Chapter 003: You need to be the phoenix.

Anchorage, AK

YOU NEED TO BE THE PHOENIX

The solstice had started; the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere was upon, and the kids had been rewarded with a trip to one of their favorite getaways: the Alyeska resort. It was a one to two hour drive south of Anchorage, famous for its hiking trails, and ski trails. The parents had opted to reserve their own room, and rented out the room beside them for the children to stay in; it was easier than trying to come up with bed arrangements, and nobody would have to sleep on the floor this way.

Tara was inside of her room and peering out the window to see the gentle snowfall creating layer upon layer of snow blanketing the ground; the snow had been deep enough, and packed enough that anybody that enjoyed the winter sporting events would safely be able to ski or snowboard on the slope. There was a stillness that Tara felt as she watched the snow float down; a certain calmness that she felt every year, every time, there was a gentle snowfall, but that calmness was soon disturbed by Liliana fumbling into her snowpants and pulling the straps up over her long-sleeved shirt that was a bit thicker; it was more of a sweater than a shirt. She hopped a few times to get the end of the pants over her ankles. The commotion had caused Tara to turn her attention over to her, and the moment the two sisters made eye contact, with a grin, Liliana began.

“Let’s hit the slopes for a few runs.” Liliana said.

Tara was hesitant in answering, “It’s pretty dark. We could hit a tree, or something.”

“You’re telling me that you’re not going to see a fucking tree?” Liliana asked with a sass to her voice, and rolled her eyes, “Come on!” She insisted.

“Fine…” Tara finally replied, but not without a grumble. She didn’t take long to get ready, wearing much of the same attire as Liliana. The exception was the coloring. Liliana was more of a neon green double-lining on a black jacket, while Tara opted to wear a bold light blue line over the same black jacket. Both of them wore the same brand: Columbia. Their brother, Saul, had also opted to join them but he had some other friends that were also at the resort for the weekend that he wanted to meet up with. After getting dressed with everything, Tara, Saul, and Liliana tucked their respective snowboards under their arms and tried to tiptoe down the hallway without raising any attention to their parents that they were heading out. It would surely spell trouble if they had been caught going out without notifying them.

The resort had opened up to the ski lift at one section; the enclosed one had been shut down for the evening, so they only had the open lift. Each seat would comfortably sit three people, but Saul preferred to ride on his own and that left the sisters to their own… Tara pulled her hood up to protect her face as they were open to the windchill, and soon Tara would find out why Lilian had insisted that they go.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” Liliana asked.

Tara gave her a cold glare with pursed lips; the same look that would follow her throughout her life where people would usually know better than to continue down that path, but Liliana was not ordinary to her. She did not care about that look.

“I’m only asking because I think it’s important that you get that shit off your chest. It’s going to eat you up if you don’t talk about it, and I know you don’t want to share it; I won’t tell anyone… But you need to say it.” Liliana persisted. “So tell me…”

“I don’t want to talk about it…” Tara answered in a low tone. She couldn’t help but look over her shoulder to see the ski lift behind them and see if Saul could hear them, but he was bobbing his head to the beat of whatever music he was listening to.

Liliana would not take her eyes off of Tara, and in a stern tone, repeated, “Tell me.”

“No.”

“Tell me.”

“No!”

“Tell me.”

Each time that Liliana repeated those two words, Tara seemed to boil a little more over. There were tears starting to form in her eyes as that night still haunted her, and she sneered at the mere thought of it; the anger and the hatred she felt each time she thought about it. It had been nearly four months since the incident. Tara knew that Liliana had taken care of the problem; she saw the boys flinch in the hallway every time Liliana walked by them, and they stopped making eye contact with Tara… She saw the bruises that looked like they had come out of a car wreck. They deserved it for what they did to her.

“They’re never going to touch you again, Tara. I promise you that. Just say it… I don’t want this to eat you up inside. I don’t want this to break you. Please, say it.” Liliana continued and this time seemed to almost be pleading with Tara.

“Fine!” Tara blurted out, “They fucking raped me! They took EVERYTHING from me, and they LAUGHED about it like it was some sick fucking game! They left me there! And-- fucking-- I know what you did to them Liliana,” Tara said and turned her head toward her, and saw Liliana tilt her head to the side. The wind had made it difficult for anyone beyond Liliana to hear her, or at least hear her clearly, and Tara continued her rant, “And good! Fucking great! They deserve that AND MORE! It pisses me off what they did. I didn't ask for that! I didn't want that! I didn’t do anything to deserve that.”

Liliana wrapped an arm around Tara and pulled her close; Tara had some stifled sobs with tears nearly freezing to her cheek. If it wasn’t for the heat that built up from her anger, it may have done just that.

“Shit’s going to happen in your life… Please don’t let it break you. You have to get back up. You have to survive. You were helping me with my recent project about the-- the--” Liliana stuttered. Tara had practically done the essay for her, which didn’t bother her in the least. She enjoyed the busy work.

“The phoenix…” Tara was able to mutter.

“Yeah! And they’re like… reborn, right? Like right out of their ashes, they just rise back up and go on living. Tara--” Liliana said, and she couldn’t stop herself from chuckling as she knew how corny it sounded, “--you need to be the fucking phoenix.”

Tara breathed rhythmically; a practice that she had learned from martial arts classes as well as yoga, trying to calm herself back down. The phoenix was fresh on her mind and the mental imaging had entered her mind of the flames coming out of its nest ready to rise. The bird had connected with her; she just wouldn’t know how well it connected with her until years later.

---

The first glimpse of Tara is showing her sitting on a rubber mat on the floor, committing to stretching herself out in preparation for her upcoming match; she was bent all the way forward with her legs in a full split, and her arms had held onto one leg with her forehead pressed against her knee. The Sharpshooter that Mark applied to her did its damage, but Tara found the stretch to quickly alleviate the pain within twenty-four hours; luckily there was no serious damage done. As Tara sat up, there was a smile visible on her face; she knew that she had won one of the most important matches in Project: Honor. She had gained a momentous victory over Mark Hunter in Wrigley Field. It had been a long time since Tara needed, or at least, accepted assistance in leaving the ring. There were times that she had been covered from head to toe in either her blood, or her opponent’s blood, but she still managed to walk out without allowing the medical staff to do their job. Tara switched sides and repeated the stretch.

“It was a great match, Mark…” Tara said, and grunted as she stretched her body forward, “You didn’t disappoint. You didn’t fail your hype. Both of us--” Tara sat back up, and straightened her back into a proper posture, and her leg still stretched out, “--went out there and gave it our all. I would be lying to you if I didn’t think that you had me when that Sharpshooter was locked in, and in such a way that I--” she shook her head, “--really didn’t think that I was going to make it out.” The doubt had set in, and she knew that she would be foolish to deny it now, but with a poised expression, she cocks her head to one side, “But I persevered. A little worse for wear, but I wasn’t going to tap out. I wasn’t going to throw in the towel. I persevered, and I was able to capitalize on the biggest moment of my career in Project: Honor; I walked out with a victory over Mark Hunter. It’s something we’re going to have to do another time down the road, but for now… I look at that victory, and I cannot help but think that Indy was sitting in the back paying close attention to that match and was just waiting to decide that whoever walked out as the winner would walk into the Round Robin tournament. Now, there is an opportunity ahead of me.”

Tara adjusted on the floor, and sat cross-legged. There was a smile on her face from the opportunity that had been presented to her. She cocks her head to the side, “One door closes, and another opens.” She said, and chuckled.

“Indy Darling stated that the winner of this Round Robin tournament would be able to choose one of the Proving Ground belts to fight for. The door for the Warrior Rising Championship closed, but another opportunity arose when I defeated Mark Hunter and was put into this tournament. The opportunity, the door, opens for me to be able to walk out and battle for another championship-- or the championship that was taken from me. Three choices--” Tara said while she raised a hand to shoulder-level with three fingers extended, “--three people. Three titles. You have my personal favorite: MYOJIN. The X-Factor Champion. A close, and dear friend, who--” Tara let out a snorted laughter, “--we all know that MYO and I are going to face each other at the Tara Fenix Charity Cruise and we are going to start off the event, and my birthday, in the greatest fashion, ever! And make no mistake about it, whoever would walk out of that event with their arm raised as the winner would have a distinct advantage… should I choose MYO. But…” Tara shook her head, “I’m not going to choose MYO.”

One finger was withdrawn.

“You have the Warrior Rising Champion in Lil’ Petey,” she said rather dejectedly with a sneer, “There is a part of me that would absolutely love to win this tournament, and go after him to take back the belt that I didn’t get a proper chance with all because Lil’ Petey somehow-- magically-- managed to pin me. And, let’s be frank here: Petey TAPPED out! I’ve made Petey TAP OUT! And I have zero doubt that I would be able to do that… again… But--” Tara shook her head again, “--I’m not going to choose Lil’ Petey.” And now there was one more left on the countdown, but she did not turn her attention to the final champion just yet, “Enjoy your time as Warrior Rising Champion, Lil’ Petey, and please… for Emmanuelle’s sake… do not disgrace that belt.”

She takes a slight pause, “And then there was one.” A grin came to her face, as if a child had gotten every gift they had asked for on Christmas morning, “Ozymandias. The Grand Champion. The Grand Championship. I am going to tell each and every one of you now, that way there is no surprise… There is no chance that you can say I’m looking for the easy target; I’m actually looking at the HARDEST target! And--” she gives off another snorting laughter, “--I may not even know who my target is. There are four other people that are going to be fighting Ozy for the Grand Championship, so there is no saying whether he will even be able to walk out with the belt.”

Tara leaned in closer to the camera. There was no grin, no smile; just a poised expression to let the viewers know how serious her next statement was.

“But I hope you do.”

That one sentence lingered for a short time, and Tara remained silent for the seconds that followed and licked her lips before finally resuming.

“I hope that you walk out with the Grand Championship, Ozy, because I want to be the one that takes that belt off of you! I wanted to be the one to have walked out with the victory at the rumble and face you at Night of Honor, but it wasn’t meant to be! I want to be the one that you stare at from across the ring… probably with a smirk behind that mask of yours, and thinking to yourself,” she places a finger against her chin, trying to contemplate how Ozy might word it, and puts on her best mocking tone of Ozymandias, “I will break this little bird and this Age of the Phoenix will be nothing more than a cloud of smoke in the eyes of all that are watching! Your fire will be extinguished, little bird, and I, the Butcher of Reine will become the Butcher of the Phoenix.” End the mocking tone.

She folded both hands onto her lap, and her traditional smirk returned, while cocking her head to the side. “That is the reward. To step into the ring with Ozy, and take that belt away from him.” Tara sits still while contemplating the path that she’s on. Who and what she has to go through to ensure that she is able to win the Round Robin tournament and make good on her word to challenge Ozymandias for the Grand Championship.

---

It was one week ago that I lost the Warrior Rising Championship and I’ve already acquired a new championship. The Mainstream World Television Championship. I sat on my jet with Dio beside me, and had the new belt on my lap with a smile on my face… I could feel Dio’s eyes on me, and he shared my joy. I couldn’t stop myself from letting out a light laugh under my breath, and could feel Dio’s body question it, and so I answered without him having to say a word.

“I was just thinking how funny it is that the week I get Edward back, I get to see him with a belt around my waist; the week that he goes back to his dad, I lose it; the week that he’s mine again, I have a new belt.” That was all that I was thinking about, but I could feel a sudden energy come across Dio while we sat there… I did look up at him, questioning his reaction, and he still shot a grin at me but I could see it starting to fade. “What’s wrong?” I finally asked.

“It’s nothing.” He tried to dismiss it.

“It’s something.” I countered.

Dio sighed at me, but still had a look of content on his face as I could hear him stumbling to find the right way to tell me something, and the words seemed to fumble for a moment before he brought them out, “You can drop me off in Oregon, if you want. I know you want to spend time with your son, and you don’t need me imposing--” My mind suddenly drew a blank. I could see his lips moving, but my mind was focused on that one word. Imposing.

He was mid-explanation when I couldn’t stop myself from blurting out, “You’re not imposing, Dio.” With his mouth still open, he suddenly stopped talking, and just listened, “Dean has been talking with me, and he says that Eddy has been talking about you. He is saying how he can’t wait for this week to be able to hang out with you again because he said how much fun he had with you. I want you there. He wants you there. You’re not imposing on us.” I did my best to explain it to him, and I could see the smile creep on his face, and dare I say… he was blushing. I toyed with the idea of calling him out on the blushing, but opted not to tease him, “I would be insulted if you didn’t come.”

“I wouldn’t want to insult my Baby Blue.” He answered back with a sly smile, and I felt his arm wrap around me and pull me closer, but just as he did, my pilot finally announced that we were cleared for take-off.

I slept for most of the ride, and was only stirred awake when the wheels hit the runway. It had jolted me awake, and I looked up to see that Jason was already awake… Had he even slept? I reached a hand up and rubbed my eyes for a moment, “You let me sleep too long.” I said with a hint of disappointment.

“You needed it. It’s fine.” He insisted. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. I was going to see my son.

---

“This is not going to be an easy task…” Tara continued while she considered the other three people that were entered into this tournament. “Emmanuelle, who gained my respect at Night of Honor. The greatest Warrior Rising Champion that Project: Honor has seen! She elevated that belt to new heights, and I know that when the time comes for us to step into the ring… she… is not going to make it easy. But if you all know me, you know that I don’t stray away from any challenge. You know that I welcome each and every challenge. That is why I knew that Emmanuelle and I would, one day, be sharing the same ring with each other! That is why I knew that, one day, Emmanuelle and I would have another chance to leave everything inside of the ring and leave not just the fans-- but our peers-- talking, and knowing that they just witnessed one of the greatest spectacles in Project: Honor. Emmanuelle is truly the one person that I am concerned with because she’s not someone that’s going to take a loss and just quietly disappear in shame… It’s yet another thing that I respect about her.”

She takes a brief pause and licks her lips again; her eyes are staring toward the camera, but not directly at it, as if she were looking past it and lost into her own world while she considered what had happened on night one of Night of Honor.

“She didn’t let the loss of her belt take her away from her focus, and with a decisive victory over Brandon Hendrix at the last Proving Ground… she’s in good shape to bounce right back. Because I think back to Night of Honor, I think back to when I defeated Emmanuelle to become the Warrior Rising Champion… I look back at that footage… and the thing that stands out to me is that she was--” Tara pinches her fingers together and holds her hand out toward the camera, “--this close to defeating me.”

She withdrew her hand and folded it back onto her lap. “She couldn’t have expected that I was going to be able to reverse in the fashion that I did and walk out with the victory and the title. She was just one moment away from retaining her belt! And even at the last Proving Ground, it came again… as a shock… I was hurt; I was in trouble. It looked like it was the beginning of the end when I managed to get Mark Hunter into an inside cradle and secure the victory. However, at the end of the night, all that really matters is who is walking out with their arm raised, and my willpower and perseverance has saved me twice. There’s no denying that Emmanuelle is hungry; Emmanuelle is wanting to regain that momentum and elevate herself to the next level of Project: Honor… and this is the chance that she needs.”

It was the opportunity that Tara, too, needed; an opportunity that she did not want to allow to squander.

“The next player in this tournament is none other than the former X-Factor Champion… Lance Williams. Make no mistake about Lance; he’s good. However, I will go on record to tell you that no, I do not believe he earned the X-Factor Championship. I do not believe that he should have been called a champion.” She had a look that wreaked disappointment when she thought of Lance being called the X-Factor Champion. “I do not believe he was, by any definition of the word, a champion. A champion does not want to be given a belt; a champion wants to earn it. But you-- what? You accepted because James Raven decided not to show up? You held it for-- what? Three months? And with how many successful defenses? What sets you apart from everybody else? In three months you had a grand total of--” she put her hand into the shape of a zero, and toward the camera again, “Zero. Nada. Zilch. Then you lost the belt to MYO. Even after you acquired the X-Factor Championship, you should have been riding a wave of momentum… but you lost to Mark Hunter, and couldn’t earn a shot at Elena DeDraca. But you’ll probably talk about how the match would’ve had a different result had you beaten Mark Hunter.”

Tara stopped and her eye contact faltered down for a moment, as she let out a chuckle to herself.

“Let me go ahead and stop tearing you down for a moment… Because this week isn’t about you. But I would like to congratulate you and Astrid on her pregnancy. Just be a better father than you were a champion, alright?” Tara said with a smirk. “Besides myself, there’s one more player on the board… and that is Brandon Hendrix.” The name lingered for a couple seconds while she contemplated her upcoming opponent in the Round Robin tournament.

---

Hartford, CT

12:36 P.M.

It was a beautiful day. I looked out at the playground, and could see Eddy and Dio atop the playground with their phones in their hands… I couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but I think it was safe to assume that Eddy was showing Dio all the new Pokémon that he had caught on the Pokémon GO app; he was proud of the number that he had caught. Every so often I would see Dio look toward me, as if he were trying to ensure nobody was trying to kidnap me. They were only there for four or five minutes when Eddy came running back with Dio behind him.

“Mom!” Edward called out for me. It still warmed my heart to hear him call me… just to hear his voice. “There’s a Snorlax at the next parking lot!” He said.

“Don’t you have a Snorlax?” I asked. But I wasn’t going to tell him no if he wanted another.

“I need a perfect, though!” He insisted.

“Okay, okay! Get in the car, and we’ll pull around to the next stop.” I answered, and Edward had a spring in his step as he bolted toward the car. Dio stopped beside me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, drawing me in close as I let myself stumble and lean against him as we walked toward the car. “I’m glad you came…” I said; my eyes lingered on Edward for a moment to see him standing next to the car and already pulling on the handle. I shifted my attention to Dio. He had a smile on his face.

“I wouldn’t have missed it. Do we have plans for dinner tonight?”

“Whatever your heart desires.” I answered him and couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of my voice. Which probably was not the greatest idea, as he answered…

“In that case…” And he grabbed a handful of ass, causing my eyes to go wide. I should’ve known better, and gave him a playful smack; luckily, the angle prevented Edward from seeing anything.

“Jason Andrew Cashe!” I used his full name for added effect. “Not in the presence of Eddy!” I mumbled through gritted teeth to mock frustration, but Dio answered with a chuckle of his own.

“He didn’t see nothin’.” He insisted. I shook my head at him, but couldn’t keep the smile away as we continued toward the car and off to the next stop as ordered by the one who was truly calling all the shots for the day. Edward.

---

Tara, still in her seated position, dusted herself off and finally got up to her feet. She remained silent for a couple of seconds while the mental images and videos played in her head; she could remember the success that Brandon Hendrix had at Night of Honor over Scott Oasis; how that momentum quickly shifted when he passed out against Emmanuelle… but she couldn’t take too much away from him. The fact remained that he did not tap out. It showed his toughness, his resilience, but it did not erase that he lost.

“Brandon Hendrix… Some might say that out of the four of us in this tournament, you’re probably the biggest underdog. I would like to say, first and foremost, thank you for signing up for the Tara Fenix Charity Cruise event; I know that you and Savannah are going to put on one hell of a match and bring pride and honor to Project: Honor. But let me tell you, Brandon, I really do hope you bring more of a fight to that cruise ship than you’ve brought to Project: Honor…” Tara shook her head at the camera with the traditional pursed lips that indicated her disappointment, “The biggest underdog. But you are under the delusion that these people come here to see you? You are under the delusion that you are the man? You are under the delusion that you have something big you bring to the company? What topsy turvy world are we living in?” She shrugs her shoulders with a visible look of confusion on her face.

“You are under that strange delusion that people are coming to Proving Ground to see you! To see you conquer! But you’re… how old? Twenty-three? Let me set something straight for you, KID: I have been selling out arenas around the world while you were wetting the bed! While you were still trying to learn your alphabet, I was winning World Championships. While you thought the edge of the world was at the edge of your neighborhood… I’ve circled the globe. These people need only see my name and they will flock to the show! But you, Brandon-- they see your name and they ask: who?” She asked the rhetorical question with another puzzled look, but shifted her demeanor to a friendlier and more confident tone, “I have faith in you, Brandon. I have faith that you are going to one day rise to the level that you want to be at… I’ve heard of your accomplishment over at that new promotion, SCW, just like all the fans know about my past accomplishments outside of Project: Honor. They know that I’ve walked around as the IWF Women’s World Champion; they know that I’m the only woman to ever hold the XHF World Championship before it was retired in 2008! Forever! They know that I’m the current Mainstream World Television Champion, and yeah… you did good… outside of Project: Honor. But what have you done here? Your biggest claim to fame in Project: Honor is losing by submission to Mark Hunter. Like… should I be impressed?” Tara asked and paused for a moment as if to await an answer.

“Don’t get me wrong, Brandon, you went out there each time and you fought with all of your heart, and all of your spirit, and you were this close--” she said with pinched fingers, “--to walk out with your arm raised. But you didn’t quite do it. These people aren’t going to remember how hard you fought, they’re not going to remember how long you held on. They are going to remember who walked out with their arm raised. You’ve been submitted by Mark Hunter, and submitted by Emmanuelle… that’s a club that I would like to join. That’s a club that I feel I need to be a part of! The I forced Brandon Hendrix to submit club! Whether you tapped or passed out, it counts. But I’m looking to send a message for this Round Robin tournament; I am looking to send a message to Emmanuelle… I’m looking to send a message to Lance… I am looking to send a message to you: no matter how tough the fight may be, I can, and I will, make each and every one of you willingly quit. I don’t want to have you pass out, Brandon; I want you to tap out. I want you to know that no matter how hard you fight, no matter how hard you try, you are not going to walk out of Proving Ground as the winner. No matter how hard you fight, no matter how hard you try, you are not going to win this tournament.

No matter how hard you fight…
No matter how hard you try…
You are not going to defeat me.”

Those words came out slow, methodically, in a way that would let it sink into Brandon Hendrix’s head. In a way that she hoped it would sink into Lance and Emmanuelle’s heads as well… It was part of gaining her mental edge, the confidence that bordered cockiness. That smirk on her face grew wider with each second that passed; she licked her lips before resuming her speech.

“Try as hard as you may, Brandon, there is no way that I am going to let you walk out of Proving Ground with your arm raised as the winner. I took the victory over Mark Hunter, and you’re probably going to look at what he started by wearing down my leg which-- to what people know, has been a sore spot for me. But I really do not believe that you’re that smart. I think that rather than going after that weakness, you’re going to attack me with braun strength… But no technique. And that’s going to be your downfall. You’re going to find out, first hand, that…

The Age of the Phoenix is upon us.”

---

My music was still playing to celebrate my victory over Mark Hunter, and despite the overwhelming joy that I was able to walk out with my arm raised as the winner… I had an arm around Mark Hunter’s neck as he was assisting me to the back, and we were sharing a few words with each. “Be honest. How close were you tapping?” I heard him whisper to me as I took a short hop with each step forward; he was trying to assure that no one in the front row would hear our conversation, and I felt a little shame in knowing the answer, but I wasn’t going to lie.

“I was right on the edge.” I answered in the same hushed tone. A few more hops, and we were behind the curtain to the backstage area; they already had a chair waiting for me as well as the medical staff as they rolled my pant leg up and were examining my leg to ensure that there was no fracture. Mark Hunter stood by; he did have a sense of concern to ensure that he didn’t actually hurt me… I felt the strain in my leg, and grunted while they examined. The pride in me did get the best of me as I answered, “It’s just a sprain. I’m going to be fine.” I answered wanting to reject the medical attention, but I knew that it was better for them to do it… Mark had done his homework. At least I felt like he may have done his homework. I tried to keep the nagging leg injury quiet in my years, and after years of being out of the ring, you would think that it had plenty of time to heal… But will it ever?

“I think--” One of the EMTs began talking, still examining my leg, “--I think you’re going to be fine. Just a sprain. You should be able to walk it off in a couple hours.”

“Told you.” I put my best tone into sounding confident; I didn’t want to admit to there being a scare that a muscle may have torn. While I was sitting there, I looked up to see Dio being escorted by security to the back; he was in the profession, but he was not a member of the Project: Honor roster so they had to accompany him to the backstage area.

“Great job, Tara!” Mark said. He waved as a way to greet Dio before leaving down the hallway, and letting Dio and I have a private moment. The EMTs also left the scene after declaring that it was just a minor sprain, and that I would be fine.

“Nice win! Just when he thought he had you, and that crowd was counting you out--” He talked while venturing closer, and closer, and soon his words began fumbling out and I could barely hear him as I had one thing on my mind… and when he got too close, I grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him in to give him a kiss. I smiled at him afterward, as he seemed to be at a loss for words.

“You enjoyed it?”

“Match of the night! Definitely!” Dio answered.

“But there’s still more matches…”

“I don’t care. That was the match of the night, and there’s no way that the rest of the matches tonight can compare.” Dio sounded fully invested in his answer. I shook my head and chuckled under my breath. I couldn’t help but wonder how I got so lucky, but I wouldn’t say it aloud.

“Can you help me up? I should get cleaned up…” I said, and held a hand out for him.

“Should we race?” He asked, but took my hand at the same time. My eyes widened at the question, but I shook my head at him.

“Maybe later, when I have good use of my leg!” I answered back.

“Damn… I thought I may have a chance to win this time.” He said while taking my arm around his shoulder and helping me in the same fashion that Mark had done on our way out of the ring. I couldn’t help but discuss some of the plans for the week… We had talked about a few things. Colorado. Oregon. Then New York where I would battle to take back another championship that was taken from me. Perhaps at the end of the next week, I would be walking around with two… and I could only hope that I would regain another one in Project: Honor to make it three.