Post by stella jade. on Apr 28, 2022 22:40:24 GMT -5
Down by the bay (down by the bay)
Where the watermelon rot (where the watermelon rot)
If you go home (if you go home)
Just don't get caught (just don't get caught)
But if you do
Your mother will say
"Never trust a man
Under the sand
Down by the bay"
UNKNOWN LOCATION
TUESDAY, APRIL 26TH, 2022
THE WITCHING HOUR
"Keep your head down low and don't make a sound, you understand?" Estelle Rhodes' voice is low, glancing around the wooded area as Stella nods frantically. She's ducked down in a ditch in the woods, hidden out of sight, as her mother hides behind the tree ahead of her. Her breathing is shaky, arm wrapped around her stomach as she tries to catch her breath. How long had they been running for? How long had Stella been fighting to catch her breath? It was hard to conceptualize that all of this was actually happening. Stella's magic had been growing lately, in more ways than anyone could have imagined it would have been. As a hand presses to her mouth and thumb and index finger pinch her nose to keep anyone from hearing her, she listens close as a voice calls out in the late of the night. "We know you are out there. You should also know it is unwise to try to run from us." Stella holds her breath, praying that she can succeed in staying quiet and safe. Her gaze drifts towards her mother, crouched down low as she has buried herself beneath a blanket of dead plants and leaves. Stella is hidden beneath a canopy of the same things, jacket used as a shield above her head to keep any dirt or debris from getting on her. It was better this way, to remain so easily hidden from sight as she stayed as still as possible.
The footsteps were growing closer, but there were more than just one pair, it sounded like at least three pairs of feet. Stella's breathing is shaky, body shaking in pure fear and anxiety as she closes her eyes shut tightly. "Playing hide and seek, are we? Very well then." The sound of fingers snapping can be heard, before the figures seemingly separate on a wild witch hunt. Stella didn't understand, she didn't seem to know what was going on. Her mother hadn't explained much, just that the people who were after them were terrible people. People who had tortured and killed many witches before them and those before those. Though, it seemed quite unfair, considering these people were witches themselves. Perhaps it was a power thing? The more they killed, the longer they lived, the more powerful they would get. "Found you." It's a woman's voice, that much is clear as Stella hears it ahead of her. She can see her mother being dragged away kicking and screaming by her hair, though she doesn't stop to issue a warning. "Run, Stella! Run as fast as you can!" The warning is not heeded, Stella forcing herself from the foliage as she takes off as fast as her legs will allow her. Though, it seems to anger the elder witch who has been waiting nearby. A pair of hands reaches out to stop Stella in her tracks, dragging her down hard to the ground and stealing the very breath from her lungs.
Stella stares up at the night sky, vision growing blurrier by the second. "Hello, little witch. We've been waiting to meet you." It's the last thing she hears before darkness takes over and she's tossed over the shoulder of the muscular male. She's groggy and disoriented as both mother and daughter are dragged away to an undisclosed location. Where had it all gone wrong? Why had they been waiting to meet Stella? What was it that they had done so wrong that they deserved this? Her head was pounding and she could make out some of the voices around her, yet it was hard to decipher what all was going on. Where were they? What were they planning on doing with them? Why did they want Stella so badly, from the sounds of it? As her body was dropped haphazardly onto what could be assumed to be a hardwood floor of some sort. The smell of a fire burning nearby was the only thing to make her come to her senses.
There's a low groan as palms press against the floor, vision slowly coming clearer as a hand presses to the side of her head. There's a throbbing there, something painful and hard to rid herself of as she tries to force herself to her feet. But, she can't seem to do that. As she glances around, the sight before her is hard to take in. Her mother is kneeling on the floor, blood pouring from her mouth and dripping onto the floor. She's bloodied and beaten, a sight that makes her let out a strangled sob that catches the attention of the four women who had been in discussion. Before Stella can even reach her mother, the muscular man returns and binds her to a chair. Wrists bound together and legs tied down as she glares at the group ahead of her. "Let her go! She hasn't done anything wrong. We haven't done anything wrong! What do you want?!" She can't help the panic that rises within, finding it hard to concentrate on much else than to fight. Anything to protect her mother, anything to get her out of this safely.
"Aren't you just precious? You really do have Estelle's fighting spirit." The woman ahead of her clasps her hands together behind her back. Silver locks are cut into a buzz cut nearly, hair turned into waves as the woman steps towards her. She grasps Stella's chin, forcing her to grit her teeth as she looks at the woman. She looks no older than Stella, perhaps by a mere few years, nothing more or less. "You'll do just fine..." She snaps her fingers and Stella is unbound from the chair as she rubs at her wrists. The woman doesn't force anyone to make a move, though Stella follows her nonetheless. "You haven't the slightest idea as to who I am, do you?" A beat. "Well, it wouldn't surprise me. Your mother has an odd way of keeping us from you. You can call me Auntie Jenna, that's Luke." She points to the tanned male, who merely crosses his arms over his chest. "And these two lovely ladies are Aurora and Rachelle, my right hand women." As confused as Stella is, it seems like there's much to discuss. "I'm your mothers younger sister."
The next few hours are used to fill Stella in on what happened between her mother and her aunt. Though, it's all still very confusing for her. How did Jenna end up stealing Estelle's former husband? Why were they so angry at each other to the point that they would cause one another harm? Why did Jenna want to harm Stella? It's all so hard to wrap her head around as she's forced onto the table. Luke holds down her wrists, while Aurora and Rachelle pin down her ankles. "The more you fight this, the more it'll hurt... So, it's best that you stay as still as possible, darling." Jenna takes a hot branding iron, heats it at the flame in the fireplace, and brings it close to Stella's chest. The heat becomes almost unbearable, the feeling of heat rising to the surface of her skin. Until the iron is pressed tightly to the space where her heart lays, stealing a loud cry from the very depths of her.
For the next several hours, Jenna takes her time practically dissecting Stella like a sick class project. Using magic to sew her wounds and using magic to break her. Though, Stella stays strong through it all, fights through every ounce of pain they put her through. Though, scars and emotional and irreparable damage has already been done. Blood trickles down the left side of Stella's nose from the over usage of her own magic. Never again will she allow them to harm her like this, to harm her mother like this. Never again will anyone dare to make her feel so weak and helpless.
"They say Hell is a place that some have seen right here on Earth." Stella steps into the view of the camera, hands clasped together behind her back. She's dressed in one of Brandon's t-shirts, some jeans, and some Doc Marten boots. "I think that's true in a sense. I know what Hell is, I've seen it in people, and places, and even things. But, they've always said that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Whether that's in the sense that her heart has been broken or that she's been pushed beyond repair." She inhales a gentle breath, taking a seat on the fallen tree ahead of her. One leg swinging over it and the other coming to rest beside the other leg.
She doesn't seem like her normal peppy and bubbly self, though she forces a smile onto her face nonetheless. It's not good to show weakness, that's what her mother had always taught her, even if she wore her heart on her sleeve so well. "So, I suppose it's time I start showing everyone why it's best not to take me lightly." Her eyes darken slightly, though it's hard to tell in the dim moonlight that cascades upon her.
"For too long, so many of you have underestimated me. You look at me as nothing more than Brandon Hendrix's girlfriend. His little pet project. The silly little girl who is too pure to be around in the world of wrestling. But, all of that underestimation has led me to this very moment. If there's one thing that underestimation is good for, it's the fact that it also helps to drag people out of their own little fantasies." She smooths out her shirt, calms her shaky hands with a gentle inhale.
"Though, it seems like no matter what I do, it's never been good enough. There's always someone better, someone brighter, someone faster. But, that's the fun part!" She brightens, smile stretching practically from ear to ear as she nods firmly. "A little competition never hurt anyone and this is exactly that; Competition."
"I might seem like nothing more than a second thought to most of you. But, that's where you're wrong. You should always make sure that you're thinking about me because when you least expect it? Like the Black Widow, I can strike at any given moment. What I have in store for those laid before me at Disputed Territory is a side of me that I don't often bring out. But, what do you expect from someone trained by one of the best wrestlers around?"
She can't help the little shout out to Syndicate in her words, always so proud to have been his prized pupil. "But, it's about time I start making him proud. It's about time I make myself proud. About time I make my family proud and I'm going to do just that by making sure I'm the one coming out on top in this match up."
There's a beat as she takes a moment to properly collect herself. "I've been through a lot this week, some might say to Hell and back. But, perhaps I won't know what Hell truly is until I step into this match. But, I'm prepared to face it all if it means I walk out victorious with my hand raised high and my head on my shoulders. I know the stakes, I know the risks, and I know that someone I love dearly is one of my opponents in this match. But, that's not going to be enough to deter me."
She pauses, licking over her lips. "I don't want to keep being looked at as second best. I want to be looked at as one of the bests around and if that means taking down everyone in this match? Then, that means exactly that. I'll stop at nothing to continue to prove myself to the doubters and naysayers even if it means putting my body on the line for it."
"No one ever said this business was going to be easy. But, that's why I love what I do so much and if you think I'm not going to fight for this? Then, you are sorely mistaken." She pauses, standing to her feet. "I'm not going to waste too much of your time or mine, so I've kept this right to the point for all of you. The Stella you've so blindly walked all over is no more. She's ready for chaos and she's ready to fight with every fiber of her being to come out on top and prove that she has what it takes."
She steps towards the camera as she picks it up into one of her hands. "No one else can say that they have the same fire or passion that I have. No one else can say that they have what it takes to come out of this with the right mentality... But, I do. So, this is do or die for me and everyone who stands in my way. I won't wish them good luck, but I'll say that they need all the luck they can get when it comes to this." She wastes little time in cutting the feed off, the scene fading to black shortly after.
TUESDAY, APRIL 26TH, 2022
THE WITCHING HOUR
"Keep your head down low and don't make a sound, you understand?" Estelle Rhodes' voice is low, glancing around the wooded area as Stella nods frantically. She's ducked down in a ditch in the woods, hidden out of sight, as her mother hides behind the tree ahead of her. Her breathing is shaky, arm wrapped around her stomach as she tries to catch her breath. How long had they been running for? How long had Stella been fighting to catch her breath? It was hard to conceptualize that all of this was actually happening. Stella's magic had been growing lately, in more ways than anyone could have imagined it would have been. As a hand presses to her mouth and thumb and index finger pinch her nose to keep anyone from hearing her, she listens close as a voice calls out in the late of the night. "We know you are out there. You should also know it is unwise to try to run from us." Stella holds her breath, praying that she can succeed in staying quiet and safe. Her gaze drifts towards her mother, crouched down low as she has buried herself beneath a blanket of dead plants and leaves. Stella is hidden beneath a canopy of the same things, jacket used as a shield above her head to keep any dirt or debris from getting on her. It was better this way, to remain so easily hidden from sight as she stayed as still as possible.
CRUNCH
CRUNCH
CRUNCH
CRUNCH
CRUNCH
The footsteps were growing closer, but there were more than just one pair, it sounded like at least three pairs of feet. Stella's breathing is shaky, body shaking in pure fear and anxiety as she closes her eyes shut tightly. "Playing hide and seek, are we? Very well then." The sound of fingers snapping can be heard, before the figures seemingly separate on a wild witch hunt. Stella didn't understand, she didn't seem to know what was going on. Her mother hadn't explained much, just that the people who were after them were terrible people. People who had tortured and killed many witches before them and those before those. Though, it seemed quite unfair, considering these people were witches themselves. Perhaps it was a power thing? The more they killed, the longer they lived, the more powerful they would get. "Found you." It's a woman's voice, that much is clear as Stella hears it ahead of her. She can see her mother being dragged away kicking and screaming by her hair, though she doesn't stop to issue a warning. "Run, Stella! Run as fast as you can!" The warning is not heeded, Stella forcing herself from the foliage as she takes off as fast as her legs will allow her. Though, it seems to anger the elder witch who has been waiting nearby. A pair of hands reaches out to stop Stella in her tracks, dragging her down hard to the ground and stealing the very breath from her lungs.
Stella stares up at the night sky, vision growing blurrier by the second. "Hello, little witch. We've been waiting to meet you." It's the last thing she hears before darkness takes over and she's tossed over the shoulder of the muscular male. She's groggy and disoriented as both mother and daughter are dragged away to an undisclosed location. Where had it all gone wrong? Why had they been waiting to meet Stella? What was it that they had done so wrong that they deserved this? Her head was pounding and she could make out some of the voices around her, yet it was hard to decipher what all was going on. Where were they? What were they planning on doing with them? Why did they want Stella so badly, from the sounds of it? As her body was dropped haphazardly onto what could be assumed to be a hardwood floor of some sort. The smell of a fire burning nearby was the only thing to make her come to her senses.
There's a low groan as palms press against the floor, vision slowly coming clearer as a hand presses to the side of her head. There's a throbbing there, something painful and hard to rid herself of as she tries to force herself to her feet. But, she can't seem to do that. As she glances around, the sight before her is hard to take in. Her mother is kneeling on the floor, blood pouring from her mouth and dripping onto the floor. She's bloodied and beaten, a sight that makes her let out a strangled sob that catches the attention of the four women who had been in discussion. Before Stella can even reach her mother, the muscular man returns and binds her to a chair. Wrists bound together and legs tied down as she glares at the group ahead of her. "Let her go! She hasn't done anything wrong. We haven't done anything wrong! What do you want?!" She can't help the panic that rises within, finding it hard to concentrate on much else than to fight. Anything to protect her mother, anything to get her out of this safely.
"Aren't you just precious? You really do have Estelle's fighting spirit." The woman ahead of her clasps her hands together behind her back. Silver locks are cut into a buzz cut nearly, hair turned into waves as the woman steps towards her. She grasps Stella's chin, forcing her to grit her teeth as she looks at the woman. She looks no older than Stella, perhaps by a mere few years, nothing more or less. "You'll do just fine..." She snaps her fingers and Stella is unbound from the chair as she rubs at her wrists. The woman doesn't force anyone to make a move, though Stella follows her nonetheless. "You haven't the slightest idea as to who I am, do you?" A beat. "Well, it wouldn't surprise me. Your mother has an odd way of keeping us from you. You can call me Auntie Jenna, that's Luke." She points to the tanned male, who merely crosses his arms over his chest. "And these two lovely ladies are Aurora and Rachelle, my right hand women." As confused as Stella is, it seems like there's much to discuss. "I'm your mothers younger sister."
The next few hours are used to fill Stella in on what happened between her mother and her aunt. Though, it's all still very confusing for her. How did Jenna end up stealing Estelle's former husband? Why were they so angry at each other to the point that they would cause one another harm? Why did Jenna want to harm Stella? It's all so hard to wrap her head around as she's forced onto the table. Luke holds down her wrists, while Aurora and Rachelle pin down her ankles. "The more you fight this, the more it'll hurt... So, it's best that you stay as still as possible, darling." Jenna takes a hot branding iron, heats it at the flame in the fireplace, and brings it close to Stella's chest. The heat becomes almost unbearable, the feeling of heat rising to the surface of her skin. Until the iron is pressed tightly to the space where her heart lays, stealing a loud cry from the very depths of her.
For the next several hours, Jenna takes her time practically dissecting Stella like a sick class project. Using magic to sew her wounds and using magic to break her. Though, Stella stays strong through it all, fights through every ounce of pain they put her through. Though, scars and emotional and irreparable damage has already been done. Blood trickles down the left side of Stella's nose from the over usage of her own magic. Never again will she allow them to harm her like this, to harm her mother like this. Never again will anyone dare to make her feel so weak and helpless.
"They say Hell is a place that some have seen right here on Earth." Stella steps into the view of the camera, hands clasped together behind her back. She's dressed in one of Brandon's t-shirts, some jeans, and some Doc Marten boots. "I think that's true in a sense. I know what Hell is, I've seen it in people, and places, and even things. But, they've always said that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Whether that's in the sense that her heart has been broken or that she's been pushed beyond repair." She inhales a gentle breath, taking a seat on the fallen tree ahead of her. One leg swinging over it and the other coming to rest beside the other leg.
She doesn't seem like her normal peppy and bubbly self, though she forces a smile onto her face nonetheless. It's not good to show weakness, that's what her mother had always taught her, even if she wore her heart on her sleeve so well. "So, I suppose it's time I start showing everyone why it's best not to take me lightly." Her eyes darken slightly, though it's hard to tell in the dim moonlight that cascades upon her.
"For too long, so many of you have underestimated me. You look at me as nothing more than Brandon Hendrix's girlfriend. His little pet project. The silly little girl who is too pure to be around in the world of wrestling. But, all of that underestimation has led me to this very moment. If there's one thing that underestimation is good for, it's the fact that it also helps to drag people out of their own little fantasies." She smooths out her shirt, calms her shaky hands with a gentle inhale.
"Though, it seems like no matter what I do, it's never been good enough. There's always someone better, someone brighter, someone faster. But, that's the fun part!" She brightens, smile stretching practically from ear to ear as she nods firmly. "A little competition never hurt anyone and this is exactly that; Competition."
"I might seem like nothing more than a second thought to most of you. But, that's where you're wrong. You should always make sure that you're thinking about me because when you least expect it? Like the Black Widow, I can strike at any given moment. What I have in store for those laid before me at Disputed Territory is a side of me that I don't often bring out. But, what do you expect from someone trained by one of the best wrestlers around?"
She can't help the little shout out to Syndicate in her words, always so proud to have been his prized pupil. "But, it's about time I start making him proud. It's about time I make myself proud. About time I make my family proud and I'm going to do just that by making sure I'm the one coming out on top in this match up."
There's a beat as she takes a moment to properly collect herself. "I've been through a lot this week, some might say to Hell and back. But, perhaps I won't know what Hell truly is until I step into this match. But, I'm prepared to face it all if it means I walk out victorious with my hand raised high and my head on my shoulders. I know the stakes, I know the risks, and I know that someone I love dearly is one of my opponents in this match. But, that's not going to be enough to deter me."
She pauses, licking over her lips. "I don't want to keep being looked at as second best. I want to be looked at as one of the bests around and if that means taking down everyone in this match? Then, that means exactly that. I'll stop at nothing to continue to prove myself to the doubters and naysayers even if it means putting my body on the line for it."
"No one ever said this business was going to be easy. But, that's why I love what I do so much and if you think I'm not going to fight for this? Then, you are sorely mistaken." She pauses, standing to her feet. "I'm not going to waste too much of your time or mine, so I've kept this right to the point for all of you. The Stella you've so blindly walked all over is no more. She's ready for chaos and she's ready to fight with every fiber of her being to come out on top and prove that she has what it takes."
She steps towards the camera as she picks it up into one of her hands. "No one else can say that they have the same fire or passion that I have. No one else can say that they have what it takes to come out of this with the right mentality... But, I do. So, this is do or die for me and everyone who stands in my way. I won't wish them good luck, but I'll say that they need all the luck they can get when it comes to this." She wastes little time in cutting the feed off, the scene fading to black shortly after.