Concussions, Coffee, And Changed People

“Ow.”

My best friend Paxar Vega clutched her rib cage, wincing in pain as the two of us sat in the medical area backstage awaiting word from the doctor regarding the extent of the injuries she suffered during my match against Rayne.

“I...I am sorry, Paxar. So very sorry. Please, forgive me--”

Paxar put up one of her hands, interrupting my begging for forgiveness.

“It’s not your fault, mi reina. I shouldn’t have gotten up on the apron. But I couldn’t just let her hit you with that chair.”

“Yet in doing so she struck you with the chair and now you are hurt as a result. I am to blame for what has transpired.”

“No, you’re not…”

Just then, the doctor walks up to us.

“Miss Vega, I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

“Oh dear,” I uttered worriedly.

“Give it to me straight, doc,” Paxar replied.

“You’ve got a concussion and a couple of broken ribs,” he told us. “I’d like for you to stay here in Norfolk for a day or two for observation.”

“No can do, doc,” Paxar said to him as she stood to her feet, still in visible pain. “I’ve gotta get back. Alex...she’s expecting me.”

“Allow me to rephrase, Miss Vega. I cannot allow you to travel in your current condition.”

“Can she travel after the observation period?” I questioned him.

The doctor nodded in response. “I will allow her to do so as long as there are no further complications.”

As I released a heavy sigh, I looked over to Paxar. “Mi amiga, you must stay here for now--”

“But Alex…” Paxar interrupts. “I need to get back to Alex, Reya.”

“Your health is of paramount importance, Paxar,” I declared strongly. “You must remain here in Norfolk for now until you are cleared to travel. Surely she will understand that...and if for some reason she does not then perhaps she is not deserving of such loyalty from you.”

“I hope you’re right, Reya,” Paxar replied as she sat back down with a hand on her ribs once more. “I hope you’re right.”


Walking into a Baltimore coffee shop in jeans and a red plaid t-shirt, I immediately notice Paxar wearing a simple white dress with a bright smile on her face.

“Well, well, well if it isn’t The Herald of Holiness and The Queen of the Visionaries herself,” Paxar announces cheerfully. “I’d give you a big hug right now but, you know…”

She points down at her rib cage, a look of disappointment on her face. “Stupid broken ribs.”

“How is your recovery going?” I question her worriedly.

“It was a slight concussion, but I’ve cleared the protocol,” Paxar declares. “The ribs are still bruised, but they’re healing. Not fast enough though. Kinda hurts to cuddle but there’s no way I’m giving up my Alex snuggle cuddles.”

Paxar lets out a slight giggle as we make our way to the counter to order. She reaches into her purse as the girl at the counter greets us. “Don’t worry, Reya. I’ve got this,” Paxar tells me before turning her attention to the girl. “Two grande mocha cappuccinos, please.”

Before I can open my mouth to speak, Paxar interrupts me as she hands the girl some cash. “I’m buying Reya Serra Janason and I’m not taking no for an answer. You paid my medical expenses. You put me and Alex up in a nice hotel in Norfolk when I had to stay. Not only that, but you took all of your pay from Heatstroke and had me donate it to charity. It’s the least I can do.”

“Blood money,” I mutter under my breath.

“What was that?” Paxar asks, having not heard what I said.

“I said very well,” I tell her as we await our beverages.

“How was church this morning?”

“It was alright, I suppose,” I say to her as we receive our drinks and make our way over to a nearby table.

“Ready for Breakthrough?”

A few moments pass before I respond, during which Paxar takes a drink and I let out a heavy sigh. “I suppose we shall find out.”

“Don’t worry, you’ve got this,” Paxar reassures me as I take a sip of my beverage. “After all, you’re The Queen of the Visionaries. Not only that, but you’re on a winning streak since coming back. Iser’s a tough steak but I think you’re gonna make it three in a row.”

“He will no doubt be looking for a different three in a row when he steps into the ring,” I remind her bluntly. “Not only do I have him to contend with, but his manager The Voice of Vitriol in Vincent Moretti as well. Plus, what with you in your current condition, I shall have no one in my corner.”

“I might be a little bruised, but I’ll always be in your corner,” Paxar declares. “After everything I’ve been through, everything we’ve been through the last year or so, Iser doesn’t scare me anymore. I’m not diving into the nearest janitor’s closet like a coward. I’ll be in your corner at Breakthrough and I’ll stand face to face with the masked menace if I have to…I’m not going to back down from him or anyone else anymore.”

“Let us hope, at least this time, that such an occurance does not come to pass,” I tell her concernedly. “I do not want you to become even more injured than you already are.”

“I’ll be careful, Reya. I promise.”


“Seth Iser...You and I have certainly come a long way, have we not?”

Reya steps out from the darkness and into the light as she continues.

“From the main event of the first Breakthrough event to squaring off at the first Visionaries pay-per-view Exposure to where we are now, facing each other once again at the fiftieth Breakthrough. We have taken different paths along the way, yet still here we are.”

She takes a short pause, glancing down for a moment before returning her gaze straight ahead.

“You took a path of destruction, highlighted with your most recent brawl with Sir Matthew Slater at Heatstroke. I...embarked on an alternate route filled with its fair share of happiness and disappointment. We are not the same two people that faced each other long ago. No longer are we simply The Herald of Holiness and The Deity of Destruction. You have turned further towards the darkness, dare I say so much that you have gone from a so-called deity to a full fledged demon. I, on the other hand, have taken my rightful place as The Queen of the Visionaries…”

Reya takes a breath before letting out a slight chuckle.

“Queen of the Visionaries...that title must boil your blood when it is mentioned with my name. Then again my mere presence angers you, does it not? Your friendship, one that many would say was more familial than friendly in nature, with my younger sister Vanessa and your respectful rivalry of sorts with my late twin sister Cera are both well documented. Yet you and I do not share that, do we Seth? We attempted to forge such a relationship during our time as members of The Court, even going so far as to travel together for a short time, though I do not believe that relationship ultimately came to pass. I know that it would be easier for you if they were here and I was not, but that is not the case. To you I am simply a disillusioned woman attempting to assume the legacy my sisters once held.”

She pauses once more, shaking her head.

“That could not be further from the truth. Yes, both Vanessa and Cera were Queens during their time in the ring, but who is the Queen that stands before you now? Who is the Queen that will be standing across the ring from you at Breakthrough, Seth Iser? Me. Reya Serra Janason. The Queen of the Visionaries. Their legacies may lie in the past, but my legacy is still being written even as I speak...and as God as my witness I intend for that legacy to not only equal theirs but surpass them as well.”

Reya takes a few steps forward staring directly ahead.

“You used to say that you deserved the respect of others, Seth. Do you remember that? Yet both times we have fought previously, you showed me no such respect. As you beat me down, you looked down upon me in disdain, with hatred in your heart. When we step into the ring once more against each other for Breakthrough, you will not look down upon me a third time. Times have changed, Seth Iser. We have changed...and when it is all said and done? I will deserve your respect.”