Post by Wonder on May 12, 2024 11:48:34 GMT
If a passer-by were to describe the pair, the word “unremarkable” would spring to mind. The straight brown hair and plainness, both in dress and appearance, was one they had inherited from their loving mother. Their brown eyes were curious yet carried a weariness of those who had been through more lows than highs during their short lifetimes. It was though regardless of whether they smiled or laughed, there was a particular heaviness they dragged along with them - a cloud that mirrored the smell of rain they bore.
Yet, when Autumn Lockhart had her hand raised for the first time in a declaration of victory, she exchanged a look with her older sister, Liana, who was standing on the sidelines. At that moment, something welled up inside her that she could not quite describe.
At sixteen, winning a grappling competition for newcomers, in the presence of only the immediate families and close friends of those competing, was nothing but a light breeze passing through a big town. This was no maelstrom that had come to devastate the world, nor an announcement from Everest’s peak declaring her arrival on planet Earth.
But as she stood there, it was as though she could feel every drop of Pride being imbued into her through her sister’s gaze. Those “plain” eyes lighted a fire beneath her that made her spirit roar. Then, it dawned on her. Right now, regardless of what was happening outside of this humble hall…
They were the protagonists of The World.
Your screen shakes as Autumn places her phone onto the tripod setup. She flashes a smile toward people who are out of the shot. Around her, the general noise of the gym she is filming in can be heard. The smacking of leather. Clinking of iron. A reminder of the path she has chosen. She sits down on a bench, facing the camera and leaning forward, using her shirt to wipe the sweat from her brow.
‘Hi, NPWA. My name is Autumn Lockhart. But you can just call me Wonder.
‘I kept rethinking how to start this. How to introduce myself to all of you, without seeming too gimmicky, too… cliche? Too happy to be here and excited at the prospect of turning a dream into reality. It's a fine line to ride, and knowing that most people decide whether they like you or not based on first impressions means I best get this one right, huh?
‘So I’ll do my best to be upfront with you all. While I don’t know the roster from top to front, one thing is evident: I am by far the least qualified to be here.
‘I’m no Sean Parker, with a fabled list of accomplishments that span across several years and organizations that would make anyone proud, let alone someone who hasn’t even hit 30.
“I’m not Adam Garcia. I didn’t win a gold medal and reach the top of the industry as a teenager. No, when I was a teenager, I was practically in my infancy when it came to jiu-jitsu, and in my mentality. Back then, I was still asking myself if I was actually meant for something more, or if I was just destined to wander from place to place and hope I had enough to cover rent for the month.
'I wasn't born into wealth, nor did I have a particularly interesting upbringing. There was no generation of former wrestlers in my family who grew up with the business and wanted me to follow in their footsteps. There was no magical, movie scene-type moment that changed my life and told me "Hey Autumn, this is your life purpose."
'Without sounding too down on myself, because that's really not what this is... I can safely declare myself as average. Some people think that as the worst fate once can be dealt since it makes you practically invisible.
Wonder shakes her head.
‘I disagree. Being able to become lost in the crowd taught me a lot. One: Very few people actually care about you. Two: Comparisons are pointless. Three: Never expect anything. And four?
She smiles, gesturing to herself.
‘Anything can happen to anyone. Take me for instance. Like I said, I don’t belong here compared to the guys I’ve just mentioned, but remind me what lesson two was?’
Another brief smile.
‘And it just so happens, in a World where most would argue I’ve been dealt an unfortunate hand… that something unimaginable would happen.
‘Who could have predicted that of all people, a cousin whom I hadn’t spoken to in years would not only manage to become a superstar of wrestling’s modern era… but also be linked to the commissioner of the boldest arrival to the wrestling scene, NPWA? So much so in fact, that a nobody like me could get the call-up, almost entirely by association.
‘I’m sure that pissed a lot of people off, and honestly? Can’t blame them. Not one bit.
‘So what’s left for me to do? Crumble under the bright lights? Apologize that I got handed something? I mean, I definitely could. I’m sure there’s someone with far greater of a claim to a roster spot than myself.
‘What could be a better apology than shocking the world, and winning this whole damn thing to set the tone for what NPWA is gonna represent?’
Paper-thin, hollow walls did little to keep out the noise of her flatmates, who seemingly had no jobs or responsibilities to worry about for the following day. Autumn grumbled into her pillow. She lifted her head and leaned over, grabbing her phone from the bedside table. She squinted as the light practically blinded her in the darkness until she could make out “3:23am” at the top of the screen.
A small groan of defeat escaped her lips. She had known this would be part of the process. The pain period. The adjustment of leaving behind everything she knew in search of something better. Still, those thoughts did little to ease the sense of worry that was beginning to gnaw away at her stomach. A month in America, and all she had gotten was a mediocre part-time gig as a cashier and a destroyed sleep schedule she could owe almost entirely to the band of merry men she had been cooped up with by necessity.
However little she got along with them, the room was astonishingly cheap, and the flat was kept cleaner than she would have expected. Regardless, she knew this was still not what she had imagined when moving here.
She rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling, which to her appeared as little more than a void of stretching darkness, her eyes not yet adjusted to the dark. She whispered a small prayer, so light and airy that it was as though she were blowing on her own clasped hands. Almost through tears, she comforted herself, believing this was all part of Liana’s plan. What she would have wanted. In her imagination, she envisioned Liana being there right now, smiling at her and messing with her hair, telling her to not be so bleak – things were looking up.
Oh, how she prayed that was true.
‘Primadonna’ by Marina and the Diamonds greeted her the next morning, blasting from her phone which she forgot to put on silent. She turned to her side, eyes in a deep squint to make out the caller ID, to which there was none.
With a sigh, she muted the phone and nuzzled back into the pillow. It was 9:30am, and she didn’t have work until 12, meaning she could-
The phone began to vibrate once more. The battle of whether she should answer ensued in her head for about three seconds, though in her mind, it felt like the entirety of a brutal winter’s siege. Then, she picked up the phone.
‘Hello?’ she said, trying to keep the grogginess out of her voice.
‘Hey, this Autumn?’
The voice was entirely unfamiliar, though that didn’t surprise her. She only knew a handful of people in the States – most of them falling under the same roof as her.
‘Yeah. Who’s this?’
‘Name’s Spencer. I’ve got something to ask you if you’ve got a minute.’
“The Couch”, better known as Ivan Cauchi, looked the young woman across from him up and down in disbelief. He then glanced at the MacBook on his desk, skimming over the email sent to him by one of Commissioner Adams’ assistants. With a frown, he leaned forward, making a point of adjusting his spectacles.
‘No wrestling experience?’ he said, a quizzical eyebrow raised. Autumn nodded, not disputing the fact.
‘Pretty much,’
‘But it says here you’re a…’
‘Did a fair bit of jiu-jitsu back home. Got pretty handy at it,’ she added with a polite smile.
‘Right,’ Ivan replied, unimpressed. ‘Issue is, “pretty handy” doesn’t exactly cut it when you’re against the crème de la crème,’ he continued. Autumn seemed unperturbed by his disapproval, often finding it was those least qualified to judge that were the happiest to do so. Unable to read her thoughts, Ivan carried on.
‘So, the commish threw you a bone because you know a guy. That the gist?’ Ivan said, nodding to himself while he continued to read the email.
‘Kinda. I’m related to that “guy”,’ Autumn said, keeping her tone casual.
‘And he’s some sort of big deal, is he?’
Autumn’s chuckle was mirthless.
‘Not anymore.”
Ivan grunted, then began filling out information on a document, while Autumn waited patiently. She took a sip of the complimentary coffee available at the office - the first she’d had in weeks. If this was a sign of things to come, she felt she could grow accustomed to this.
A while later, after having taken a short break, Ivan filed the documentation away after declaring he was satisfied with it. He gave Autumn another look, and had to admit that he was impressed: his hazing had not affected her, as it had many others in the past.
‘Out of interest, I had to search up the name,’ Ivan remarked. ‘To think I’d forgotten about the Ryan Lockhart.’
‘Time passes real quick in the wrestling industry, I’ve been told. I guess Ryan proves it, in a way,’
Ivan nodded thoughtfully. ‘I suppose that’s true. But what’s the deal? Did he make the call?’
This time, the amusement in Autumn’s laugh was evident.
‘No chance. He’s probably forgotten I exist,’ she said, matter-of-factly. Ivan adjusted in his seat, unsure of how to reply.
‘Not good terms, then?’ he answered after some hesitance. Autumn shrugged.
‘Different sides of The World. Hard to keep connected when we were both just barely scraping by,’ she said, then added: ‘And besides, we’re still family… and family means a lot.’
She could almost hear Liana saying the words herself.
‘In that case, you gonna go by “Lockhart” too, then?’
‘Not quite. They’ll call me “Wonder”,’
Ivan's furrowed brow practically asked the question for him.
'Story for another day,' Autumn said with an exaggerated cheeriness. Acting was a big part of the industry too, she'd heard.
We return to the shot of Autumn in the gym, a thoughtful expression on her face.
‘For the first time in my life, I don’t have to worry about anything.
‘Crazy to say, right? Right before I make my televised debut, in an appearance that could kickstart a career leading to fame, fortune, greatness. All the good stuff. Conversely, a bad start could lead to a downward spiral, a few lackluster performance, and being dumped back to square one with no guarantees of a future worth living.
‘But there’s something about being here that just feels so… right. This sixth sense that’s telling me that somehow, someway, ending up here was more than just luck. So how about it, then? A girl who came from nothing, who ended up gaining everything. Sounds pretty damn good to me. Or am I crazy? Maybe - but you need a bit of craziness if you want to make something of yourself.
‘Maybe the nerves will finally hit once I’m ready to take that stage. Maybe then I’ll realize that I’m in over my head. That “fate” and “luck” can’t make up for the years of experience that the rest of the locker room has under their belts.
‘I can’t control the outcome, but I can control my own actions. And one thing I am certain of is this: Like those who came before me, I am a survivor.
‘I don’t care about draft positions, the thousands of pounds of gold shared between my future rivals here, or who the favorites are.
‘As far as I’m concerned… this is a blank slate.
‘And it’s time to write my name all over it.’