Prelude to Mayhem, Part IV: Salvation

PRELUDE TO MAYHEM, PART IV: SALVATION

2.3.2010
THE NEST
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
6:21 PM LOCAL TIME

"I'm leaving!" Wendy called behind her as she shut the door to her house. She turned towards her emerald-green Ford Focus and groaned. Just her luck, a full sheet of ice had encased her vehicle.

Wendy climbed into her car and started it, hoping that the now-frigid interior would warm up while she was scraping. It had been an especially bad winter here in the Midwest, and Indianapolis hadnt been spared a bit of Mother Natures fury.

And now Punxatawney Phil had seen his shadow. Six more weeks of this. Yippee.

Oh well, she better get scraping.

Wendy threw open the glove box, but instead of her ice-scraper, her eyes fell on two sheets of folded vellum.

Mandrake's letter.

Wendy quickly grabbed the scraper, and slammed the glove box shut. She hadn't told Terrence about the letter, and had ordered Cassie, her nanny, to do likewise. She didn't like to keep secrets from her husband, but she knew that if Terrence found out that Victor Mandrake had contacted her, he would do something amazingly stupid.

Something that would make her a widow.

Its not that she believed Terry wouldn't beat Mandrake in a fight. The two men had met in the ring three times. The first two, Terrence had the clear upper hand on Mandrake, but circumstances led to both of those matches ending with unsatisfactory results.

The third match ended with the Head-On Collision that netted Terrence Thompson his only World Championship.

But while she knew Terrence could beat Diablo in his prime, Terrence had not wrestled in nearly five years. Add to the fact that Mandrake tended to make sure fights happened in an environment that favored him, and Wendy knew the result of any such venture would be an unhappy one.

She had originally wanted to destroy Mandrakes letter, but she hadn't been able to do it. Ironically, she found the safest place to hide the letter was her car. Terrence was an automobile enthusiast, but his love was geared towards power and muscle, like the '71 Charger that sat next to her. In his mind, if you started your car, the whole neighborhood should know you started your car.

Which made her tiny little compact, in his mind, an abomination. At least she had bought an American car. Terrence probably would have divorced her on the spot if she had gotten a Volkswagon. But the little Focus made a perfect hiding spot.

Wendy stared at her windshield in amazement. She had sat there musing for so long, the car was already half defrosted. She quickly climbed out, and removed the rest of the ice from her car, then climbed back in. She went to replace the ice scraper, but found her eyes once again drawn to the letter. She had read it so many times over the past week. For some reason, reading the letter had turned into an act of penance. As if by reading the words of a monster could wash away the sin that now sullied her.soul.

Because, now, there was no doubt in her mind that she had betrayed Rick Logan.

Wendy finally popped her car in reverse, backing out of the driveway. The Comissioners meeting started in twenty-five minutes, and she needed to be on time. But as she drive, memories of her now dead friend came back to haunt her.

The first time she had met the man known as Ulfric, it had not been a cordial meeting. It was in the old California region, the Wx3. She and Terrence were there to defend the WFWA Tag Team titles, which they had shocked the world by winning in a battle royal after a mere two months in the Alliance.

The Dark Angels, as Ulfrics team with his brother Michael Lennox was named, hadn't been impressed at all, and with Lucifer (Ulfric's trusty barbed wire baseball bat), they pretty much splattered poor Terrence's blood all over California. Rumor had it a few drops landed in Nevada and Oregon, as well.

Enraged, the WhirlyBirdz then did something that was either tremendously brave, or mind-numbingly stupid. They challenged the Dark Angels to a hardcore match for the titles.

Then proclaimed that they would beat the two hardcore legends without lifting a single weapon.

To the shock of no one but the WhirlyBirdz themselves, the two rookies left Summer Games 3 without their titles. Ironically, it was this match that actually cemented the Birdz legitimacy in many minds, as she and Terrence had gone down fighting, displaying the same heart and tenacity that later valuted them to the top of the alliance.

But no amount of heart could kick out of a Bourbonizer onto a steel chair. She was plucky, not invincible!

The Birdz soon got a chance to reclaim their titles, but again fell short, this time winning on a disqualification after a frustrated Ulfric used Lucifer to do a little batting practice on her.

That set up the finale, Birdz vs. Dark Angels in a steel cage. By now, Terrence was frustrated, and proclaimed that if the goddamned Dark Angels were going to be swinging shit around, then by God, so was he. Wendy, ever the idealist, continued her weapon boycott, which continued until her retirement (save for a couple of instances when she just got too angry, lost it, and did somethig she'd later regret).

It was Wendy herself that changed the fortunes of that match, as she desperately hit her Vortexinator from the top of the cage on Michael Lennox, sending both plummeting 12 feet into the ring below. Ulfric, who had escaped the cage, hurried back inside to save his brother.

And came face to face with one very angry, chair wielding, Terrence Thompson.

Thwack. New champions.

After reclaiming the titles, Wendy had pretty much nothing to do with Ulfric. The Wx3 had shut down, and Ulfric traveled to the northwest, then Japan, then finally the Bayou in southern Louisiana. The Birdz fought to the bitter end in their beloved New England region, then moved on to wrestle in Canada. Sure, they occasionally passed each other in the hallway during interregional evrnts, but she couldn't remember a single interraction with Rick, even after the Birdz stunned the world by defecting to the BWA.

Until Devil's Dance.

Wendy had just finshed a bizarre triple threat match for two titles. Jonothan Cross had taken the first fall to claim the SSW Liberty Bell title, while Wendy had won the second, starting her phenomenal nine-month Louisiana State Championship reign. In the interest of sportsmanship, she was helping Cross up, and handing him his belt, when the lights went out.

She remembered being roughly thrown into the ropes, and tied up with something spiky. When the lights came back on, she saw she had gotten off easy. Jono Cross was a bloody mess, and he too had been tied to the ropes with a vine of roses. A masked man (later revealed to be Malik Johnson) stood in front of her. She didnt remember much, just something involving "Boothill", and Malik was gone.

Leaving her tied to the ring ropes, with Ulfric jumping over the security barrier, holding a pair of shears.

Right then and there, tired from a two-fall match and tied up, she thought she was going to die. But Ulfric, the blue-haired monster that had made a name for himself. through brutality, merely cut her free, and disappeared.

Later, after she had changed and settled down to watch the rest of the show, Ulfric approached her again. This time, however, he had tried to hit on her. Looking back, it was almost comical, the former World Champion stuttering over himself like an overgrown schoolboy. Wendy had tried to be polite, but firm. She had eyes for Terrence, and Terrence alone. Ulfric, growing irritated that his advancement wasnt working, informed her that once Terrence was out of the picture, she would see things differently. That, obviously, didnt sit well with her at all.

It sat well with her even less when Ulfric made good on his threat, blindsiding Terrence just as Terry was about to finish off Rayne and win the World Championship. Wendy ran down to make the save, but she was so intent on keeping Ulfric away from Terrence's prone form, she hadnt noticed Rayne coming up behind her.

Until he grabbed her ponytail. Why did they always go for the darned ponytail?

Before Wendy knew what was happening, she was doubled over, being set up for some devastating move. But Ulfric charged, decking Rayne with a clothesline. For the second time that night, Ulfric had saved her. She had stared at him, trying to find the words to thank him.

To thank the man that merely minutes ago had been trying to kill her lover.

Ulfric had his own ideas on gratitude.

He tried to kiss her.

In the four years she had spent in the ring, Wendy didnt think she ever threw a punch that landed harder than the slap that smashed into Ulfric's cheek. He recoiled, and Wendy got ready for the inevitable fight.

It never came.

Ulfric just stared at her, pain in his eyes. It was obvious he was confused, and Wendy, who had been forced to deal with mindgames disguised as romantic advances her entire career, realized- Ulfric had honestly thought his actions would win her affection.

She didnt know whether to laugh at his stupidity, take pity on his ignorance, or slap him again.

Fortunately, at this point all hell broke loose. Raynes cronies came down, attacking Ulfric, and Mike Sloan made his triumphant return. Wendy grabbed Terrence in the confusion, and the two were well backstage by the time Devils Dance came to a close.

Terrence had a demanded a match against Ulfric the next Rage, but Wendy had a better idea. She normally hated handicapped matches, they were qutite unfair. But maybe if Ulfric saw both WhirlyBirdz united against him, it would send the appropriate message.

Terrence, for his part, wanted Wendy to be the one to get the pin, to send another message. Having Ulfric down, he tagged in Wendy, who vaullted to the top rope for her Emerald Cyclone. Just one problem.

Ulfric caught her. And the resulting powerbomb was rumored to have registered on several nearby seismographs.

So she was unconscious when Ulfric looked on in horror at the realizaton of what he had done. She was unconscious when Terrence came up from behind, hit the Last Lap, and scored the win.

She was unconscious when Terrence cradled her in his arms, trying to get her to wake up. She was unconscious when Ulfric, now angry, grabbed Lucifer and began tearing her boyfriend apart with it.

And she was unconscious when her manager, trying to save Terrence's life, offered up her hand in a date as the prize in a stretcher match.

Needless to say, she was not a happy person when she finally woke up.

The stretcher match, like most stretcher matches, was a bonafide exhibition in brutality. She had stood by the ambulance, and watched with horror as Terrence and Ulfric ripped each other to shreds. But Terrence, as good as he was, wasn't anywhere near as experinced in brutality as Ulfric was. And then, with her beloved tied to a stretcher, bleeding, she watched as Ulfric kicked the stretcher over, for no other reason than to torture him.

At that point something inside her snapped. Her code of ethics be damned, there was no way that monster was winning this match! So she grabbed a chair, and with all her might, swung it at Ulfric.

Ulfric, at this point, was too drunk on adrenaline, hatred, and triumph, to feel anything else. He ripped the chair from her hand, and with her off balance, shoved Terrence in the ambulance, and slammed the door.

The date was his.

Again, however, Ulfric had taken one look at her, standing with tears streaming down her face as she watched the ambulance pulled away, and he knew somehow he had erred. Apologetically, he tried to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

She punched him in the face.

Actually, she did a lot more than that. She vaguely remembered a lot of screaming on her behalf, a thrown chair, and at least two professions of her undying hatred. Pollaski later said it was the best meltdown she ever had, and that included the time after her mother's death when she left thirteen wrestlers from two seperate regions lying on the concrete.

Stupid Irish temper.

Despite her promises that Ulfric would rue the day he claimed his prize, The Silent Warrior did just that a couple days later. Although Wendy had tried to remain as cold and aloof as she could during the date, she found that Rick Logan, when he wasnt trying so hard (or committing attempted murder on her loved ones), was actually quite charming, albeit awkward. After making it clear to Rick in no uncertain terms that they would never be more than friends, Wendy actually began to enjoy herself, and she had a wonderful time.

But as she looked upon her boyfriend the next morning, she was racked with guilt. Here lay her fiancee, recovering from his injuries, and Wendy had spent the previous night laughing and conversing with the man who had caused them. So, when Terrence asked the inevitable question about her date, she lied.

Although it initially would put their relationship in dire straights, the lie actually saved Terrences life, because, unbeknowest to her, Ulfric was standing outside the door, shard of glass in his hand, ready to kill the Mechanical Mayhem the moment she left. Upon hearing that she still detested him, Ulfric had fled.

At the start of the next Rage, Wendy was actually riding high. She had just begun her third reign as cruiserweight champion, she and Terrence had claimed the prestigious Crockett Cup, and she was dominating Wolf in her match that evening.

And thats when her entire world came crashing down.

Victor Mandrake came out, weilding a folding chair. At first, he seemed content to watch the show, but after Wendy hit her Flowersfall legdrop, and went for the cover, Mandrake had enough. He pulled her off of Wolf with such force she flew into the turnbuckle. Realizing she was in trouble, she charged... right into Mandrakes chair. After letting Wolf pick up the win (what a nice guy!), Mandrake then chokeslammed her through the chair.

And that was just the beginning.

Later, Terrence attacked Ulfric in an attempt to avenge his loss, and Wendy desperately tried to play peackeeper. Cornered in her own deception, she was forced to come clean, and admitted that she did have a good time with Rick. Terrence, now feeling positively betrayed, stormed off. Wendy fled to the back, thinking that, in her carelessness, she had lost her beloved.

Fortunately, it was her friend Joey Tesauro who told her, in that lovable Long Island way of his, that she was an idiot, and that if she wanted to salvage her relationship, she better come clean about everything. Wendy told Terrence in no uncertain terms that she now considered Rick a friend, but she loved Terrence. Terrence accepted her apology, and grudgingly agreed to tolerate her friendship with Rick, and all was well again.

For five minutes.

Thats when Pollaski burst into the locker room with the news she was to face Victor Mandrake in a hardcore match on the next Rage.

Mandrake then laid an injunction to have Terrence banned from the arena. The trap was laid.

Wendy, to her credit, actually dominated the early part of.the match. Unfortunately, it just made Victor all the more vicious when he finally caught her, and caught her he did. By the time the match was over, Wendy was a broken, shattered, bloody mess. And Diablo still wasn't done. He picked the girl up, dumped her in the trunk of his car, and drove off into the night. By the time either Terrence or Rick learned what happened, Mandrake was ten miles away.

For two weeks, she remained shackled to the walls of Mandrake Castle. Through the haze of pain, taunts, and lies, the truth became known to her. Victor wanted Ulfric to be an unstoppable monster, and initially, Mandrake had thought Ulfric's attraction to her was beneficial, as it inspired him to great lengths of brutality against Terrence. In fact, it had been he who had convinced Ulfric that killing Terrence was the only way. But unfortunately for Mandrake, Rick had begun to view Wendy not just as a friend, but as his salvation from the monster he was becoming. Unfortunately for Wendy, Mandrake viewed her removal from the equation as the best solution to his problem.

For two weeks, Wendy remained shackled to Mandrake's dungeon walls, living with the rats, spiders, and Lord knows what else. Finally, Mandrake decided for a little show and tell. He flew her to International Wars, and dragged her out, chained like a dog, and tied her to a turnbuckle, for his match with Rune Archer. While it was all quite humiliating, it had also brought her out into the open. Terrence wasted no time in coming to her aid, and Wendy was liberated.

It had seemed too easy, and it was. Terrence and Rick had both spent countless hours trying to locate Mandrake Castle, to no avail. While Terrence began a new fruitless search, Rick somehow contacted Mandrake and given him what he really wanted- himself.

Wendy, of course, was horrified when she discovered Ulfric's sacrifice, and during his few brief excursions from Mandrake castle, she tried to convince him to escape his imprisonment. For reasons Wendy could to this day fail to understand, Rick refused to release his bonds.

Wendy watched in dread as Mandrake conquered the World Wrestling Alliance. He put Matt McClain in a coma, then turned him to his side. He claimed the BWA Championship. He faced Terrence twice, and managed to escape losses both times. And then, finally, he downed Red Wolf.

Victor was the king.

Shockingly, Mandrakes reign was short lived, as Wendy's longtime rival Misty Xiao, with the help of an entire country (the Independant Nation of Doomshakalaka), stunned Mandrake to claim the World title. Despite her aversions to cheating, Wendy rejoiced at this, then rejoiced again as Ulfric in turn demolished Misty to regain the World Title.

And set himself on a collision course with Mandrake. Wendy too had set herself up for a rematch with Mandrake, winning the Creole cup to become the #1 contender to Mandrake's BWA belt. Ulfric got his match first- at Summer Games V. In the weeks leading up to the match, Rick avoided her, believing now that the only way to defeat Mandrake was to become the monster.

It didnt work, and Victor again became king of the WWA.

Shortly after Summer Games, however, came news that trancended any title change.

While in Rio, Rick had come across a robbery at gunpoint, and had tried to save the victim. His bravery earned him three bullets in the chest.

Rick Logan was dead.

Pollaski, her faithful (but occasionally foolish) manager, had actually discovered the news, but he kept it from her, waiting for an opportune time to tell her gently, but he never got a chance.

Wendy found out instead from an accusitory telagram sent by Mandrake.

Wendy flew off the handle, focusing all of her rage on Dan. Terrence eventually calmed her down, but not before Pollaski had left, wordlessly tendering his resignation.

She still felt bad about that.

Fortunately, Dan came back, saving her from another attack by Mandrake. Wendy had entered somewhat of a depression, and her results were showing.

Then, one day, she saw Ulfric standing in the ring staring SyNn down. It was several days before Rick Logan would contact her again. Finally, they met at a diner. Rick claimed to have been resurrected, and although Wendy had never quite grasped it as the truth, she had no doubts thats what Rick believed. And she was happy to have her friend back.

Wendy found her performance improving, and she soon won the BWA Heavyweight Championship (albeit over a concussion ravaged Mike Bell). In addition, she got a chance to team with Ulfric, as the two won a four-team Round Robin tournament to claim the All-Asia Tag Team Championship. One of those teams consisted of Diablo and Matt McClain. She had finally gotten a win over.Mandrake, and her confidence grew. Even Terrence was on an upswing, as he would defeat Mandrake to win the World Title.

Then, Team Danger showed up.

Wendy's Faygo shower wasn't the only crime Dane, Walker, and Greer fabricated. They attacked Brody Myer. They nearly killed Soul Rider. They put Daniel Pollaski in the hospital.

At Soul Rider's bedside Wendy, Ulfric, and another woman named Rayven agreed to an alliance to put an end to Team Danger's attacks. Then Wendy did the one thing she never thought she would do.

She asked Victor Mandrake for help. Even more shocking, Mandrake accepted.

The tenuous alliance did not last long, however. The BWA went on hiatus, with the WhirlyBirdz taking an extended leave of absence. They later attempted a comeback into the WWA, but they didnt feel the drive anymore, and the WhirlyBirdz retired from wrestling.

After their retirement, Wendy tried to keep in touch with Rick, but between her marriage, subsequent pregnancy, and her new job, the correspondences became further and further apart. She hadn't heard anything from Rick for six months before Terrence came home one evening three months ago, bearing news of Rick's suicide.

As she spent one evening mourning her friend, her friend had spent two months in a hospital bed, dying.

Four hours vs. Sixty days. She would never forgive herself for that.

But she couldn't have known!

She could have looked it up, done a little research, anything! But she didn't, and now it was too late

And the worst part it all, Victor Mandrake, the very embodiment of evil, had remained a friend up til the end.

Mandrake had won. Mandrake always won.

She was crying again. How long had she sat here in the parking lot? How long did she remain here wrapped in reflection?

Wendy looked at the clock. 7:08 pm. The meeting was well underway. And now she needed to make a pit stop to the ladies room. No way she could go into the meeting looking like this.

She had read about the death of her friend. She was feeling the death of her soul. This evening, she would watch.the death of her dream.

Tonight, she would grieve for them all.


2.3.2010
THE NEST
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
8:46 PM LOCAL TIME

"Whacha doin', daddy?"

The sound of his daughter's voice distracted Terrence from his viewing of Slaughter. The local cable company had just picked up HoTV, and Terrence had decided that it would be interesting to see what the current WWA had to offer.

It still felt weird to be watching as a fan.

"Just watching TV, hon," Terrence smiled at his daughter, who was sprawled out on the floor, working on one of the many Disney-related coloring books she owned. Beside her slept Chaunticleer, the Thompson family cat.

"Wachoo watchin?"

"Wrestling." Terrence noticed that her eyes had gravitated more and more from her book to the television, where Jimmy Riley and The Masked Dollar were facing each other. If she was going to watch this, he probably should explain it to her. "Wanna watch with daddy?"

"Okay!" Theresa said, getting up from the floor. She reached down to try to pick up the cat.

"Let Chant be, Terr."

"Why?" The little girl pouted.

"Because its daddy's week to vacuum, and he doesn't want to deal with cat hair everywhere."

It was obvious that this logic went over the three-year old's head, but nonetheless, Theresa let Chaunticleer lay, and walked over to the sofa. Terrence lifted her up and set her down next to him.

"Why are they hugging?"

Terrence laughed. "They're not, hon. See, the guy in the mask is going for a suplex."

"Whats a soopex?"

"Its a throw designed to wear down your opponent." Terrence winced as Riley connected with a low blow. He hated those, but then again, he never met anyone who liked being on the receiving end of them.

Except for maybe Jake Devins.

"Why are they fighting?" His little girl asked as Riley unloaded punches into Dollar's head.

"Its a contest," Terrence said. "Like baseball, or football. The object is to make the other guys shoulders stay down for three seconds. That's called a pin."

"How does punching him do that?"

Terrence smiled, feeling a bit of a nostalgic pang as The Masked Dollar took down Riley with a Tornado DDT. His wife's Vortexinator was similar to that move, and he had no doubt in his mind that had it been Wendy in there, this match would have been over in three seconds.

"You try to wear them down, so they don't have enough strength to get out of the pin."

He wasn't sure how much his daughter actually understood, but she nodded

"How do you know so much, daddy?"

Terrence laughed. "Because mommy and daddy used to do this."

"You wessled? On TV?" Theresa's eyes were now wide.

"For three years." Terrence smiled.

"Did that huwt?" Theresa asked, as Jimmy Riley spiked down Dollar's head with a DDT of his own.

"Probably" Terrence replied. "Though probably not enough to end the match"

" Did you and mommy get huwt?" Theresa asked.

"Sometimes, but never too bad. We were careful."

"Did these men huwt you?"

"Nope, these guys weren't around when we wrestled. But mommy and I both won more than we lost."

Jimmy Riley was in bad shape, Terrence could tell.

"Did mommy wessle boys?"

Terrence laughed. "Sometimes. There weren't too many girls who could beat mommy, though. But she beat most of the men, too." Terrence looked over at his daughter, and was surprised to see pride and excitement in her eyes. He grinned. "Come to think of it... I beat most of the guys myself. "

"But why do that?" Theresa asked, as Dollar ended Rileys night with a brutal The Buck Stops Here.

"Because," Terrence said as The Masked Dollar picked up the three count. "It was fun"

At least some of the time...


2.3.2010
MARION COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING HALL
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
9:23 PM Local Time

"The motion is passed, five votes to zero"

The bang of the gavel roused Wendy from her stupor. Just her luck, the issue of the Theater's closure was the last thing on the agenda. Over two hours of endless droning, on and on. It would have been nice if there were some hotly contested issues, but so far most of the votes were formalities.

And she was alarmed at how many of those formalities had been program shutdowns.

Wendy looked again at the paper's in her hand. Terrence hadn't been happy that Wendy had wanted to become sole sponsor the theater especially at the tune of $10,000 per month, but as she had pointed out, this was her money too, and she had played along when Terrence had renovated the auto shop.

She only hoped the commisioners would let her. Working for free was against county laws, and here she was offering not to just return her paycheck, but a substantial amount in addition.

But it was her last hope.

She looked around the room. Wendy had made the announcement of the theater's shutdown at the final dress rehrearsal, and it had been an emotional moment for all. Several of her kids were sitting in the audience tonight, most of them looked glum. Wendy stole a glance at Megan, and was surprised to see tears running down her face.

This was it.

"Agenda item number Ten dash Sixty-Eight" the county clerks voice called. "Addressing the suspension of operations of the Marion County Community Theater, effective February 9, 2010. A 'yea' vote will be for the closure. Does any member of the public wish to speak on this regard?"

Wendy drew in her breath, and stepped forward from her perch on the wall.

"I do, madam."

Wendy found herself choking on her own oxygen, looking around the room at who had spoken up. There, in the fourth row. Simon Cassidy.

Her boss.

"Please approach the podium"

Cassidy did so.

"Your name please?"

"Simon Cassidy," the voice boomed out over the room, so loud a couple people near the speakers were forced to cover their ears. "I am the director of the Marion County Department of Parks and Recreation. The MCCT is in my jurisdiction."

"You have sixty seconds, Mr. Cassidy"

"Commissioners, I received a phone call today from a gentleman expressing his desire to fully fund the theater for the next year."

Wendy drew in a sharp intake of breath. She could hear murmering as well from her kids.

The county clerk looked nonplussed "Complete funding, Mr. Cassidy?"

"Yes, ma'am"

One of the commissioners leaned forward into his microphone. "I request an amendment that a 'nay' vote be based conditionally on the reception of these funds, and, should such funds not be received within thirty days, the matter to be revoted upon at the next scheduled meeting"

There was a murmer of assent from the other commissioners, and Wendy felt her pulse quicken.

"The amendment is hereby added. Does any other member of the public have anything to say on this matter?"

No one.

"Then the issue is settled to a vote."

One by one, the commissioners leaned toward their microphones.

"Nay."

"Nay."

"Nay."

YES! Wendy wanted to scream, but she settled for merely exhaling.

"Nay."

"Nay."

"Then the motion fails, five votes to zero."

A small cheer went up from the theater group, forcing the clerk to angrily call for order. As the motion for adjournment was requested, Wendy ducked out the back of the room, before pumping her fist in victory. For a split second, she looked for a turnbuckle to climb to celebrate. Laughing at her foolishness, she turned back towards the room, where the attendees of the meeting were starting to file out. Wendy saw Megan running towards her, then David, then Joseph, until she and half a dozen members of her acting troupe were locked in a group hug, laughing, and acting like their play had just won the Tonys. Wendy finally extricated herself from the mass, blushing as several other attendees stared at her group like they were nuts.

Nuts sounded pretty darn good right now.

"I feel like Dairy Queen," Wendy announced. "Anyone care to join me? I'm buying."

Another small cheer rose as half a dozen cellphones were whipped out, each person calling their parents and telling them that they were going for ice cream with Mrs. Thompson. After making sure everyone had a ride, Wendy led her victorious troupe out into the chilly Indiana night.

Finally, she thought as she approached her Focus, something had gone RIGHT!

So intent was she on her small victory that she failed to notice the pitch black Cadillac CTS parked right next to her, its occupant watching her every move.