First Word Count- 1666 words
Updated Word Count- 3153 words (15th Jan 22)
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Looking at the building where for the first time in half a decade she was going to see her family, Novalee felt sick to the deepest depths of her stomach, all she could think about was turning around, driving away and disappearing for another 5 years. As she started thinking about every possible situation she was about to walk into, a feeling of vulnerability and nervousness hit the woman and after training herself for so long to feel nothing, it was a feeling she hated and wanted rid of, she knew who was signed after spending the last few days researching the company and she couldn't help but wonder how many of her friends who had signed she would lose after they found out who she really was. As the feeling of dread and panic became too much to handle, Nova said out loud, her brain going at a hundred miles an hour, "this was a stupid idea, what was I thinking . If I leave now, I could be back at home with a tub of ice cream within a couple of hours and no one would know a thing", however before she could start up her truck, she jumped as she heard a knock on her car window. As she calmed her breathing down, the purple haired woman turned her head to the side and rolled her eyes at the two men grinning at her and she couldn't help but smile at 2 of her best friends face's grinning at her, friends she hadn't seen in about a year after she moved completely away from California to Florida full time. As Nova opened the car window, she smiled as Nick stated "Jeez Lee-Lee, you look incredible" ,"You doing Okay doll?" Matt then asked, looking at the expression on the woman's face, reading her like a book, as she shook her head, he added " You have nothing to be nervous or anxious about, we have made sure we found you a room that is the furthest away from them, I promise Lee, you are going to be nowhere near them. We do need to get you through testing though, health and safety and all that, you ready to jump out". Knowing that there was no escape now, Nova wiped her eyes and got out the truck and faced the woman who needed to do all the tests and gave her the wrist bands she needed before walking away to the entrance Nova was being snuck through to test her once more. Pulling the bags she needed from the trunk, Matt smiled and joked "jeez Lee, how much did you bring with you!!!"as he grabbed the bag "well, I didn't know what was happening did I! Prepared for anything rather then failing, that's my motto". As Nick helped with her bags also, she felt him take the suit bag holding her specially made cape that finished off her outfit and heard him ask "what the hell is in here Lee? It weighs a ton" "Grow a set B2 and don't break it"and they walked in. As they got passed the second door of testing, Nova heard Nick joke "so Miss 'come prepared', what have you got planned for this reveal?" "This and That, Spoilers my friend" "I hear he is using a new nickname tonight for this match... 'the prince of pro wrestling' " Matt added, unaware of the effect it would have until he turned around and saw a pale looking Nova looking like she had been punched in the stomach, "Lee?" "He.....please tell me you are joking Matt" she replied with a lump in her throat, trying her hardest not to cry "No...he told us earlier, why..whats wrong" Matt replied confused and concerned about the emotion on the woman's face "forget it, just get me where I need to be" "Nov.." "Please!"she said again, cutting off Nick. As The Young Bucks walked the woman to her room, Novalee's mind was on what she had just heard, she knew that her brother hated her, but she didn't know how or why he thought that using THAT nickname was a good idea, yes he was their Dad's protégée and the apple of the mans eye, but that nickname.... 'The Princess Of Pro Wrestling' had always ALWAYS been hers, it was the one name their father had given her when he came and watched one of her matches in person, she remembered that day like it was yesterday.
Flashback
As I walk backstage after one of the most violent and bloody matches I had been in in my short career against one of the men who had quickly taken me under his wing, Matthew Justice, I was ready to get home, shower and sleep, safe in the knowledge that there was no way that either of my brothers would ever find out I had had another violent match against a man. Turning around the corner and pulling into my parents house hours later, at this point sore, cut and bruising all over , I pulled myself out of my car and made my way inside. Shutting the door and throwing my bag down, I suddenly hear from a dimly lit kitchen "Is that you Nova?" "Yes Daddy" I painfully sigh, knowing that my shower was calling me"Can you come in here a minute please Moondust". Walking in limping, I saw the look on my mother and fathers face and instantly my mother went into what could only be described as a neurotic meltdown "Jesus Christ Novalee, why must you do matches like this, you are cut all over" "Its fine, it's nothing mom" "It is hardly nothing. Virgil, why can you not put a stop to this" "go on up Michelle, I will be there soon, I just need to speak to Nove" "well hopefully you talk some sense into her" "night mom, love you" "I love you too, even if you are a pain in my ass and enough to cause me to have a heart attack". As soon as my dad heard the door shut, I saw him look at me and smile "what?" I reply groaning as I leant up to get a glass "I can't believe how good you are Noves, watching you in the ring, having a match like that....you have no idea". Hearing my father begin to well up, I turn around slowly and reply "all I have ever wanted to do dad was make you proud." Looking at his daughter, Virgil saw the tears in her eyes and it killed him, wrapping her in his arms "Novalee, you have always made me proud ALWAYS!! You were born to be in that ring, to me, you are the princess of pro wrestling, and the fact you are doing this on your own makes me even prouder".
Flashback ended
As they got the woman to her dressing room, thankful no one recognised or saw her, Nova quickly snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Nick ask her "This was the furthest room away from everyone, is it okay Lee?",unable to trust her voice, Nova simply nodded her head and seeing she needed some time on her own, Matt stated "You have our numbers Lee-Lee, if you need anything, just ring and we will bring it too you. We will leave you in peace" and they both left after giving her a smile. Looking at her surroundings, all Nova could do was sigh, of course she was happy to be there and was pleased that as a company, they had been very flexible with her outside work, but there was a part of her that was starting to think that perhaps her being there wasn't a good idea. As she sat down on the sofa to relax, all Nova could do was think, think about tonight, think about the reaction she was going to get from her family when they saw Little Novalee all grown up and looking a lot different to how she did. But most importantly she wondered how she was going to cope on her own seeing them, when she had for the past 5 years prided herself on being able to cope with everything thrown at her.
As the hours went passed, it also brought Nova closer to TV and most importantly her debut, and the start of her journey of revenge and retribution against her family and her emotions were starting to get to her a little more then she would like to even admit, she was ready of course she was, but she was nervous. Looking at herself in the mirror and at her bare face, Nova sighed as she forced herself up and went to her dressing table that The Bucks had managed to sort for her to start getting ready, knowing how long from Indy shows she had done how it took her to get ready from Nova to Clemmie Rose, which for her debut consisted of a coppery eye, a black lip and a pair of black contacts. After spending near enough 2 hours perfecting every inch of her face and her hair (which was curled at the ends and plaited at the top around her head like a crown) she was starting to feel more and more confident. As Nova looked at her transformation more closely and added more black to her eye shadow, she was happy with how she looked for the first time in a long time, but as she looked at her face, the purple haired woman couldn't avoid looking at the changes she had made to her face and body over the years she had been away from her family, she no longer looked like a Runnels and didn't see her family in any part of her when she looked at her reflection anymore which was something she was happy about, however there was a part of her that regretted what she had done to herself, unable to see her father in her anymore . When she had been growing up, she loved when people told her she looked like a perfect combination of both of her parents and now the only thing she could see of her old life was the eyes she had inherited from her father, something that out of nowhere made her remember a conversation she had with her father one night she was due to go out to a party.
Flashback
Walking down the stairs, ready to go out, I call out to my dad who was in his office "Dad, the girls are here, I don't know when I am going to be back" but before I could get any further, I hear my father call out "little girl, come in here and let me see you" . Rolling my eyes at his request, I sigh"DAD!, they're waiting..you know what Mack is like when she has to wait" talking about my best friend of years "she can wait Moondust..let me see what you are wearing".Walking into my father's office, I sigh as my dad looks at me and my choice of outfit "Dad, I am going to be late" "Novalee Matilde Runnels, where do you think you are going dressed like that?" I hear him say, disapproving tone and look on his face as he looks at my outfit once more "It's a party dad, everyone will be dressed like this". Watching him get up to get a closer look at my outfit, I hear my dad reply "I am not everyones dad Moondust, I am yours and I am telling you, you don't need to dress like or be like anyone else. You are perfect the way you are. I can't imagine with everything you have going on how tough things must be for you as a teenager, but you my baby are going to be big one day through nothing more then your beauty, your hard work ethic and your classiness". Looking at my father, I feel myself well up, there wasn't much my father missed out on with me, he had told me before that my mom falling pregnant with me gave him a chance he never had with the others and it made me feel extra close to him "okay Daddy, if it makes you feel any better I will go and change, but if Cody asks what I wore......" "I let you go out in the skimpiest of outfits. I don't know why you two can't just get on" "Ive tried dad, its not my fault if he doesn't want to try".
Flashback ended.
Pulling her vision away from the mirror, Nova stopped herself from bursting into tears and locked the memories she had of her time spent alone with her father back in their box, the memories that were the only thing that kept her going when she was alone, trying to find her way. As Nova went into her bag and pulled out her outfit and began sliding it on, she couldn't stop thinking about her father and how much she would give to be able to feel her dads arms around her one more time and have him make everything better. Knowing that she couldn't dwell on her family in a sentimental manner if she was going to make her debut one for the AEW history books, Nova picked up her crown and started attaching it to her head, but as she did, she heard a knock at the door and before she could say anything, she heard not only The Bucks come in, but Tyson walk in with brotherly looks on their faces at her choice of outfits. Looking at the brothers then the Canadian man with them, she heard the Canadian man joke "no hug for your best friend" and as she hugged him, she looked at the brothers in the corner who added "Don't start with the death looks woman, we didn't have a choice" "You did" "he heard us talking about you plus he runs the woman's division....no one else knows you are here Lee, I promise you" Matt sighed, seeing the anxiety on her face "they better not" Nova exclaimed already exhausted, sitting back on the sofa and picking up her crown. As they watched her fixing the crown to her hair, all three of the men were concerned, of course they wanted to bring her into a company that would be able to utilise her more, but they just hoped that this need to have her there wasn't going to end as badly as they were thinking when it was clear all she wanted was two things and that was to get on with the life she had made for herself and to ruin her family. As Nova leant down into her bag and pulled the gloves that had become her calling card out plus her newest mask she had had made for an Indy show that had ultimately been cancelled, she heard Matt ask while looking at the cape she had taken out of her suit bag "so...is this new?" "Firstly, you know its new so why the stupid question, secondly I thought I would try and new persona out while I destroy my family, did you sort out my chair?". Looking at the woman struggling to do her mask up, Tyson rolled his eyes and joked "pass it here fingers" "Thanks Ty" "and in answer to your question,, yes your death chair is sorted" Nick joked as he sat down and began to look at his phone. After helping her get it into place, Tyson asked the young woman with emotion in her eyes he couldn't quite put his finger on however hard he tried "are you sure about all of this Star? Taking on your family with no backup...its gonna cause more issues" "I appreciate your concern, I really do, but it caused issues when I was on the streets, when I had to work four jobs to even live and it caused issues when I ended up working myself into exhaustion to get my name out there so I could survive while he sat cushy. I had no one in the worst times of my life because of what they did, I have to do this Tyson, if for no one else, for me...I need to prove to him he was wrong" "Okay, okay...I can't pretend to understand but I get it, I might have an idea that will help you though" the man replied, a look of concern etched on his face and one of confusion on the masked woman's.
As the friends were talking, on the other side of the building, Cody had come out of his dressing room, ready for the evening and as he walked, Martin by his side, they ran into his wife and his brother and as they looked at the emotion on his face, they could see something was wrong, "what's wrong Code?" Dustin asked his brother who replied back, concern in his voice "I don't know...I just have a bad feeling something is going on, what though I am not sure" "maybe is nerves over the match" "I don't get nervous. I don't know I can't explain it" Cody retorted. After a few minutes of talking, Dustin smiled as he saw his daughter walk over to them "whats wrong with you Uncle Cody?' she asked as the uneasiness was becoming more and more obvious "he is on edge" Brandi sighed "well, if it isn't because of the match..maybe its something else, isn't it Auntie Star's birthday coming up....maybe that is what it is" "I doubt it Kota, I haven't thought about her in years" Cody denied, lying to his niece as they walked past the room that not only his three friends were in, but the woman that he had lied to his niece about not 5 minutes prior, who was putting the last bits of her debut outfit together. As they walked into the production area, Martin looked at the man he was coaching and seeing he was in his head, he said firmly "You need to get your head in the game Cody, Schuyler isn't going to be easy to beat. You thinking about Nova...HOWEVER MUCH YOU WANT TO SAY YOUR NOT WE BOTH KNOW IT IS A LIE when you haven't seen her in years isn't going to help you keep your title" "why haven't you seen her in years?" Laura asked dimly, coming in half way into the conversation "who is she...an ex girlfriend" "My Aunt" Dakota replied, rolling her eyes "so your sister!..cool, kinda weird but cool" Laura replied before going on her phone to check it before they all made their way out to the ring.