Thread: WWE: Return of the Phenom (Athene & christian7_41king)

Alisyn Hatheway 22nd January, 1994 One of the biggest pay-per-view events of the WWE, the Royal Rumble, was airing. For this year, the fortunate city of Providence, Rhode Island, had been chosen as the location to host this event. It was promised to be a night for all to remember, especially the fight that would include the Dead Man himself, the Undertaker. This wasn't to say Alisyn hadn't been interested in the other matches. However, ever since her father had introduced her to wrestling three years ago, there had always been something about the Undertaker that grabbed her attention. Not hormones, or so that was what she tried to reassure herself. No, this was fueled on by actual, genuine curiosity. Time and time again, she had been warned and told that wrestling was fake. Somehow, the Undertaker made it all feel very real though. You enjoying sweetie? The voice beside her belonged to none other than her dad. Alisyn quickly turned, blue-green eyes gazing up at an almost perfectly matching pair of orbs beside her, as the young teenager happily nodded. Mhm! Definitely! This was an amazing birthday present! The night's not over yet, she was gently reminded. Alisyn's head moved back to glance at the stage in time. A loud gong echoed loudly throughout the stadium, soon accompanied by the Graveyard Symphony song. Finally, he walked out and began proceeding towards the ring himself. Alisyn gulped nervously, slowly leaning forward as far as she could in her seat. Seeing the man on television was one thing. But now, she was basically in front of him, separated only by about seven to twelve aisles of chairs. That combined with her short height probably hinted she wasn't seen. But Alisyn could definitely see what she deemed to be one of the most intriguing and - in his own right - magical men alive. ... Which made it all the more ironic that he was supposedly called the Dead Man. He seemed more alive, more believable than most of the other men in the rosters. Her gaze was so fixed upon the Undertaker that she hardly noticed Yokozuna enter. Even the casket being rolled beside the ring was almost ignored. The lights returning, effectively making the darkness disappear, were the first things to return her to the here and now. The next came in the form of feeling a strong hand on her shoulder. It had been Alisyn's father, who pulled her back slightly so she wasn't leaning so close. Careful, sweetie. Don't want you headbutting the stranger in front of you, now do we? he teased. Sorry, she mumbled softly, quickly going silent and focusing completely on the match at hand. A bit more than ten minutes passed before finally, the end came. As it did, Alisyn's eyes widened in horror as she watched the Undertaker shoved into the coffin. Instinctively, she stood up and even started trying to run down the stairs. ... What do you think you're doing? Daniel asked, gripping his daughter's arm, wearing a baffled look on his face. Sweetie, how many times have I told you? This is fake. But how do you know that?! Is he okay even?! Of course he is. But how do you know?! Alisyn repeated, admittedly starting to feel confused with herself. Of course he had to be correct. There was no way any company would really allow their own workers to be at this kinda risk. Right? ... Yet as her head turned to look at the stage again, the same thoughts that had first entered the teenager's mind were only strengthened. It looked very real. If this had been a magic show, it could have passed off for one hell of an illusion she was watching play out before her eyes. ... Come on, Daniel finally stated in a calm voice, thinking the sight had been a bit much for a thirteen-year-old to see. Let's go get dinner, alright? I promise though, he's fine. 20th May, 2004 Over the next ten years, life went on as normally as one could say for the now twenty-three year old. And, thankfully, she saw soon enough her dad had been right. The Undertaker had, indeed, been fine. More than that, in fact. Last Sunday, on the 16th, Undertaker returned, very much alive and well. He had ended up beating Booker T at Judgement Day. The sight had been an amazing one, much like the same live event she watched ten years ago. The truth of the matter wasn't that the coffin had scared her. It really had been the mere thought of the Undertaker not returning again. After seeing more times than she could remember, however, that this wasn't the case, she felt more bolder. More confident. Any and almost all of her fears were all but gone. Once again, Alisyn found herself watching Smackdown. ... However, against her better judgement, she had bought tickets and was in the actual stadium. Very much in the almost exact same manner like when her dad had bought her tickets for her thirteenth birthday. This had simply been done with her own money that she had earned from her job. ... Even now, she couldn't remember what exactly possessed her to do this. She could have easily stayed in her apartment and watched the episode just as easily. Yet, for some reason, it seemed like a better idea to come to Las Vegas and see all of the matches tonight. It'll be worth it, she reassured herself, exhaling softly as she sat down in her seat. But damn, it'll suck. This will probably be one of the last times you can afford to spend this much money so quickly, after all ... Alisyn grimaced slightly, fighting off the urge to reveal a frown that wanted to spread over her face. Don't dwell on that. Just enjoy the night. Nodding to herself, she leaned back in her seat. Earlier in the morning, Alisyn had taken the time to give herself a tarot reading. It had implied she would get a chance to see the Phenom again, even if at a slight distance. Still, if there was even a possibility for that to actually occur, she would gladly take that chance. Despite her actions, she wasn't a stalker or anything. Just very fascinated, fueled by her own beliefs. Most of them were on the superstitious side. So, now that she was older and less naive, she better began to realize and understand why she had liked the Undertaker so much. Whether the powers were real or not, he was a damn good illusionist. His ability to make everything come to life, as well as his psychological warfare he used against his opponents, truly did make him an intimidating and simultaneously intriguing force to observe. Given Alisyn grew up loving magic, supernatural ideas and concepts, and psychology .. well .. it was even easier to understand why she admired the Dead Man. She sensed, or at least noticed, a kindred spirit of sorts within him. Shaking her head slightly, she leaned back in her seat, trying to simply relax and enjoy the night as opposed to over-think like she tended to do.