Back when “Zolothach” Tabitha Osborne was 11…

Tabitha Osborne sits at the kitchen table in a pink and white fancy dress that one might wear to church. She is joined at the table by her mother, Emilia Osborne, who is also in a bright blue fancy dress. 

They have laid out before them tea, crumpets, and cucumber sandwiches. 

The only mar in this otherwise perfect mother-daughter setting is Tabitha’s arm in a sling and a dark blue cast. She stirs her tea with one hand while taking miserable glances out through the back door window to the building out back where her father, Terrance Osborne, is teaching her brother, Aiden Osborne, how to wrestle. She lets out a sigh. 

Emilia Osborne - Oh, Tabitha. You should enjoy your time being a real girl. You will have your time wrestling with the boys again once your arm heals up. In the meantime, you can enjoy the softer things in life with me. Besides, how will you ever get a husband while being a pro wrestler?

Tabitha takes a sip of her tea with her good hand, setting the cup down. 

Tabitha Osborne - What if I don’t want a husband? You ever see Valora Salinas hanging around a man? If she don’t need a man, maybe I don’t either! 

Emilia gasps in shock, clutching her pearls literally. 

Emilia Osborne - How could you? Who will take care of you when you can no longer wrestle because of injuries or whatnot? You need a husband to take care of you and pay all of the bills and such! 

Tabitha looks down for a moment, sipping her tea and taking a bite of a crumpet. She chews slowly before speaking. 

Tabitha Osborne - When I become a wrestler, I’ll be able to pay my own bills. I’ll take care of myself! 

Emilia Osborne - That’s enough! You are a young lady and my daughter. You will act like a young lady instead of groveling on a wrestling mat! Bad enough we had to have Doctor Abo Zhirov come and deal with that unpleasantness of you being a whore. 

Tabitha’s eyes nearly bulge out of her head as she listens to what her mother has to say. 

Tabitha Osborne - I am not a whore! Your husband and son -

Emilia slaps Tabitha across the face, interrupting her. 

Emilia Osborne - And now you’re a liar as well as a whore! My husband and son would NEVER lie with you! You’ve been sneaking boys into your room. ADMIT IT! 

Tabitha Osborne slams her hand down onto the table. 

Tabitha Osborne - MOM! I am not sneaking boys into my room. I would never do that! 

Emilia Osborne - I think you are, and that’s all that really matters. This is why we are putting cameras outside your window to catch the boys that come in. Boy, are they going to be sorry when they try it. Until then, why don’t you just go to your room? I’m tired of looking at your lying ass. 

Tabitha Osborne - FINE! 

Tabitha gets up and heads out of the kitchen and to her bedroom on the other side of the house. She walks into her room and slams the door behind her, wincing as the pain in her arm flares up. 

She cuts the lights and throws herself onto the bed, fully crying now that she is away from her mother. 

This is when a sickly green glow attracts her attention from across the room. She looks in the direction of the glow to see a glowing green book on her bookshelf. 

Tabitha Osborne - Another new book? I wonder where they are coming from? What secrets does this one contain, I wonder?

She reaches out her hand to the bookshelf, and the book flies through the air so that she catches the book with her good hand. She sets it down and traces the runes on the front cover with her fingers. She does not know what language the book cover is written in, but the answer to what it says comes to her mind. 

The Book of Eibon.

Tabitha Osborne - Another spellbook. Is this granted to me by Cthulhu as well?

Tabitha attempts to open the book, but it does not budge. No matter what she tries, the book will not open. Finally, she cut her hand on accident while handling the book, and the blood got onto the pages of the book from the side. The book snaps open, allowing Tabitha to be able to read the contents. 

She looks at the ancient pages, unable to read the words, but comprehending everything at the same time. She looks at spells that had not been seen by human eyes in centuries. 

Just as her eyes crawl over a type of healing spell, the doggy door installed in her bedroom door opens to allow in the family dog, Rufus. He’s a small dog with curly hair. 

Tabitha Osborne - Hey, Rufus. You want to see me try a healing spell? Maybe I can heal this broken bone and get back to training. 

Rufus sat in front of Tabitha with his tail wagging happily. He didn’t understand what was being said, but that Tabitha seemed happy was enough for him. Tabitha ran her fingers over the spell, reading the words out loud to the Healing spell. 

As the last words left Tabitha’s lips, a stream of red energy went from Tabitha’s chest to strike Rufus. Tabitha watches on in horror as the dog is shriveled into dust, the life energy streaming from the dog into her and rejuvenating her arm and body. When the spell is finished, the cast shatters, and Tabitha can move her arm once again. 

However, there is a pile of dust where Rufus once stood. 

Tabitha Osborne - No! No no no no! Rufus! 

Just then, there is a solid knock on the door, and her father opens the door to walk into the room. His eyes go from the dust on the floor to Tabitha’s arm, narrowing. He knows how badly broken the arm was since he was there when the arm was broken, but he cannot deny that it seems whole and healthy now. His mind settles on the one explanation that seems fit. 

Terrance Osborne - You fake breaking your arm to get out of training? I thought you wanted to become a famous pro wrestler?

Tabitha Osborne - I do! I just…I needed…I’m sorry, daddy. I’ll redouble my efforts. 

Terrance Osborne - See that you do. And clean this room up! Supper should be ready in a couple of hours. Have you seen Rufus?

Tabitha looks down at the pile of dust on the floor, tears streaming down her face. 

Tabitha Osborne - Daddy…no. I’ve not seen him all day. 

Terrance Osborne - Alright. See you at dinner. Be ready with an apology for the lie about the broken arm.

Tabitha Osborne - I…I will, Daddy. 

Her father closes the door, and Tabitha can hear his footsteps walking away. Tabitha gets down from the bed and walks a couple of steps over to the pile of dust. She leans down and runs her fingers through the dust, the material still warm as if a residual heat of the dog’s life force was still within.

Tabitha Osborne - I will never use this spell again. The cost was simply too high. Poor Rufus…

She cleans up the dust and the shattered remains of her cast and the soft cloth that was underneath it. Once done, she collapses back into the bed and cries again over the death of her only friend in the family. 

**********
*Beep*

*Beep*

*Beep*

*Beep*

The Present Day

“Zolothach” Tabitha Osborne lies in a hospital bed. She is hooked up to a bag of IV fluids and a bag of blood. Her many wounds from the broken glass are all stitched up, and she is sleeping. In fact, she slipped into a coma not long after arrival and has been asleep ever since. The Doctors have said that it was just the body’s response to the amount of damage taken in the wrestling match between her and Sadie Graves that she is out. So, she is lying in the hospital bed in a hospital gown, connected to the various tubes and such that a comatose patient would have. 

At her bedside is her smartphone that she came into the hospital with when she was awake. Before her body shut down on her. It rings with the notification of a text message that she has an upcoming match against Sabrina Landerford. Naturally, she does not get this message since she is out cold. 

Enter a young nurse, Kristopher Mills. It is his job to change the gown and sponge bathe Tabitha on the daily, and it is something that he takes a lot of pride in. He closes the door to the room to afford her a little privacy. He puts in his earbuds and turns on some music on his phone. He begins by taking off the blanket and tossing it into the basket for dirty things. He then slowly takes off her hospital gown, leaving her nude in the room. He grabs the basin and fills it with warm, soapy water and uses the sponge to slowly go over every inch of her body to clean it off without soaking the bed in water. 

Once that is done, he walks over to the door and locks it. He walks back to Tabitha’s side with a deviant smile as he runs his fingers lightly over the inside of her thigh, moving up until he finds the center of her heat. He does not pay attention to the goosebumps that are being raised as he slides his fingers across her thigh and rubs his fingers across her clit while he roughly gropes a breast with his other hand. He is involved in his own pleasure as he touches her and does not notice that her heartbeat is starting to speed up or that her lips part in unknowing pleasure. 

Kristopher Mills - Yes…be a good little bitch. You stay sleeping while I get mine…

He reaches for a jar of lube hidden in the bedside table and begins to lube her up, sliding two fingers inside to make sure that everything is lubricated for his pleasure. He puts the lube back and works the strings of his scrubs to undo them to slide them off, revealing that he has no underpants underneath. He climbs on top of her and positions himself at her entrance to slide in when her eyes snap open. 

She looks at him with a confused expression for a moment as he glides himself inside of her, not looking at her face in his intent to get his pleasure. When she realizes that she is being fucked, she grabs him by the arms. He lets out a yelp, pulling out, but it’s too late. She has him gripped tight by the arms and will not let go. 

Kristopher Mills - Let me go, bitch! 

He grabs at her as best as he can, ripping open stitches on several wounds and tearing out the IV so that Tabitha begins bleeding from several sources. Tabitha’s eyes glow red as she speaks the words to a spell that she hasn’t uttered in over a dozen years. A beam of red light connects her chest to Kristopher’s as the life energy is being siphoned away from him and into her. 

Kristopher Mills - Fuck! Stop! HELP! 

There is an attempt to open the door, but since it is locked, the door does not open. They begin pounding on the door.

Voices - Kristopher? Kristopher! Open the door! 

Kristopher Mills - Stop! I’m sorry! STOP!

Kristopher shrivels and dries up until he bursts into dust, with the dust blowing away into nothing. His empty clothes (what little he had left) fall onto the bed, and the red glow stops. The stitches have been forced out of her body, and her wounds have healed. She sits up, refreshed and empowered, as the door opens when someone finds the key to the room. Nurses, a Doctor, and several security guards rush into the room, finding Tabitha nude, sitting up, and with Kristopher’s things all around her. 

A nurse goes quickly to help cover up Tabitha’s body, though she stops when she sees the lack of wounds on her body. Once she covers Tabitha up, the head security guard grabs the lanyard with the ID badge for Kristopher Mills. He shakes it at her. 

Security guard - Where did Kristopher go? 

Another security guard chimes in. 

Security Guard - Wherever he went, he’d be butt-ass naked. 

Tabitha motions with her hand to the open window (that surely was not open before). 

Tabitha Osborne - He was assaulting me and went out the window when I woke up. 

The funny security guard goes over to the window and looks out and down. 

Security guard - You know we’re on the sixth floor, right? 

Tabitha Osborne - I know that. Did Kristopher? Perhaps he can fly if you don’t see him. 

The security guard searches the room for Kristopher, but then is ushered out of the room by the Doctor, who examines Tabitha closely. 

Doctor - I don’t know how you have healed so fast. It’s remarkable. Let’s get you unhooked from the equipment down there and leave the IV in for now, just in case. We’ll do a blood draw in a little bit to see how your levels are. If everything goes well, we should be able to discharge you tomorrow! 

Tabitha Osborne - I like the sound of that. I’m sure that the CWF will be glad to see me back in action so soon. 

About then, the phone goes off again as a reminder that there is a text message. Tabitha picks the phone up, frowning as she does not remember bringing her phone to the hospital with her from her match with Sadie Graves. She reads the text message about booking and smiles. 

Tabitha Osborne - See? They didn’t know that I wasn’t going to be able to wrestle and booked me anyway. 

Doctor - Well, we will let the nurse get you situated with a new gown and bedding. You should be able to call down for dinner. I don’t see any real need to restrict your diet any. 

Once everyone but a single female nurse leaves, she grabs a new gown for Tabitha to put on. She helps Tabitha put the gown on and has her sit down in a chair. She pulls the tubes from Tabitha’s naughty bits and throws those away in the hazardous waste bin so that Tabitha is free to use the bathroom on her own. Then, the nurse changes the bedding. She whips out some dust in the bedding. 

Nurse - Kristopher must not have been changing the bedding like he was supposed to be doing. So dirty! There ya are, sweetie. You can get back into bed now. 

Tabitha gets back into the bed where she covers up with the new blankets. She looks at the nurse with a sad smile. 

Tabitha Osborne - I kept dreaming that I was…with…someone that I…a friend. I guess that was my brain trying to warn me. 

Nurse - I don’t know where he could have gone since the door was locked. You also have a private bathroom, and we are on the sixth floor. I don’t see him flying around, especially not naked. 

Now, Tabitha gives a chuckle. 

Tabitha Osborne - Perhaps he turned to dust…

Now the nurse nods, but then gives a chuckle to dismiss this option too. 

Nurse - I don’t think so, but it would serve him right. I bet he’s clinging to the side of the building someplace, naked as a jaybird. Are you going to press charges once we find him? You should. 

Tabitha Osborne - Yeah. Once he’s found, I will press charges. He won’t get away with what he did. Do you…do you think I could do a shower? I still have…goop…down there and I want to be clean.

The nurse blinks and then smiles. 

Nurse - Of course, sweetie! Let me get some towels and get the shower started for you. These old pipes take a bit to warm up ya know. 

She walks away to get things going for her and Tabitha picks up her phone and turns on FaceTwatter Live. 

Tabitha Osborne - Hey, wrestling fans.I just wanted to take a moment to speak to Sabrina Landerford. I had heard that you were fired after your first match. It was some of the last things I heard about before I slipped into a coma to heal my wounds. I don’t even know if that guy is really in management. If you want to kick his ass, I would be willing to help out for the few moments it takes to obliterate the man before going back to kicking your ass. 

You see, I know all about you, Sabrina. Loving family that you seek to avoid by becoming a wrestler. They support your dream of becoming a wrestler and you mock them for it. I only wish I had some kind of support in my quest for becoming a wrestler from my family. They might still be alive today if they had supported and loved me instead of what they did…

We are at polar opposites, you and I. You have a husband and a child. I only wish I could get close enough to someone to be able to have these things. I loved once…but it was not meant to be. My father had stained my sense of relationships so much that I thought I could be with my cousin…my first cousin. It was wrong. I know that now, but back then the heart wanted what the heart wanted. I couldn’t have him. He knew it was wrong right away. He made me see that it was wrong. 

When we meet in the ring, I will engage you and teach you how wrong you are. Wrong for disliking your loving family. Wrong for wanting to avoid them. Being a wrestler for the wrong reasons. You are not wrong for wanting to be a wrestler, but your family should not be a burden. They should be a joy. It’s a joy that I know that I will never have in life and I have to accept that. I have a face that makes people want to…it doesn’t matter. 

You know we should change the rules for this match. I am itching for another falls count anywhere match since I have healed from my wounds from my last match. Sure, I used a spell that I swore I would never use again. A move that cost me my best friend in life when I used it the first time. This time was self defense, but it still makes me feel the same feelings that I did when I killed my dog. 

But anyway, I’m better now and I aim to make you not better. I can send you back home with a list of injuries. Make you have to be nursed back to health by your husband and child, who would be overjoyed at having their wife and mother back home for a period of time for once. Just accept the match if you are brave enough to do so. We can shake up the PPG Paints Arena with our battle. 

Just about then, Tabitha goes quiet as the nurse comes back with towels that she puts into the bathroom. She turns on the water in the shower stall and closes the curtain to the shower. She works to ready the area with a fresh gown and soaps. Tabitha smiles at the camera. 

Tabitha Osborne - Looks like I have to go, Sabrina. I’ll see you at Vanguard.

Fade