"The Sensation" Danny Starr


	Paranoia or Playing It Smart... P1
	SPACE Paranoia? No… I’m passed the point of being ‘just paranoid‘. It’s more than that… I see the way people look at me… I can sense their dark thoughts regarding my status in society. I can hear their silent whispers behind my back, and a quick hush when I turn to listen. SPACE No, not paranoia… I’m nothing more than a marked man; a target. I can feel the barbed wire bull’s-eye digging into my head with unstoppable force. And as the eyes of my foes fall upon me with furious anger, I feel as if the world has turned its back on me… leaving me in a cold atmosphere of isolation. It’s not about Decado or Kevin Conner… Syren or The Exiled…. It’s all eyes on me. SPACE They always said I had a trust problem… since my early days, I made sure to be 3 steps ahead of everyone, even my best friends. You see, when it comes to greed… and women… trust is not an option. There will always be that snake in high grass plotting right behind your back, even a person you consider family or a close friend. SPACE Money and sex… the devil’s toys for us to play with… he made those 2 things the most needed, and when we need certain things… desperation and selfishness springs alive. Jealousy and envy follow behind, and deceit will come of it. SPACE So is it paranoia? Or just playing it smart? Sure, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt; I’ll play devil’s advocate by agreeing that I am just paranoid, but… if that’s the case, after all of the people I’ve turned on because of this ‘paranoia’ when was I wrong? SPACE Nate Hartman, Kevin Conner, at the time they were with me, I found out they had been planning a betrayal and before they could jump on it, I turned the tables… Name one time someone has successfully turned on me during my prime…. I beg of you to list as many as you can ponder. You won’t need anything more than a pencil with a broken tip… and a piece of paper the size of an atom. SPACE It began with a single ring… followed by another, and another. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the man who manipulated not only Me… but also Michael Diamond and my sister, Cassandra. It was obvious who I was calling back… the only reason was curiosity… but they always say: Curiosity killed the cat and if any one could live up to that slogan, it would be the devil himself… Eric Rayne. SPACE It rang once more before I heard his sly, Las Vegas manner answer the phone. Eric Rayne: Well, well, well… If it isn’t the invisible man. SPACE Shocked to hear from me? He should be feeling privileged rather than cocky… but the man certainly called for a reason, and I was searching for that reasoning at once. Danny Starr: I understand you called… a hundred times? Eric Rayne: Counting, are we? Danny Starr: You remind me of a pathetic ex-girlfriend… Eric Rayne: Pathetic? No… Concerned?… quite. Girlfriend? I think I’ll leave Jenn for that title… do I hear wedding bells? Danny Starr: No. The ringing you’re hearing is still your ear drums from Crash N’ Burn… Cut the nonsense, Eric… what do you want from me? Eric Rayne: Still upset, are you, Danny? Danny Starr: Do you even have a reason for calling me on a regular basis? Or is this just another part of your game? Eric Rayne: Perhaps you are confused, Danny… I don’t play games… games are for children… I do, however, hold all the pieces… you claim to be strictly devoted to loyalty itself, but quite hypocritical your words appear. Danny Starr: You’re one to be discussing hypocrisy, Eric… Eric Rayne: What ever do you mean, Danny? Danny Starr: After all of the loyalty I gave you… how could you stoop as low as scaring my sister with your power into leaving my side when I needed her the most? How could you set up an entire plot to destroy the bond between Michael and I? Eric Rayne: Cassandra and Michael were both in Hartford until YOU left HER side to ‘find yourself’ in Peru… You never told her or anyone where you were residing and when you returned, she was gone… her own brother wasn’t even there for her to help cope with your mother’s death… instead, you left her with Shawn… in a dangerous situation you created by attacking Steven Fury, but attacking Heather and Sett… leaving her with no protection… Danny Starr: They knew she wasn’t connected! Eric Rayne: It was in her best interest to be as far away from YOUR circle of fire which you engulfed your family name… would you raise a son in that environment… Danny Starr… Eric Rayne: And as for Michael, he was disloyal enough to bare his hands on the love of your life, Jenn Copelin when you were vulnerable and out of the picture… You talk about loyalty, but look who you’re loyal to, Danny… Cain, himself… and when he got a taste of that World Title… you lost his trust forever… believe it or not. Danny Starr: More head games, Eric… seems I cannot get anything but them from you… Eric Rayne: It’s your choice to believe me… but it’s the truth… it’s all the truth. I would never turn you away from anything but positivity, Danny… you are the one, and you could be more than you desire… Danny Starr: Stop with the tricks, Eric… I’m wise to your ways, now… but do tell me, why is it you care so much about my life… care so much to the point where you actually rebuild my mansion… sign me into the HWA… and then completely destroy the circle I created… what is there for you to gain? Eric Rayne: There is nothing for me to gain from any of this… but there is an entire world for you to gain, Danny… Danny Starr: What? Eric Rayne: Don’t you understand? Can’t you look past your paranoia long enough to see the true light? Danny Starr: What true light, Eric… you’re not making sense… Eric Rayne: I’m making perfect sense, you’re just so blinded by hatred… you aren’t listening to what is coming out of my mouth… Danny Starr: Then tell me, Eric… What is this ‘true light’ you speak of? Eric Rayne: You are the one, Danny… you are the chosen one… Danny Starr: What are you talking about, Eric! Eric Rayne: Everything happens for a reason, Danny… everything comes to a full circle in the end. There’s a reason you joined the High Society as late as you did… you joined just so it could shut down before you could make a name… you joined so you would take Steven Fury to the ultimate limit for the first time in his career… you joined the High Society and met me for a reason… Danny Starr: And what reason is that, Eric? Eric Rayne: You joined the High Society because you are supposed to rebuild it… there’s a reason you have a Hall of Sensation… ironic enough, your hall of sensation leads to the doors of the High Society… you built it yourself years before this happened, Danny… don’t you understand? Open your eyes… Danny Starr: You mean to tell me that you truly think that after what you did, I’m going to buy into your senseless dribble? Eric Rayne: It’s your destiny, Danny… and if it’s not, then for what reason were you drawn to the High Society to begin with? SPACE It made sense, but why did he care so much about my destiny? Why did he care so much about me reviving his fallen empire? Eric Rayne: I just didn’t want your sister or Michael getting into the way of your success… I meant no harm, I simply wished you the best possible solution. You can’t carry team mates with you forever, Danny… you’re 30 years old and only skimmed the possibilities of your success… why not unleash it while you’re in your prime? Danny Starr: What do you expect me to say? Eric Rayne: I don’t expect you to say anything, Danny… I just suggest you think about what I have said… and put these petty tribulations behind us and start to understand what my intentions truly are. Danny Starr: Yeah… Eric Rayne: Oh, and best of luck at Last Man Standing… don’t forget, Danny… you’ve only stuck your foot in the water of the pool of success. Danny Starr: Good one… Eric Rayne: Goodbye, Danny… I’ll be watching from satellite television… and do get back to me soon as possible on your decision… think about what I said… Danny Starr: Sure thing… Ta- Ta.. SPACE We disconnected. As if I didn’t have enough on my mind already… now I had Eric Rayne’s recital streaming through every crevice of my mind. Could it be? Was he really looking out for my best interest? Or was this just another trick up his sleeve? Knowing Eric, it could have been either… so now I play Russian roulette with either trusting Eric Rayne… or denying his offer. SPACE It would be a hard decision… and especially after my history, it would only make sense that there was a reason for all of the heartbreak and despair… but perhaps it was God’s way of teaching me to stay away from Satan himself… SPACE Am I playing it smart? Or just another victim of paranoia? None-the-less, all that matters is the mere fact that at Last Man Standing… it’s all eyes on me. SPACE After hanging up the phone, I had intelligently prepared a glass of wine beforehand. It was only common sense that predicted I would need something along those lines after speaking with Eric Rayne again. SPACE Torn between my mind and brain… my sense told me it was another wrong move in the life long game of chess I’ve been playing but my mind was always open… hoping that things didn’t appear as they seemed. SPACE Either way, I was now in the position to make a crucial decision in the next week… preferably make my mind up before Last Man Standing so I could aim entire focus upon the tournament itself rather than pending situations outside of the ring. SPACE I knew now there was no turning back… David Jackson may have set up the hurtles as I run towards the finish line… but mark my words, my friends… Last Man Standing will be draped in my colors… and another slash will be under Last Man Standing for ‘The Sensation’ Danny Starr…