Post by Reya Serra on Jun 23, 2014 21:57:56 GMT -6
Revelation
“I fail to see the purpose of this.”
Aside from a sigh of dismay and a shake of my head the Saint Paul, Minnesota hotel room I am sitting in remains silent.
“You are aware that right now I should be preparing for Exposure and my rematch against Seth Iser, are you not?” I ask as I glance at the man standing in the room, none other than my personal physician John Luke Abraham.
“I am,” he finally speaks. “And that’s why you’re here. Preparation.”
“Sitting here will do nothing to aid me in the ring,” I tell him sternly as I stand. “I need to be training.”
“Preparation is every bit as mental as it is physical,” John says to me. “You’re in no way mentally prepared for the match you’re about to step into…”
“Excuse me?” I snap back, glaring into his eyes angrily. “What makes you an expert on my mental preparedness? You are merely a doctor that heals broken bones...”
“The psych rotation this doctor that heals broken bones did in med school does,” John replies back, interrupting me. “Now, you might be firing on all cylinders in training, but the fact of the matter is that when you’ve been getting in the ring lately your head’s not in the game, Reya. In fact, I’d guess that it hasn’t been since the first Breakthrough when you fought Seth Iser. You’ve been out of it, losing matches left and right. Bottom line is that you need to get your head on straight and quick if you’re going to get into the ring with him again.”
“Or what?” I question, my glare continuing as I take a step closer to him. “He will pick me apart like a tactician and reveal me to simply be the fraud that he and many others think that I am.,.”
Moving another step closer, I come nearly face to face with John.
“That he will expose me?”
“Or you’re going to get seriously hurt,” John says worriedly. “Your friend...she’s worried about you...and frankly, so am I.”
Seeing the worry in his eyes, I grab his hand and smirk slightly at him.
“There is no need to fear, John,” I tell him softly, almost in a whisper. “Let him expose me. Better yet, perhaps I should expose myself…right now. That is what you want from this little session after all, is it not?”
John stammers, unable to speak as I take his hand bringing it closer to me, more specifically to the area just above my chest. “To see me...all of me...completely naked? Would that satisfy you?”
He remains speechless as I continue with a nod. “Very well then. I will reveal myself to you, John, showing you more than I have even shown Paxar during our many years of friendship. Let us start, shall we? First off…”
I take his hand and move it even closer to me until it touches the silver cross necklace I am wearing around my neck. “I am a devoutly faithful woman. You know that no doubt. I have been since childhood, which I can assure you did not always sit well with my sisters...but do you understand why I hold as much faith for the Lord that I do? No? Then I shall tell you.”
Pausing momentarily to take a breath, I continue. “See, when I was younger my sisters and I...we were separated. At one point I wound up in a dark room, shackled...I was beaten and subjected to other horrors...my sisters knew not where I was…I was merely a child all alone, except for the ever constant presence of the Lord. I prayed for hours, days, weeks for escape. It was an arduous situation, but in the end I firmly believe that it was my faith in Him led me out of that room. I have never forgotten that and I have carried that faith with me no matter where I go or what I do ever since.”
John goes to try to finally get a word out, but I stop him. “Please, allow me to continue,” I say to him as I take his hand and move it to my other arm, allowing his fingers to trace along the scars that were previously etched into it. “When people first look at me, I know what they see. They see me, my porcelain skin and they believe that I am perfection personified. Then they see this...taintedness. Nobody is perfect, John. Not even myself, a fact my sister Cera reminded me of when she carved into this arm…”
“Your own sister did this to you?” John blurts out suddenly, appearing shocked at my revelation. “How could…”
“We may be twins, but I can assure you that in several aspects the two of us are quite opposite from one another,” I tell him with a nod. “Seth Iser seeks to prove that I am not the perfect little Christian woman, a fact that even I myself do not disagree with, yet he forgets my tainted arm...a symbol of my imperfection that is there not only for him but for all to see.”
Moving his hand once more, this time I place it upon my chest to his surprise. “Yet my heart is pure, perhaps the purest part of me that there is. It is joyful in triumph and saddened in defeat. It beats stronger when I am with my sisters, weakens when I lose someone close...even flutters when I am with a man that I care about…”
I pause nervously as I peer into his eyes before continuing on. “Seth Iser may hurt me in that ring but regardless of the outcome, regardless of my imperfections, my faith will continue on unwavering. My heart will beat on. So let him try to expose me for what he believes I really am. He will find nothing more than what I have revealed to you just now. I can assure you of that.”
Finally, I release his hand allowing him to pull it back towards him. Letting out a slight laugh, I smile at him. “I suppose this little talk was helpful after all. Thank you.”
Suddenly and without warning I lean into him, giving him a soft, tender kiss upon his lips. As I pull back, the both of us appear both speechless and surprised by what has just taken place. After a moment and beginning to feel slightly embarrassed, I turn away from him and exit the room leaving him behind still attempting to figure out just what had transpired. As I close the hotel room door, naturally my best friend Paxar is standing outside waiting for me.
“So...how’d it go with the doc?” Paxar questions as I walk down the corridor away from the room, her following closely behind. “I know you’re not a big fan of shrinks and it’s not like he’s got a lot of experience as one, but he is a doctor at least...”
“I shall simply say that John and I had a...revealing discussion,” I tell her as my cheeks begin to turn a slight shade of red.
“Revealing discussion, huh? I take it that it went well then and that you’re ready to take on Iser?”
Glancing back at the hotel room I notice the door open and John step out, almost immediately gazing back at me.
“Indeed.”
Stepping into the ring with Seth Iser is similar to playing a hand of poker. Now, I do not care much for the gambling but there is much to be said for the strategic aspect of the game.
See, in our match at the first Breakthrough it was clear that while both of us had strong hands that his was the stronger of the two. I was unaware of it at the time and it cost me dearly.
Yet here we are again, the cards shuffled once more and dealt to both of us. This time, however, I happen to know what Seth his holding in his hand across the table. How? Well, let us just say that sometimes he is not too difficult a person to read. I know what he has and how he intends to use it.
He will no doubt believe that he once more has the better hand, that he can once more defeat me and show everyone that I am a failure, an imperfect fraud. His approach will be direct and aggressive. I would expect no less.
As for me? What Seth Iser does not know is what I have in my hand. Normally I keep my cards close to my chest, but this time is different. No, this time I know for a fact that my hand is stronger than his. There will be no bluffing, no shenanigans of any sort. Instead, I will do that which he has ironically been demanding. I will bear my cards for him and for all to see, the good and the bad, without hesitation. I doubt he will see it coming.
Worst of all? The cards in my hand are more than enough to beat him. He thinks the bad cards I hold will not only weaken me but destroy me. He could not be more wrong if he tried. If anything, they strengthen me. They make me a better person. I am not ashamed of them, nor will I ever be.
I am Reya Serra Janason. That is all that I am and all that I will ever be. I have walked through happy fields and encountered my fair share of dangers, toils, and snares but still I keep on keeping on.
When I step into the ring with Seth Iser, I will be exposed but I will be the one who has exposed myself...and in the end I will not only feel freedom in doing so but I firmly believe that I will also reign victorious over Seth Iser as well.
So the time has come to lay down all of our cards on the table, Seth...and I could not be more delighted to do so.
Why?
Because there is no better hand than the royal flush I am holding in my hands.