12-08-2023, 02:07 AM
Katie Steward | "Thoughts and Prayers"
In the middle of the night Katie is at home in bed. Tucked under the cover and sound asleep.
Why doesn’t she like me?
A whisper is heard in Katie’s head. Loud enough to wake her and she sits up in her bed. Katie brushes her face mask off her face and looks around the bedroom for the voice. There is no one in the room with her. Katie rubs the sleep from her eyes trying to fix her vision, but nothing changes. She is still the only one in the bedroom. It must have been in her dream.
If only I had more time with them.
Another whisper echoes through her head. It shakes Katie up and she throws her blanket off her jumping out of bed. She spun looking for the person in the room in her pink silk pajamas.
“TJ?” Katie calls out and waits for an answer, but nothing. “Ace.” Katie looks annoyed getting no answer. The culprit continues to hide playing whatever game this is with her.
I hope we win.
Another whisper pierces Katie's mind. Katie cups her hands over her ears trying to block out the noise. She lets out a scream and sprints out of the room. The unexplained whispers are freaking her out.
The next morning, Katie is out for a jog around her block. A pair of raycon earbuds practically glued in her wars drowning out the whispers. Listening to whatever podcast was in her recommendations. Katie jogs to the bus stops as the bus pulls up. Katie gets on the bus and finds herself a seat. She keeps her head. Her hoodie from her sweatshirt pulled up over her. Feeling that if she looks up she'll be bombarded with words.
How can I get with the blonde that just walked in on the bus?
Katie looks up and around at the people on the bus. Mostly everyone was doing as she was and kept their gaze down on the phones, for the most part. Though there was one guy creepy checking her out. Normally she would expect this kind of attention. She's seen the pervy messages that slipped into the DMs that SCW fans send. Having the voices running in her mind now just freaks her out and makes her feel icky about it. Not that the messages from some of the SCW fanbase did that too. The bus makes it to the next stop and Katie sees herself off of it as quickly as she had gotten on. The bus drives off and Katie boosts up the volume on the podcast hoping that'll help.
Eventually Katie makes it to Steward's Place restaurant.Inside she finds TJ there. Katie removes her hood and takes out her earbuds and walks over to him.
“Hey Katie, you're early.” TJ says to her cleaning some glasses.
“I woke up early when I couldn’t sleep. I’ve been getting these…” Katie freezes up before she can tell TJ about the whispers. Yeah, telling someone she’s hearing voices in her head would go over so well for her. “Headaches. Yeah, they just come.”
“Oh, I can go and grab some aspirin if you need it.” TJ offers putting the glass back on the shelf and the washcloth on the counter.
“No. It’s ok TJ. I’m fine now. Just a little tired.” Katie tries to reassure him. She turns around back into the restaurant and takes a seat in a booth.
A television is on inside the restaurant for the customers. A local news channel running one of its big stories being lottery fever spreading across the nation. That’s when the whispers return. A lot of them.
Unintelligible words flood Katie’s head all at once. Mostly having to do with a large cash flow of probability.
Katie covers her ears and puts her head down on the table, but she can’t drown it out. It’s in her head.
TJ is near to notice Katie’s awkward behavior. “Ok, Katie what is going on? You can tell me.”
“Alright.” Katie takes a breath building up her confidence. “I’m hearing voices. In my head and not mine.”
TJ sits there and just looks at her.
“I knew it. You think I’m crazy. Or you’re thinking, isn't it normal. No. People are talking to me and I don’t know where it’s coming from and it’s freaking me out.” Katie’s body shakes waiting for the next batch of whispers to hit her.
“Ok. We can figure this out. Do you know what they’re saying?” TJ reaches out and holds onto Katie’s hand trying to calm her.
“Well usually it’s asking for stuff. Like I have some kind of power.” Katie plays with her earbuds in hand. “Someone to pay attention to them, or a new job, or money. I just got a lot of those.”
“Katie. Are you receiving people’s prayers?” TJ asks.
“What? No. Of course not. People pray to God. That’s his thing. Although we know God is a woman and I am a Goddess and… Oh my Goddess!” Katie is shocked by the revelation. “People are praying to me. Why now?”
“I don’t know, but don’t worry. We’ll figure out what to do.” TJ continues to try and calm her down. Seeing how visibly upset Katie is.
Katie looks up and around the restaurant. Something catches her eyes. A lot of something that she hadn’t seen in a while.
“Uh TJ, why does everyone in the restaurant have a pair of my prayer beads that I made?” Katie asks, connecting the dots to her current dilemma.
“Oh I found a box of them laying around and a customer was interested so I sold a few. They’re really a big hit. Wait, you don’t think that they connect to the voices, do you? I guess that’ll be how they work.” TJ thinks about the prayer beads and they both seem to come to the same conclusion.
“I don’t know, but something is clearly happening. TJ, you need to find and get those beads back.” Katie says looking at TJ pleading with him.
“I don’t think I can. We sold a lot of them. Tracking them would be impossible.” TJ shakes his head while Katie tries to think.
“Really?” Katie perks up as TJ tells her how popular they are. “Well maybe we could just advise people from not using them to pray with.”
“That would defeat the reason why people buy them though.” TJ explains.
“So my prayer beads are a hit and now they can speak to me.” Katie puts her head down on the table looking really tired.
“Wait, I got an idea.” TJ jumps up and walks away leaving Katie at the table. She lifts her head and watches him. He walks around the counter and grabs something underneath. TJ rushes back to the table holding up one of the prayer beads in his head. “Ok, what do you hear?”
“Nothing.” Katie shakes her head. “Maybe you’re doing it wrong?”
“No. I know how to do it. You hold it in your hand and just roll the beads with your fingers. Like this. You’re really not hearing anything?” TJ asks, still playing with the beads.
“Haven’t actually heard anything in awhile. Maybe they gave them a rest?” Katie breathes a sigh of relief.
“Ok, she can’t hear you. Probably for the best she didn’t know what...”
Katie lets out a scream that causes everyone in the restaurant to turn. TJ leans back giving Katie a bit of space.Wondering if maybe she heard something.
“I’m sorry, I gotta get out of here.” Katie jumps out of the booth and rushes to the door. She pops her earbuds back into her ears and turns the volume way up. TJ stands up from the booth and turns around, but Katie is already gone before he can say anything. TJ looks around at the patrons in the restaurant.
“She’s under a lot of pressure right now. You all know how it is.” TJ smiles at them all and they just go back to their business.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Katie now manages to make it to Gigi and Maddy’s apartment. Maybe they can help figure out some kind of solution that’ll help her. Katie knocks on the door. Maddy answers the door and Katie pours herself inside.
“Oh Maddy, thank Goddess someone is home. I need some help.” Katie takes out her earbuds and slips them into her jacket pocket. “Is Gigi home?”
“No. She’s out. Katie, what’s the matter? You’re going a bit crazy.” Maddy holds Katie’s arm looking at her nervously. Katie turns and sees Ash walking into the room and she gets Katie’s attention.
“Ash! I need you. You’re a Goddess.” Katie rushes over and pulls Ash to the side.
“Yes. That is what you made me.” Ash nods her head along with Katie’s erratic behavior.
“I’m hearing people’s prayers. In my head.” Katie explains her situation to Ash.
“Cool. So are they really dirty prayers?” Maddy asks standing by with a curious look.
“No. Maddy, they don’t work like that.” Ash shoots down Maddy’s question.
“Well… actually I’ve gotten a handful of some really disturbing stuff. Oh my Goddess, what if they think I’m THAT kind of a Goddess!?” Katie continues to freak out.
“Ok.” Ash holds Katie’s shoulders and gives a bit of a rub trying to settle her down. “It’s ok, Katie. We’ll figure this out.
“I hope Katie and Gigi win the Tag Team Titles.”
Katie stops. Looking up and turning to Maddy.
“Madison, was that your prayer?” Katie asks.
“Yeah. You said you could hear them so I gave it a shot. Did it work?” Maddy nods at Katie.
“Ash. If I can hear prayers. Can I also grant them?” Katie turns back to Ash asking her head. Suddenly the wheels begin to turn in her head. Wondering how she can use this to her advantage.
“It doesn’t work that way, Katie. Prayer isn’t a thing where you are given stuff.” Ash tries to explain it to Katie.
“But I could grant things, right?” Katie questions her.
“You’re not a genie.You listen to the prayers and it helps them try and work their problems out themselves.” Ash again tries to convince Katie.
“But, it’s all really loud. I can’t think. I can’t sleep. How do I get it to stop? How can TJ get all the prayer beads back?” Katie pleads with Ash to somehow take this weight off of her head.
“Sorry Katie, you just have to listen to the voices. If not, then you’ll just be bombarded with them.” Ash tells her. She then turns around and leaves the room.
“You know, I don’t think Ash was being truthful. The Gods bless people with things and who says that you and Gigi haven’t earned it?” Maddy plays Devil’s Advocate standing on her right side. Telling her what she wants to hear.
“I knew that was right too. And Gigi and I do deserve it.” Katie nods, turning around and leaving the apartment to work on her plan. She takes her earbuds out of her pocket. Before she puts them in her ears she gets one last whisper.
“I want Katie on Breakdown…”
Katie freezes. She is frozen still recognizing the whisper, but she doesn’t say anything. She turns back and gives Maddy a look. One last look around the apartment before Katie leaves.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
“What am I going to do? I can see so many possibilities. I can hear so many suggestions as everyone is preparing for Breakdown this Wednesday. So many people see their fortunes being told. The champions expected something fatal. Everyone sees an opportunity, but what does Katie Steward want? Would she choose something Fatal or maybe Fortune. Now I’m no stranger to having fortune plays on my side. It’s where I became an Adrenaline Champion. Where making a dream of becoming an SCW Supreme Champion a reality. Let’s face it, I never really saw myself as a Supreme Champion. Everything SCW has thrown my way. Just building and building something that no one could take away from me. Everyone thinks that being Supreme Champion makes them something special, but I will be one step above them. Because SCW continues to push me. Too push the hurdles in front of me and see if I can jump high enough to clear them. The Adrenaline Champion, The Underground Champion, Television…”
“Everyone already knows what Katie Steward is after in this Fatal Fortunes when Breakdown rolls around. Too complete my legacy and win the Tag Team titles like I deserve and maybe, just maybe I could bend some rules. I’m not going to be greedy. If my fortunes reveal the tag team title match. Then you know Katie Steward is going to cash in, but there is also so very, very much more. I hear the fans' prayers. I want to answer them. They want to see Katie Steward as Supreme Champion. They also want Katie Steward to make the United States Champion beautiful again. I haven’t forgotten about my MABA faith. Also, I know everyone is praying that Katie Steward will once again be your Supreme World Champion. I do pray that that day comes.”
“So it doesn’t matter what the fortunes roll out on Breakdown. I promise that everyone’s prayers will be answered. Katie Steward will not suffer a fatal fall. Whether it’s becoming Supreme Champion, or some other title comes my way. Or even some grudge match that someone in SCW is dying to have with SCW’s Goddess. Just know that Katie Steward is going to be ending 2023 with a bang.”