinking up new ways to outwit the witless. Sure, they put up a fight in the ring, but my record is clear... I see no reason why that’s going to change now.” She looks up at James, her green eyes were tragic. “I used to love this business with every inch of my being. I still do, but it’s been tainted. I’ve seen behind the curtain, and nothing I’d heard compares to what I’ve actually seen. I’m afraid the allure is going to fade out quicker than I’d expected…” Her eyes fill with shadows as she stares at him. “Sometimes I feel like I’m going to push away my friends, my family… even lose you, to get reach that brass ring so quickly. Tell me the truth… Do you resent me for my ambition yet?”

“Betsy…” James chuckles as he cups her cheek. The orchestra begins to play a light, lovely melody.

“There was a time, not too long ago,
And I’m sure that you’ll concur,
I was forever on the road, show after show,
My life was an endless blur,
Too many times, I thought I would quit,
Thought that the world had forgotten me,
Then I met this impossible girl who let it slip,
That I’d always be her main marquee.”

As he’d sung, James had gotten to his feet, bringing a mesmerized Betsy up with him. He danced her around the room as he continued to sing to her.

“Let’s fly, let’s flee, let’s run away,
Any time, any place, any day,
Our future is ours to shape our way,
We’re better together, no matter what they say
I’m still amazed at how this feels,
That a love like this is truly real,
The day I met you, my fate was sealed,
So let’s fly away, today.”

He dips her and leans in for a kiss, but she pushes him back playfully as she begins to sing back.

“Once upon a time, in this story of mine,
My life was a whirlpool,
Always searching for the signs,
Missing them like a fool,
Then you appeared in my arms,
Like a magical mystery man,
You landed straight in my heart,
And in an instant, love began,”

As the dance becomes more intense and complex, they stare into each other’s eyes, faces filled with their love for one another as they sing together.

“Let’s fly, let’s flee, let’s run away,
Any time, any place, any day,
Our future is ours to shape our way,
We’re better together, no matter what they say
I’m still amazed at how this feels,
That a love like this is truly real,
The day I met you, my fate was sealed,
So let’s walk, let’s run, let’s fly away.”

As the song winds to a soft close, the pair slow their dancing and come together. They draw out the final note for an impressive length of time before both their voices trail off. They lean into one another and share a passionate kiss as the lights dim and the curtain falls. An ovation sounds over the theater as the main lights flicker on, signaling intermission. As the patrons fan out, there is a mad dash towards the bathrooms. Others opt to stretch their legs and discuss the performances thus far. Meanwhile, the cast groups together backstage for a quick pep talk, amping themselves up for the final acts. Betsy applauds everyone for their performances thus far, promising them that they were sure to be a hit with the critics. After thirty minutes, the lights flicker, indicating that intermission would be over shortly. The theater-goers herd back to their seats, anxiously anticipating what was to come in Act Two…

(To Be Continued)

FORMER