Kimberly Williams vs. Crystal Zdunich

[The Matt]

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December 11th, 2023
Boston, Massachusetts
Off Camera
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It is a monday afternoon in Boston, Massachusetts at a small private gym on the grounds of Angelica Jones’s vast estate. Only the wealthy can afford their own private gym and Angelica Jones happens to be blessed financially to afford such an accommodation. Angelica’s daughter, “The Woman Scorned” Kimberly Williams, has never been one to take advantage of such financial perks. Kimberly prefers to keep herself grounded by living in what some might describe as squalor, others would be generous and suggest that she just lives modestly. It keeps the eccentric ginger connected to the common person, the average fan that she believes she represents. Yet there comes a time when even Kim must break her own rules and embrace the wealth she was born into. And with one more week of Fatal Fortunes on the way, and her quest to regain the SCW Underground Championship and dismantle the House of James still far from over, the self-proclaimed Queen of the Death Match has chosen to accept the invitation of her mother to train at the Jones family’s private gym.

Preparing for SCW’s last few weeks of 2023 is Kimberly’s primary focus. She hasn’t been able to place as much attention on her career as she would have liked in the last couple of months, due to the fact that her twin sister, Marie Annabelle Jones, has fallen back into the cult known as the Inner Peace Enlightenment Retreat. Kim had spent much of her time trying to convince her sister not to return to Inner Peace. She spent much of her time trying to convince Marie how dangerous that group was; only her efforts were in vain. Marie left the family, left society as we know it, she left everything to return to Inner Peace. This had been quite the distraction for The Woman Scorned, perhaps enough of a distraction to cost her the SCW Underground Championship. But now Kim has all but given up hope on Marie. Kim has decided to focus on what she can control; her wrestling career and taking care of her nephew, the son Marie left behind. It is a bittersweet opportunity for Kim. She loves spending time with her nephew Sean. Sean adores Kim. Those closest to Kim who have seen how they interact with one another have often pointed out how motherly Kim has behaved around Sean. But Kim will laugh it off; she would never make a good mother. She isn’t the mothering type. A psychopath like her just should not be trusted with caring for a minor. And yet Kim is being forced to care for Sean due to her twin sister Marie abandoning him and the entire family for this cult.

This private Jones family gym is certainly more upscale and modern than anything Kim is used to. It looks very nice and exquisite, which makes Kimberly feel somewhat out of place. Another reason Kim might feel out of place is that she is here to train and exercise dressed up like Elmer Fudd from Looney Tunes. Williams is at the heavy bag throwing punches and kicks. A few feet away is a standard regulation size wrestling ring. Sitting on the apron of the ring are three important people in Kim’s life; her beloved penguin Wasley, her nephew Sean, and Kim’s half-sister Jessica Lasiewicz.

“Take that you wabbit!” Kim remarks in her best Fudd voice after delivering a roundhouse kick to the heavy bag which sends it flying back.

“Kim…” Jessica chuckles “...what are you doing?”

“Be vewwy vewwy quiet. I’m kicking wabbits.” Kim throws another kick and then throws several quick jabs at the heavy bag. Lasiewicz and Sean both stifle laughter. Sean finds this hilarious. Jessica can’t help but laugh but also knows her sister better than Sean does. She suspects that Kim is up to something. She may act like a nut but there is almost always a purpose behind her insane antics, even though most do not see it.

“Are you competing on Fatal Fortunes this week, Aunt Kim?” Sean asks curiously.

“I doubt it, I awweady fought wast week; but you nevew know what might happen on bweakdown.” She winks at her nephew. “Uhuhuhuhuh!”

“Seriously, Kim, you’re cosplaying as Elmer Fudd. You should be training. What gives?”

“Isn't it obvious, Jessie? I'm hunting cuwtists. Uhuhuhuhuh!”

Lasiewicz has an idea what Kim has in mind and she doesn’t like it, not one bit. She starts to speak up but she is interrupted when Sean chimes in excitedly. “Aunt Kim! Can I try the heavy bag?” Kim smirks and steps to the side, motioning towards the heavy bag.

“Knock youwsewf out, kiddo. Uhuhuhuhuh!” You don’t have to ask Sean twice. The teenager immediately takes to the bag, throwing rapid fire punches and the occasional kick at the bag. Kim and Jessica watch on. For someone who has yet to receive any formal training, he certainly packs a good punch. But Lasiewicz realizes that she needs to talk to Kim and talk to her privately. With Sean distracted this serves as the perfect opportunity.

“Come with me, Fudd.” Lasiewicz remarks as she takes Kim by her arm and drags her off to the other side of the gym, safely out of Sean’s hearing range. Jessica gets Kim cornered against a wall and folds her arms over her chest. She glares at Kim.

“So you’re hunting cultists?” Jessica asks. Kim nods her head enthusiastically.

“Yup!”

“Gówno” Jessica swears out loud in Polish. Kim immediately places a hand over her half-sister’s mouth.

“Language! There are young kids present!”

“Sean doesn’t speak Polish, Kim.” Jessica remarks. Kim grins.

“Oh yeah! I forgot!” Kim laughs. Jessica gently but still somewhat firmly smacks her.

“Get serious, Kim. I understand that you are upset about Marie, I am too, but you can’t go around hunting the Inner Peace cult, you can’t go around killing people, you can’t…”

“Whoa, whoa, hold up there, Jess.” Kim shakes her head. “Killing? Who said anything about murder? 2023 is just a few weeks away from ending and I have kept my resolution to not murder anyone for an entire year thus far. Why would I ruin my perfect record now on Marie’s new sex pals?”

“So you’re not worried about Marie?” Jessica asks. Kim shakes her head.

“Not one iota. The cult I am focused on burying in my backyard is the cult of James. Him and his goons have interfered in my business one too many times now. It’s unlikely that I’ll get booked for another match of Fatal Fortunes, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t show up this week to make The Cult of James’s lives a living hell. One by one I will stalk them, I will hunt them down, and one by one I will take them out.”

“What about your friend Datura?” Jessica asks.

“She’ll be number one on my list.”

“Kim…”

“Don’t say anything, Jess, because I know what I’m doing. I’m going to get rid of them one by one. Then I can have a fair fight against that idiot James. I’m sure mom might shed a tear or three when I murder her ex-bestie but oh well.”

“And you’re certain our mother is ok with this?”

“She endorsed it!” Kim says with a sick, twisted grin on her face. “Those idiots having been holding me back for far too long. They have been impeding my own success. I am going to get rid of them and then get back to my winning ways. In fact, I already heard through the grapevine that my next match will be against one Crystal Zdunich. And when I say that I heard through the grapevine I mean I heard from mom.”

“She’s still helping you backstage on Breakdown?” Jessica asks. Kim immediately nods her head.

“Absolutely. Someone has to keep me in check. Otherwise I might actually murder them all.” Kim winks knowingly. Lasiewicz shudders, for she isn’t sure whether Kim is joking or serious when she says that she would consider murdering everyone if it weren’t for their mother keeping her in check. Kimberly can be a wild card. It is hard to predict what she will do from time to time. Yet, at the same time, Jessica cannot help but notice how different Kim has been since she has had to take on the added responsibility of taking care of their nephew Sean. Then a thought enters Jessica’s head. She turns to look at Sean, who is still punching away at the heavy bag. Then she turns and looks back at Kim.

“You’re lying.”

“Me? Of course I’m lying.” Kim furrows her brow. “Lying about what exactly?”

“About Marie.” Jessica points out. “You are lying, you really are still concerned about her.”

“No, of course not!” Kim exclaims. “She made her decision and she’s gotta live with it! It’s none of my business anymore.”

“It may not be any of your business.” She points at Sean. “But it is HIS business and that’s why you are still pissed.” There is a long pause as the sisters lock eyes. After several tense moments Kim sighs and nods her head.

“Oh alright I admit it.” Kim nods her head. “Yeah, I’m still pissed. I am still pissed off at Julianne, at Raul, at that whole cult community. Do you know how difficult it has been for me to restrain myself? I want to march right into their little compound and kill each and every one of them and drag Marie back home kicking and screaming.”

“But you can’t.” Jessica answers. “Because you know fighting will only drive a wedge further between yourself and Marie. And acting violently against them could get yourself into trouble with the law.”

“Yeah…” Kim looks over at Sean and sighs “...and I have to be here for the kiddo.”

Lasiewicz can see the real pain in Kimberly’s eyes. She wraps an arm around her shoulders. “It’s ok, Kim.”

“No, it isn’t ok.” Kim shakes her head. “There’s nothing I can do and it drives me crazy. Crazier than usual, because look at me standing here dressed like Elmer Fudd! That’s why I’m throwing myself into my work. That’s why I’m throwing myself into SCW. Focusing on wiping out James Evans and his groupies. Wiping out Crystal Zdunich. Focusing on what I can control as opposed to what I cannot control.”

The sisters both turn to watch Sean continue to work the heavy bag. Kim cannot help but smile with pride at what her nephew is doing. Jessica grins as well. She looks over at Kim. “You’re doing a great job, Kim. Sean adores you.

“I’m not doing anything special.” She shrugs her shoulders. “I’m not doing anything you wouldn’t do.”

“Have you heard anything new from Marie?” Jessica asks. Kim shakes her head.

“The last time I saw her was at that biker bar. She seemed way too caught up in that cult and didn’t seem interested in returning to the family.” Kim sighs. “I don’t know what Julianne and Raul have feeding her, but she’s been eating it up, drinking it up, she’s been taking it all in. I’m not sure what to do, Jess.” She shrugs her shoulders. “I’m almost ready to just give up on her.”

“We can’t give up on her, Kim.” Jessica insists. “We have to keep trying.”

“But what can we do?” Kim asks. “You said it yourself, I can’t just go barging in there and drag her back kicking and screaming. She has to want to come back. She has to see this group for what it is; and I have tried to make her see it, I have tried to explain it to her, but she just refuses to listen.” Kim chuckles. “Hell, and people think I’m stubborn!”

“Let’s start with what makes Inner Peace seem so endearing to her in the first place. What attracts someone like Marie to join that group?”

“Depression.” Kim answers pointedly. “Both times she joined it was because of depression. She was engaged to mary a dude named Arthur; he committed suicide shortly before the marriage and Marie blamed herself. That’s when she joined Inner Peace the first time.”

“Why is she depressed now?” Jessica asks.

“She believes that her life lacks purpose.” Kim sighs. “Ever since she walked out on her SCW contract, no wrestling promotion has been willing to sign her to a full time contract. She’s a part timer now just because no one wants her. She believes she has so much more to offer, to give, but she’s almost in forced retirement because she can’t get any work.” Kim bows her head in shame. Jessica notices the look of guilt on her half-sister’s face.

“What’s wrong, Kim?”

“It’s my fault, isn’t it?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Marie has busted her ass for so long to make herself a success. Me? I wasn’t the chosen one. I wasn’t the golden child. Hell, I’m just in it to have fun. Yet I’ve achieved so much success since she left SCW.”

“Quit that line of thought right now.” Jessica commands, again gently but firmly smacking Kim across her face. “It isn’t your fault Marie went back to that cult. You should not have to delay your own career or hold yourself back just to make her feel good.”

“Fine.” Kim looks back up at Sean who has finally stopped punching the heavy bag. He is sitting back on the wrestling ring apron and is playing with Wasley the penguin. Kim turns to look back at Jessica. “But what about Sean? We need to get Marie back for his sake but how do we do it?”

“First of all don’t overthink things.” Lasiewicz advises. “I know you enjoy your long, drawn out, complicated plans, and I admit, usually they are kinda fun to watch. But in this case you just need to keep to the KISS method.”

“Like Gene Simmons?” Kim asks. Lasiewicz rolls her eyes.

“No…KISS as in Keep It Simple Stupid.”

“I’m not stupid!” Kim exclaims.

“It’s just a phrase.” Jessica sighs and shakes her head. “Look, you and Marie are identical twins. There is no closer bond, no closer relationship, than an identical twin. Think about it like that and I am sure the answer will present itself to you.”

Kimberly stands there and thinks about Jessica’s words for a moment. She raises a very valid point. Kim and Marie are identical twins, and even though one’s first impression would indicate that they have very different personalities, Kim has come to realize in this past year that they really are not all that different. Perhaps the secret to rescuing Marie and reuniting Sean with his mother lies within Kim? Perhaps the secret is simply Kim doing some introspection of her own? If Kim can look into her own soul and figure out what makes her tick then maybe she will know what it will take to bring Marie back home? The more Kim thinks about it the more it makes sense. Jessica is right, the answer has indeed presented itself to her.

“You know something Jess, that is brilliant!” She exclaims. “Absolutely brilliant! I’d call you a genius except that I’m in the room!”

“Thanks…” Jessica answers “...I think…but uh, before we go any further, would you mind telling me what you’re thinking about? I mean, if I have to bail you out of jail I would like to go ahead and raise the bond money now.”

“Oh don’t worry, my plan is perfectly safe for all parties involved.” Kim says with a playful wink.

“Then what do you have in mind?”

“That’s my secret. But let’s just say that maybe me and Marie are not as different as I once thought?”