*BOOM*

The crowd went ballistic from the deafening thud. The Phoenix dropped her opponent in the center of the ring with an elevated, sit-out, handle-lock facebuster. Her opponent was counting the lights even during The Phoenix's theme song.

"Wooooo, that what I'm talking about," Sam was on his feet clapping and cheering as The Phoenix made her way to the backstage area. "Now after a performance like that, there is no way she doesn't get a title shot."

"Listen, the professional wrestling industry is an intricate web filled with more than just crowd-pleasers. You have to be a people-pleaser as well. In other words, if the boss doesn't like you, you're not getting a single title shot."

"That's dumb."

"That's show business." Poco sat back in his chair. He stretched his legs out to lay them on the guardrail, but his short stature just made them dangle.

"Sounds like bullshit," Nix leaned back in his seat. He successfully propped his legs on the handrail, throwing a playful smirk towards Poco before turning away. Newly formed goosebumps on his skin from the skeleton's eternal smile. "Fake or not, if the crowd wants more we should see more. And if the contestant keeps winning, they should have the right to challenge for the title of their choosing."

"Unfortunately, we don't make the rules, my jumpy giant." Poco wiggled his boney fingers causing Nix to lean away uncomfortably. "We all just have to roll with whatever the geezer at the top states. Until he changes his mind, passes the torch, or just passes."

"Dark," Sam took a long sip of his cup. The air dissatisfying but expected, "Hey where is Ronnie with our refills?"

"I'm sure she is almost done, probably just got caught up in the lines."

"Bahahaha-ha."

The three boys looked back at their chuckling boss. She had been silent most of the night. The only sounds that escaped her were burped from her drinks and grunts of critiques during the matches; usually stating that the moves don't even hit or she could take any performer in that ring. "Poco, you get a pass cause you're new here. But, Nixxy, Sammy, how long we been together? 5-6 years? Have you two never noticed she doesn't talk to anyone other than us?"

"What's your point, boss?"

"Do you think she doesn't socialize with others because she just doesn't feel like it or cause she literally, doesn't know how? Tell me, Sammy, when we first found her what was she doing?"

"Pickpocketing at night."

"And what happened when we followed her?"

"She got scammed by some random vendor talking about all healing snake oils, your point?"

"Do you really think she is ready to tackle the nightmare that is the merchandise stand?"

Nix and Sam turned to one another. They grew more nervous by the second. How would she handle capitalism on her own? Would she waste all the money they gave her?

Sammy jumped up first, "I told her to go get the drinks for us, so I'll go get her."

"No, I was given the task of assisting her in refreshment retrieval it only makes sense that I resume the position I was given."

"Neither of ya are going." Shelly popped out of her seat, tucking her hair under her cap before sliding out of their row.

"You, why are you going boss?"

She looked back with a neutral expression, "Cause I'm the boss." She walked up the stairs slowly. With her face hidden from the rest of the group, it contorted into an evil grin. She mumbled under her breath, silenced by the sounds of the crowd, "And it will be fun to watch her squirm for a change."

~--~

The hallways were packed like a can of sardines. Wall to wall, people pushed past one another. Any conversations she attempted to listen to were drowned by the sounds of nearby children screaming and people arguing. Shelly looked towards a man and what she presumed to be his three children.

"Zena is the strongest person in the world!" one boy said to another.

"Yeah, I bet Zena could lift like, 5 trucks!"

The man turned to the children, "5 trucks? Come on I think he can lift 10."

"10 TRUCKS!" they all stared up at the man with starey eyes. Shelly continued to walk past the group smiling at the scene. Children's dreams were always so entertaining. She would have enjoyed watching the show a little longer, but she needed to focus on finding her child.

"Now, if I were a cute mute with no clue what to do, where would I buy snacks from?" Ahead of her were two concession stands; one had a small, organized line, the other was long and filled with angry consumers. "Found her."

Shelly scoped out the area, she noticed a waist height trash can just a few feet to the right of the stand but out of view of the front line. She slipped past the line and got into position beside the garbage bin. Her hands reached into her pocket slipping out her cell phone which she tapped through vacantly. A glance towards the front of the line gave her the entertainment she needed.

She saw Veronica in her cute panda bandana she helped pick out stress sweating. Her eyes were bugging out as she sporadically looked towards the list and back at the clerk. The clerk seemed to be a saint from how well he was dealing with Veronica's impractical nervous breakdown.

"Come on Ronnie," she whispered from her cover, "Don't want the boys to know you're a crying mess when you try to be social." Shelly continued her surveillance, quietly rooting for her. A man behind her seemed to invade her personal space, making Shelly angry that the creep was using her confusion as an opportunity to initiate his perverted strike. She was just about to leave her cover to help her friend when the impossible happened.

Veronica motioned towards the drink she wanted. The clerk asked a follow-up question, which she gave another response to in the form of squished fingers. 'Two in a row, that's my girl!' Shelly was ecstatic with Veronica's maturity, but her downfall came at the final question. Shelly saw the clerk motion towards a standard cup and the collecter's edition. 'Damn, we never covered this in social interaction training.' This was a learning opportunity. All Veronica needed to do was assess the necessity of the items, find their prices, then pick the best option.

Veronica started to sway back and forth, her eyes devoid of life, like her spirit had left her body from the stress. She had lost to another cash grab. 'The money she wastes with those cups is coming out of her next job's cut. At least she figured out how to order-'

Her thought process was halted. The same pervert from before was talking to the clerk over Veronica's shoulder. She couldn't make out what he was saying but she noticed him looking down at Veronica before swiftly nodding her head. The clerk disappeared behind the wall out of Shelly's view, but her sights were trained on the duo.

The man behind Veronica looked like a tool. His jawline too big and a smile that was far too wide. Hair red like roses and an obnoxious frame; not too large, not too small, far too frustrating. From her view, he seemed to be pushing into Veronica's bubble again. She gritted her teeth as she watched the red-headed creep attempt to converse with her mute mate. She still couldn't hear them over the mania in the arena. The man got in closer, practically breathing in her ears. Veronica pulled away from the man as he backed up as well his face shifting from calm to a nervous smile.

'The hell did he say to her?!' Shelly was champing at the bit. The way he continued to push forward despite her clear discomfort. He started talking behind her again but this time she refused to show any response. Again, she watched as he leaned in to see her face but this time she turned away, directly towards Shelly. She ducked lower to assure she was not spotted but looked up to see Veronica's reaction.

'Is she, blushing!?' Never not once had she seen Veronica blush. In the desert, the sun never made her skin flush. Not once had she blushed when people talked to her. Several times men and women alike in the Bandits approached her and attempted to earn her gaze, but they only gained her lifeless stare. 'What... the fuck... did he say!'

The clerk showed his face once again presenting her order alongside extra items that Shelly did not remember them putting on the list. The redhead stepped up and placed some gems on the countertop. Veronica placed her coin pouch they had given her. Shelly then watched in disgust as he pushed her pouch backward and grabbed extra gems from his pockets. 'This fucker not only had he been pushing his way into Veronica's space with zero consent, but now he tries to throw his money around. Well if this douche thinks that he can win her over with a few gems then-'

Veronica put her coins back in her pocket. Shelly lost her grip on the can momentarily, catching herself and regaining her composure. "No, it's obvious now, she is just using him for his money." Her voice low like a desperate whisper, "Of course, everything is so clear now, Veronica would never fall for some creep she just met. I bet if I just hallucinated most of it. If I close my eyes and concentrate, I bet that creep won't even be beside her anymore."

She clamped shut, concentrating on the image of Veronica. No redheads insight just Veronica successfully ordering their snacks. Her eyes crept open, taking in her surroundings once again. This time she had lost sight of the redhead, and Veronica. A hushed whisper leaving her throat, "Huh, think I concentrated too hard." She rose from her hiding spot and scanned the area. 'Guess Ronnie slipped away while I wasn't look-' a body pushing hers to the side threw off her train of thought.

Looking ahead at the rude man she noticed something strange. He had red hair.

'no.'

She followed the rushed man into the crowd before seeing him make a sharp turn to his right. She followed his gaze and matched his pace. Following in his footsteps and sightline to a woman, with a large tray, and a paper leaned against a wall.

'No.'

The redhead said something to her. It startled her. She watched as he assisted her before she fumbled her food. Then, in the most disgusting scene she had ever seen, the two stared into each other's cores, and the redhead blushed.

'NNOOOOOOOO!'

~--~

It had been ten minutes since her stakeout began. First her best friend, Veronica. Current status: no visual or audio contact possible. Location: merchandise store. The issue with the current situation? Her safety has been compromised by the presence of a rare red devil.

Info on the devil. Name: unknown. Strengths: unknown. Weakness: understanding personal space. How this freak got in so close to Veronica so quickly Shelly would never know. What she did know, is if she finds out that trash dirtied the purity of Veronica's heart in any way, they wouldn't be able to tell where his face ends and his hair begins.

The bell tolled again for the store door opening. Shelly concentrated again only to see another random family walking out. She strained her eyes across the hall to see within the store but still couldn't make out the figures moving inside.

What was taking them so long? This one question plaguing her mind. She couldn't see inside so she couldn't assess the situation with logic. Instead, her mind's imagination ran wild. She thought about the creep pinning her against a wall. His voice as sour as his breath as he told her, "You're that little prick Shelly's buddy isn't ya? Be a shame if you were to go missing. Bet she'd pay a nice price to get ya back."

"32 pearls will do nicely," she bit her thumb as she continued her nightmare.

Now the scene showed Veronica standing beside him. His face was derpy with drool leaking from his mouth. His voice slow and grimy as he tripped over his words, "I tell you what you're a pretty lady right there madam, I tell you what. I'd take good care of a gem like you." Veronica throwing up in her mouth as she pretended to listen so she could ditch the creep.

"Ugh, I would just feel bad for him," her face contorting into a grimace at the image she made. An itch at her leg caused her to swat vacantly before continuing her thoughts. That wasn't as bad as the other scenario and thinking about her first thought made her realize how unlikely it was that Veronica could ever be pinned by some random crook.

As cruel as it sounded, she hoped that it was the first scenario. It would give her something to do with how boring the BWA show was. The worst scenario she could think of was... seduction. "Nah, that would never happen."

Her mind had other ideas. Suddenly the scene was that of a romance movie. The lights were bright as they focused on the pristine face of Veronica and her eyes sparkling, radiating with beauty. Then her mind imagined the red devil with a handsome face and a flowing floral blouse. His chest exposed, bare. His voice smooth like butter with a Hispanic undertone. "Madam, though I have just met you my heart beats faster than it has ever before. I do not know if this is love or mere infatuation. But," she imagined him taking her chin in his hands. "If you would be willing to join me on this journey, for every step you take, I promise to take two."

"He will never be able to escape me."

"Why'd you say that?"

Shelly jumped backward into the wall at the disembodied voice. She looked around for a source, but all the people continued to walk by.

"Down here."

She looked to see a small white child. His hair a dark brown with a little cowlick across his forehead. He had some cotton candy in his grasp as he stared up at her in bewilderment.

"What?"

"Why did you say that?" his voice too sweet and soft. Listening to him was like hearing a puppy try to howl.

"Umm..." she regained her composure before crouching down to meet his gaze. "What did I say?"

"You said, 'He will never be able to escape me'."

Shelly took a recall of the events leading up to that statement, but she couldn't remember talking to this child. "Okay better question, what did you say to me?"

The child took a giant bite of his cotton candy before continuing, "I ashed if you sh-ought Zhena would win tonight'sh fight."

"Who?"

He took a large gulp, "Zena, the guy that you would never let escape."

"I have no idea who that is sorry."

"But you said that you would feel bad for him if he lost. Then you said that he would never turn evil if he lost. And when I asked how you know so much about him you said, 'I will never let him escape'."

Was this boy the cutest little dummy that she had ever met? Yes, yes he was. Was this conversation getting out of hand? Yes, yes it was. Better to break it down to him before she'd have to entertain it any longer. "Listen, kid, I don't know who you are or who you think I am but let me make this clear. I don't care about what you're talking about and I don't know anything about Zena-"

Water. The life source of our world used to nurture the body and rejuvenate dry land. Now the water that formed in his eyes broke her pride. Any sense of badassery that she would usually wear with pride crumbled. "Zena's true intentions. That's why I can never let him escape." She rose swiftly with both hands on her hip as she looked out into the distance. "You see I chased him down for many years after he left our stomping grounds to take over the BWA. But I know better than anyone his one true weakness." She looked down at the child again with a single squinted eye to observe his reactions.

He instantly brightened up as he took another bite of his cotton confections. Shelly continued her act, "You seem like a pretty tough kid, so I'll let you in on his little secret." She leaned in close to the child, "He can't trust anyone and that means he can't have any friends. All you have to do is convince him his allies are against him and he will crumble in on himself."

"Wow, I didn't think friends could be used as enemies."

'Well, that is a tiny evil genius in the making now.' The child continued to talk on and on about his new realization and how she was the smartest lady he had ever met. Hearing him compliment her drew her attention from her stakeout.

"So you are the next BWA Diva?!"

"Umm... yeah, that's me."

"What's your name?"

"Umm... Bandit"

"Well, now your silly purple hair makes sense."

"Who you calling silly?"

"Okay, final question, Norton or Zena?"

Shelly heard a male's voice exit the shop, grabbing her attention. She saw him again, that flaming redhead with his smug grin laughing with Veronica. She ducked down again to the level of the child beside her, tucking her hair deeper under her brim. The two were just in earshot, she could make out their meaningless conversation about two wrestlers. They began to make their way from the store, Shelly following from a safe distance.

The child tugged at her shirt stopping her pursuit. "Hey lady, are ya following those two cause you're jealous?"

"Jealous?! Why would I be- How did you- Who- How old are you?"

"Ten, and Mom said not to talk to strangers."

"You're talking to me right now aren't you?"

"Yeah, but we are in the middle of a crowd if you tried something I could just scream, and you wouldn't be able to escape."

"Pretty perceptive for a ten-year-old, here take this," she pulled out a small card. "In about 6 years, find me. You might be useful for my team."

"What like a wrestling faction?"

"Sure, something like that." Shelly made her way down the halls after her two suspects. The child's questions took her attention from the duo but luckily it wouldn't be hard to spot the color red in a sea of black and brown.

Her sights landed on a man lying on the ground with hair the same color as her target's. He seemed to be backing away from a woman with a bun and a panda bandana. 'So, you finally got tired of him huh Ronnie. I should let you squash the creep but that would draw too much attention, better save the sucker.'

"Yo, Ronnie," she called. No answer. As she got closer, she noticed that Veronica's face, or what little she could see, didn't show discomfort but rather perplexion. The man she was standing over seemed less scared and more, mesmerized. 'Okay, yeah, no.'

"Veronica!"

Veronica jumped up at the sound of her real name escaping Shelly's lungs. She quickly ran up to Shelly's side, her face hidden but her excitement visible. "You were gone for way too long, thought you got into some trouble. Guess I should have known better than to think you would get into trouble." She decided that it would be for the best to pretend she had just found them during their little altercation in the hallway. "Oh, nice you were able to get it all. See I didn't doubt you for a second," she chuckled as she tapped Veronica's shoulder. Veronica's reaction was less than favorable, they both knew that Veronica had the social skills of a peanut. "Well come on everyone is waiting for you back at the seats. Sam is getting super excited bout this last match. Something about a big surprise at the end."

She led Veronica down the hallway, looking back over her shoulder she saw the redheaded man sitting with his legs crossed on the floor. Stunned like a deer in headlights. She turned back to Veronica, her face placid and emotionless as they walked onward. "Hey who's that guy you were talking to?"

Veronica just shrugged her shoulders, lifting her mask and sneaking some popcorn into her mouth. "So, you don't know his name." She shook her head. "So why were you standing over him?" Veronica looked back at her with half-lidded eyes. "Right, umm, was he attacking you?" She shook her head. "Was he creepy?" Again, she shook her head. "Were you just messing with him?" She made a wishy-washy motion with her hand. "That's messed up." Veronica just chuckled softly, so soft that Shelly couldn't even hear her, just see her body bouncing lightly.

~--~

"You can't see me, my time is now

It's the franchise, Boy, I'm shining now

You can't see me, my time is now"

"Okay, yes I think wrestling is stupid, but I have to admit the music is catchy." Shelly had returned with Veronica and a mountain of snacks for their gang.

"Awe yes, music truly can make a fan out of even the greatest none believers," Poco hummed, pulling his guitar from its case and playing a few quick chords.

The fight was just starting but Shelly wasn't paying much attention, she was currently letting her imagination take over. That guy, that creep, who was he? Why did he seem so familiar? It wasn't uncommon for Veronica to draw people's attention. Whether they were stares of confusion at her masks or intrigue at her beauty, people would always be caught staring for a second too long. Shelly was used to it, even people in the bandits would fall for her looks. Why did this man bother her so?

It wasn't the color of his skin or the fact he was a man. Just that it was him was bothering her. Who was he? Why did she feel so uncomfortable around him? She swam through her mind searching for the answer to her conundrum. The sounds of the crowd and the showdown below faded away as she entered her thoughts.

Red, one of the three primary colors. Used to represent intensity, passion, and in her case an enemy. Why was this color the enemy? The cheers of the crowd were like white noise now, as she drifted into darkness.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

Adrenaline shot through her veins at the presence of screaming children. Her eyes shot open, but darkness was all she saw. A single light flashed on. At the center was a small child, crouched on the floor crying softly, her hands over her head as if to protect from falling objects. She slowly approached the crying child. As she got closer more about the child seemed familiar, she had fair brown skin, and her fingers looked dirty.

"Hey kid, you okay?" The child did not move nor stop crying. "It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt ya. What's your name?"

The child's tears began to slow. Her whimpers quiet now. She slowly took her hands off her head. Shoulder-length hair, rough and matted. The tips black but her roots, a dark purple.

"Shelly," her voice soft and filled with anguish.

Shelly began to open her mouth to speak again but found no sound to escape.

"Well, Shelly," a voice called from behind. She turned to see a male figure, larger than herself but not a giant like Nix. His voice wasn't smooth like butter or deep and gravely. He just sounded happy, his voice was a comfort to her. "My name is-"

"Hahahahaa"

Shelly turned around to the child claiming to be her. The child no longer saw Shelly before her, she looked past her to the man that had appeared. Shelly looked past the child into the darkness several shadows shifted around. Demons cackling at the child's whimpers.

"Do you have a home?" the man spoke once again. Shelly turned back to him now. Somehow, she had moved from her position between the child and the man. Now she was standing in the distance watching as the child shook her head to his question. "Do you have a family?" The child once again broke down into tears. He dropped down to a knee and placed a hand on her shoulder. Shelly attempted to walk towards the duo, but her movements were impeded. No progress was made but she exerted more stamina with each step.

She felt a white-hot pain in her back. Three spots in her back were like fire flowing through her spine. She reached back and found one of the three spots, an object protruding from her backbone. She gritted her teeth and yanked the object out of its new home. Upon inspection, she saw a strange dagger. It was shaped like a feather with a black hoop for the handle. As she inspected the dagger, she felt more energy draining from her frame. She fell to a single knee, coughing up blood.

"It's okay kid," the man's voice echoed through her mind. She looked up and saw him and the child still sitting on the ground. She tried to crawl towards them, but her movements were slow and weak. "You can be a part of my family."

The child slowly stopped her waterworks at the sound of him accepting her. Shelly smiled fondly at this familiar memory. The feeling of death approaching her was scary, but the warmth from the scene made it worth the pain. Shelly watched as the two began to walk away into the darkness.

"That's right shrimp."

Shelly froze with fear. That voice, that gravely, angry voice. It made her shake to her core. The cold grasp of death backed away as she mustered the courage to look up. The child and her new friend were standing still, looking up at a giant shadow. It morphed with the darkness, all-encompassing as if they could never escape its grasp. A bright white smile with dastardly curls from cheek to cheek spread the shadows maw. A bright twinkle appearing above its mouth.

"You're a part of my family now. And nobody touches my family."

"AAAAHHHHHH!"

Shelly shot upwards again from the sound of screaming children. She looked around but saw darkness once again. Jumping to her feet she began to panic, 'Damn where am I now?'

Bright lights blinded her as spotlights turned back on in the arena. She looked around and saw her friends all cheering with the crowd. She looked around for a sign that she was still in a dream. This was her reality, so what was that dream? She looked down at the ring, there was a figure standing on the top turnbuckle, shrouded in a red cloak.

The figure leaped into the air, crashing down on three men in the ring. Shelly tapped Sam on his shoulders, "Yo, what is going on?"

"Oh, you're finally awake. How was your little nap?"

"My back hurts."

"Well, those seats weren't made for sleeping," Sam laughed before turning back to the action.

Shelly looked back to the ring, currently, the cloaked figure was wailing on the guy she thought they called The Miz maybe. All she knew was his music was cool. "Who's the new dude."

"Well I don't know for sure but based on the fact that he was supposed to show up tonight and how Poco is currently jumping with joy," they both looked to Poco who was jumping up and down his hat floating with each peak. "I think this is El Primo."

"El Primo?"

"Yep big-name indie star. Oh yeah, hit 'em with the flying elbow drop!" Sam went back to cheering wildly as the man that might be El Primo continued his assault. Shelly was starting to feel tired again watching the performance but found something off about this new man. None of these fake fighters could dream of taking her on in a real fight, but something about this guy seemed off. Most of the swings that they threw were clearly pulled, but as The Miz fought him it looked like he was actually punching as hard as he could.

"Yo Sam, does it look like Miz is fighting for real?"

"Who?"

"The guy fighting the red dude."

"You mean The Fix."

"Whatever isn't he fighting pretty seriously?"

"Nah I think he is just a great actor."

Shelly watched as the cloaked man leaped into the air, soaring above the top ropes and landing outside on his opponents. The cloak hood that was above his face now flew off revealing a blue mask.

"That's El Primo," some random fans cheered beside her. She looked down with surprise at the masked man's moves. She began to walk into the aisle making her way down the steps to stand at the guard rail with her friends. Sam and Poco were screaming their heads off. Nix was sitting down in the front row seemingly taking notes of the moves the man was going for. Veronica had her new Mysterion mask over the top of her panda bandana with blood trickling from beneath, odd but adorable. Shelly just smiled as she finally started to understand the fun atmosphere these shows provided.

"This guy is pretty impress- *cough* *cough* *ack*!" Shelly began to violently cough up blood. The sound of her painful expulsions deafened by the crowd as they cheered the arrival of El Primo.

Shelly doubled over leaning on the guard rail as she continued to expel her lungs. That pain she felt in her dream was back. She reached for her back to soothe the discomfort. Her hands met a warm substance and a cold object. She grabbed ahold of the object that had mysteriously found its way into her back. A painful grunt gave her the strength to rip it from her lower back. She inspected the object, a blade in the shape of a feather with a black hoop for a hilt. This time, however, there was a warm red liquid mixed with cold green fluid.

"NIX!"

Nix jumped up from his seat to look at Shelly. Her blood-curdling scream frightening everyone in the area. She gripped the blade, mixing blood from her hands with the blood from her back. Her body practically dangling over the ledge. A shot of adrenaline coursed through her veins one final time so she could get her last words out.

"Hostiles!"

Her body went limp, falling over the edge of the guard rail. Her vision fuzzy, but able to see the ten-foot drop she was taking. Just before hitting the ground, her mind had one final thought before she blacked out. What that shadowy figure said.

'Nobody touches my family.'