La Pequena Luz vs. “The One” Kirsten Scott

[Wisteria Waltz]

La Pequeña Luz wasn't a fan of mind games, especially when she was meant to be the intended victim of them.

She didn't know where the innate hatred for the concept first came from, but she knows that she's been conditioned throughout her life to take offense to the idea of being manipulated for someone else's gain. From the bullies she went to school with always trying to convince her that she was worthless to the kids who only pretended to be her friend just to try and get close to the lucha libre idol that was her father, from everything she'd learned about how Amelia was raised by her own parents to her experiences with Caleb White and The Empire over the course of this year... perhaps the hatred started with how staunchly her father stood against the idea both in and out of the character everyone knew him to be. Whatever the reason, the very thought of trying to gaslight someone into believing whatever you told them always made Luz's blood boil perhaps even more than it did for Amelia, and she had actually lived most of her life trapped in such a scenario.

That was what made her current situation all the more frustrating to figure out, and Amelia was right there with her on every level.

When they had earned the right to be the next challengers to the SCW World Tag Team Championship, they both expected Ravyn to play these kinds of games with them regardless of whether or not Syren agreed with them. The only question was what form it would take, especially since outside of a passing reference to the couple's self-imposed exile from that title picture because of her and Ace's disdain for Selena Frost, they had barely been a blip on the radar for the notorious mistress of mind games. That was what made her attempts to talk with Luz and Amelia while they were apart over the past two weeks all the more confusing, especially considering that she had given Amelia her actual phone number and seemed to be genuinely concerned for how the couple's relationship could turn out the longer they were in this business together. They had at least been wise enough to seek out someone who had worked with Ravyn before in Lucas Knight to get a second opinion on this, but he hadn't been wrong when he said that one-half of the Tag Team Champions was already winning the mental battle because of their struggles to actually figure out how to respond.

The signs that they were being played to some degree were fairly obvious, but Luz knew that it was hard to think straight about what sort of game Ravyn was playing when they were distracted by a potentially far more dangerous game they were caught up in against an equally devious chessmaster.

Even now, over a month removed from the night of the incident, the image of the eyeball that once belonged to Marilyn and Lily's father sitting in a present with a cryptic warning still haunted their dreams. Thanks to some tricks Ivy and Gage had picked up along with some over-the-phone advice from Camila, the couple were at least getting some rest again even if it was far from what it should've been. It had been enough rest to keep them focused and going strong through their recent matches at least, so Caleb hadn't broken them yet, but he clearly knew what he was doing and was taking advantage of everything he possibly could in order to get the upper hand once more in this war that neither Luz nor Amelia even wanted to be a part of.

Whatever reasons he thought he had to make their lives a living hell, though, only motivated them to keep getting stronger until he finally realized exactly who he was dealing with and why no matter how low he sank, he would never get his way when all was set and done.

Same with Ravyn Taylor.

And, ideally, today would be the day that they could finally have all the pieces they needed to start putting these puzzles together so they could endure whatever storms were on the horizon.

It had taken a lot of work to sort out everyone's schedules to find the best way to make this happen, but they'd finally set something up to meet with Ryan Lumis, the private investigator who had once been hired to keep tabs on Luz and Amelia but was now working with them as a way to try and make amends for letting money talk louder than his morals and ethics. Lily had volunteered to pick him up from the airport and meet up with not only the young couple but also Ivy and Gage to hear what Ryan had to share. Edward and Emily were still in England keeping an eye on their parents as plans for this supposed wedding that wasn't supposed to happen still silently continued on, and Valentina had since gone back to Mexico to not only keep her and Luz's mom company but also see about trying to have a fresh start in lucha libre so she could forge a path that was truly all her own, a thought that made Luz tear up in pride just thinking about it. The plan was to keep them in the loop with whatever they learned from this meeting, especially since there was at least an agreement that no one should be left completely alone to the best of the group's abilities right now.

The Empire had suddenly come back out in full force to try and recapture the entire British wrestling scene in Caleb's name, which was concerning enough. But there had also been reports of people sporting The Empire's symbol spouting religious rhetoric in public that was actually starting to garner them some more members, and a public recruiting drive that was making the group out to be much more than just an oversized wrestling stable raised some serious red flags as to what exactly Caleb's endgame truly was and concern over whether or not they could honestly stop it if it was on a far greater scope than they first thought. Add to that what Caleb had pulled on the Clauson family, and it was becoming more and more clear that you weren't safe if you were an enemy of The Empire.

“I know this is supposed to be a serious situation we're about to deal with, but I'm still baffled as to the logic here, Marilyn.”

Luz's remark wasn't unwarranted as Marilyn had led them to what looked like a small but abandoned magick store, one of many that highlighted the cultural heritage that ran deep in the blood of New Orleans itself. With the final Breakdown before Under Attack set to take place here, Marilyn had claimed to know the perfect meeting place where they wouldn't be disturbed on the off chance Caleb's goons were looking to try anything.

“What? This old store is practically Empire repellent!” Marilyn proudly claimed before her voice took on a more somber and reflective tone. “My aunt used to run it a long time ago... one of the best witches in the known world. That's why I know this piece of Clauson family history will keep those nutjobs away.”

“I don't think someone from The Empire will just suddenly combust into flames if they set foot in a place that's very much 'evil' according to their extreme beliefs,” Amelia pointed out.

“I guess we can only hope,” Ivy said with a hopeful chuckle before she headed inside with everyone else following her lead.

The interior of the old shop had certainly seen better days, but that was to be expected when no one had run it for a very long time. The shelves were still lined with all manner of items for witchcraft, voodoo, alchemy and various other occult practices that the group wasn't too familiar with, simply collecting dust from no one seemingly stepping in here in forever. Marilyn took in the surroundings with a tear in her eye before she wiped it away and began carefully clearing off a huge table so it and several chairs could be repositioned to the open space in the middle of the shop.

“I'm surprised all this stuff is still here if this place hasn't been open for a while,” Gage remarked as he examined a shelf of potions.

“Eh, people around here are smart enough to know that stealing from one of these places usually brings bad omens,” Marilyn explained as she continued setting up the table. “No one wants to be cursed by stealing from a witch, and our family hasn't had a reason to clean this place out... even though my aunt hasn't been with us for at least a few decades now. I've actually considered maybe trying to reopen this place once I finally throw in the towel on wrestling, connect with my family roots a bit more.”

“What happened to her?” Luz cautiously asked.

“Her whole family perished in a freak house fire almost 30 years ago,” Marilyn lamented. “No one knows what happened... their house just went up in flames while they were asleep. Her, her husband, their kid... all gone... just like that...”

Luz quietly nodded in understanding, Marilyn knowing full well of the pain she had to have gone through when her father's life was ended just as abruptly. Once everything was set up they all took a seat as Gage began sending off a couple of text messages to the rest of their group while Amelia and Ivy started talking about something and Marilyn texted her sister for updates. Luz, meanwhile, grabbed her own phone and opened up the message that had only further sent her thoughts into a spiral.

While she and Amelia were set to challenge for the Tag Titles at Under Attack next weekend, she would have another title opportunity all her own on this Breakdown when she challenged for the TV Title, the very same title that Amelia had held near the start of the year. She knew Kirsten Scott wasn't going to be an easy challenge, but that was exactly what Luz wanted: a challenge to prove herself. She thought back to the concerns when Amelia had this opportunity and how she'd wanted her title win to be a symbol that they could both succeed and hold gold in SCW... those thoughts, however, quickly found themselves being replaced by Ravyn's words from two weeks ago, taunting her with possibilities that she knew were stupid, trying to imply things that she knew would never happen.

“You OK?”

Luz snapped out of her thoughts when she realized Amelia had spoken to her, even somehow missing the comforting one-armed hug her fiancée had pulled her into. She took a deep breath to try and clear her head before gently kissing Amelia's cheek in thanks.

“I want to say 'yes' out of instinct but I think we both know better by now,” Luz admitted as Amelia glanced down at her phone to see the match notification.

“You're worried about having a chance at singles gold right before we challenge for the Tag Titles,” Amelia said, making it clear it was a statement and not a question.

“I doubt it was intentional, but... it just feels too perfectly timed, given what Ravyn's been trying to imply over the past few weeks,” Luz responded.

“Perhaps,” Amelia noted, “but that doesn't mean you haven't earned this opportunity as well and deep down you know that to be true. Focus on Kirsten and proving all the doubters wrong, then we'll do the same thing together come Under Attack. And as for the games Ravyn's been trying to play... we'll figure this out and overcome it, just like we've been doing against Caleb.”

Luz nodded, knowing that the two of them had started coming to a few realizations about Ravyn's tactics after the last Breakdown but tackling it had been put on the back burner in favor of the bigger issues beyond the ring. As if the universe knew that needed to be dealt with first so they could properly shift gears, Lily finally made her way into the store with Ryan following behind her, the look on his face about whatever he was here to share already raising concern.

“We can talk more about SCW later... promise...” Luz whispered to Amelia, giving her hand a gentle squeeze and planting another kiss on her cheek. Amelia nodded in return, the gesture being proof that she knew Luz would open up to her when they had the time and not try to use this as an excuse to avoid the issue like she'd done in the past.

That would be a talk for later, though... right now, there was more urgent business to attend to.

“First off, I apologize again to the two of you,” Ryan began once he'd taken his seat, nodding his head to Luz and Amelia, “for taking so long with this. The other case I was working was a rather important one and... let's just say some really dark things have been discovered that I won't go into yet. So... which one of you wants to go first?”

Luz and Amelia glance at one another in silent conversation before Amelia nods.

“I will. From what my siblings have told me, my parents and The Empire are still trying to prepare for a wedding that I have made clear will not be happening, and I have to know why they're so hellbent on this unholy matrimony I don't need and never wanted in the first place.”

“You have your father and Caleb to thank for that,” Ryan said as he grabbed what looked like a copy of a contract and slid it to Amelia to look over, with Luz reading along over her shoulder. “Back when they first met, apparently Caleb and Aleister really hit it off in regards to how much pride they have in their wrestling ability and their similar philosophies. Eventually they thought the best move they could make was to sign a contract that ensured a marriage between their respective heirs in order to merge their legacies and create what they believed was the strongest possible bloodline for future generations of wrestlers. Your parents apparently ruled out your sister Emily because of their inability to look past her being a twin, hence their side of the deal fell to you. As for Caleb's end... well... I'll talk about that shortly.”

Amelia's hands trembled with barely restrained rage as she looked over the contract. “They... they already sold me off to be some guy's wife before I was even born... all just to maintain this stupid idea of a 'pure, talented bloodline' regardless of how I actually turned out...”

Luz quickly pulled her into a hug, softly speaking in Spanish to help her try to calm down before she flipped the table, though she wouldn't blame her if she did.

“Luz,” Ryan continued, looking sorry for what he'd revealed to Amelia but making it clear the rest of his findings weren't going to be any easier to swallow. “Your information was a little harder to track down, mostly because Caleb did a real good job of covering his tracks, but his issues with your father clearly crossed several lines of professionalism. I'm sorry to say this, but the evidence I've found doesn't lie... your father's accidents were anything but.  Caleb paid people to injure your father and make sure anyone who could've seen it looked the other way. When that didn't get him to give up wrestling and, worse in his mind, led to him gaining a mother and daughter, he... he went as far as to coerce your father's final opponent to purposely botch the move that could, and did, take your father's life.”

Luz just gave Ryan a blank stare, clearly struggling to process this information. “That can't be... I know papá and El Hijo de la Muerte were fierce rivals, but beyond the public eye they deeply respected one another and he wasn't a bad man, it was just the character he presented himself as. He even retired after that match because of the guilt...”

Luz found herself trailing off as Ryan slid a few papers over to her that made her jaw drop. They were all letters from Caleb addressing Muerte, using that disgustingly manipulative tone he was known for to try and bribe the man into doing what he did in exchange for a hefty sum of money to help bail his family out of the financial trouble they were in. Eventually, even that tone was dropped in favor of flat-out threats on his family if he didn't do as Caleb wanted, the last of which was dated the morning of the fateful match.

“From what I was told when speaking with his wife, Muerte's family had people dressed in Caleb's white and gold color scheme lurking near their home for weeks leading up to that match,” Ryan explained, not even bothering to hide his own disgust. “The poor man realized that someone was probably going to lose something regardless of whether he complied or not, so he went through with it. You're right about him retiring right after that match... I'm sure you've also heard that he took his own life when the guilt became too much, which is another elaborate lie from Caleb. From what I've found, he was actually going to go to the police to admit the truth, willing to serve jail time if it meant clearing his conscience and putting Caleb in the law's crosshairs... Caleb, ever the control freak, made sure he never made it and staged the whole thing to look like what everyone believed it to be.”

It was Amelia's turn to pull Luz into a hug as she stared numbly at the proof in her hands, struggling to comprehend what would drive a human being to go to such lengths, and over a wrestling feud no less. Hating her father just because he always won their encounters was far too petty a reason to stoop this low and not care about the blood on your hands.

“...why...?” Luz finally squeaked out after a moment.

“That might be the most messed up part of all this,” Ryan sighed, bowing his head as he clutched his hands together tightly. “From what I've found... Caleb, at his core, might be one of the most extreme religious zealots I've ever seen, to the degree that he wouldn't have been out of place in events like the Crusades or the Salem Witch Trials. He truly, unironically, believes that God put him on this earth for the sole purpose of saving humanity from itself and making it 'pure' again. Wrestling was the platform that he wanted to use to spread that message, believing it to be the purest form of competition... at least, back in the older days of the sport. He legitimately believes he can either talk everyone around him into heeding his words and changing their 'sinful' ways or convince enough people to do so that he can try to wage a holy war to get the result he wants.”

“That sounds ridiculous,” Gage scoffed.

“It does,” Ryan agreed, “but that is the kind of mindset this man lives in. Everything I just told you about Caleb White, he wholeheartedly believes in. As far as it pertains to Amelia and Luz... Amelia, I think it's clear he and your parents want you to be the 'perfect wife' to not only continue his madness once he finally dies but also bring the next generation into it. Luz... he truly felt insulted by your father's moniker of The Angelic Spirit and believed the man spat in the face of everything he believed in and worked for, hence why he believed he was justified in the awful actions he took. In you, he sees a way to redeem himself for going that far if he can 'save you' from everything that makes you who you are and mold you, Amelia, and anyone else into his image. That includes his stolen heir...”

“Stolen heir?” Marilyn questioned. “You mean that Henry kid?”

Ryan nodded. “Caleb never married nor brought any children into this world, which also meant he couldn't fulfill his end of the deal with the Blythes. So, he decided to 'save' that child while 'saving' humanity from a sinful family through the concept of 'cleansing fire.'”

He slowly looked everyone there in the eyes before his gaze finally settled on Marilyn.

“I'm not supposed to be sharing this with you all, but... the cold case I've been helping with? It was the death of your aunt Martha and her husband Paul... Caleb's older brother. And Caleb himself was the one responsible for it.”