The Witches of Alden
”Childhood”
Frost ‘Forever Home’
Manhattan, New York
October 21st, 2022
4:43pm
Deanna felt the rays of the sun against the back of her neck and she lifted up her head from her knelt position, using her forearm to wipe at the sweat on her brow – her hands were covered in dirt from her digging. The brief rest complete, she finished her task of packing in the dirt around the tombstone, ensuring that the ‘skull’ appeared to be popping out of the soil, along with the hand that was ‘grasping’ the ground, as if the occupant were trying to escape.
“Now, all I gotta do is hope it doesn’t get ruined when it rains.” She breathed quietly to herself, stepping back to admire her handiwork and casting a glance towards the sky, where only a few clouds floated amidst the cool, fall day.
Before her was the front yard of her and Selena’s ‘Forever Home’ and the sight caused a quiet, yet content sigh from Deanna’s features. She and Selena had really gone all out in this. For the past few weeks, they had spent all their free time (non-wrestling time and while their children were at school) searching throughout Manhattan and parts of New York, including the big city, for Halloween decorations. Each day, they added a bit more to each section, doing their best to complete the three sections of their property each with a different ‘monster’ or ‘concept’ in mind. The woods leading to their house (still on their property) was The Wolfman, the front yard was the basic ‘cemetery’ which bled into Frankenstein, and the exit off the property to the other parts of the neighbourhood was Dracula.
All and all, it was a fun adventure, if their children were any indication – David continuously would run through the entire set of scenes. Back and forth he would go, under the Wolfman and Frankenstein monsters’ frames – all of them were so much taller than he was.
For now… Deanna smiled, imagining her boy growing up to be taller than even Selena.
For a moment, the redhead stole a glance to the front porch where the platinum-blonde sat, sapphire eyes glued to the screen of her laptop. Unlike the younger Deanna, who wore track pants and a loose red sweater, the Snow Queen wore blue jeans and a dark-green sweater that was a bit too big for her, the neck-hole showing a bit of the pale flesh of her collar and left shoulder, where her black snowflake tattoo was. Her hair was tied in its usual braid and the shade of the porch overhang kept her out of the sun.
Returning her attention back to her own project, Deanna gave one last look at her progress. There was more to do, a few details here and there, but she had needed to do some work by herself today, which was why Selena was an on-again/off-again spectator, sitting on the porch. The redhead had needed the distraction from getting too excited over the news of becoming the next challengers for the SCW tag-team titles, for one, and for the second…
Taking a deep breath, Deanna closed her eyes, trying to will herself not to turn her head and gaze down the Black Arrow neighbourhood road.
“Don’t do it.” She heard Selena call out, opening her eyes to see the older woman hadn’t moved her eyes from the screen. “You’re only going to make yourself feel bad.”
Despite her wife’s advice, Deanna turned around, casting her emerald gaze out towards the roads, immediately feeling the breath leave her as she beheld Leslie Sanderson’s house. In the week or two that had followed their last interaction with their annoying neighbourhood, Deanna had thought that the grandiose purchase that Leslie had flaunted with the stone gargoyle in her front yard was meant to be a ‘one and done’ thing. Apparently, Leslie had not thought so and had purchased three more to cover her front yard. The first two were the same size as the first but one was bald with long wings linked into his side and arms and the other gargoyle was…well, it looked more like some kind of gargoyle hound and had no wings.
But last Tuesday? Deanna rolled her eyes at that memory. Tuesday, Selena and her had been in the throngs of passion – well, actually, they were beginning to ‘stoke’ the throngs of passion, kissing one another deeply in the kitchen when a knock on the door had interrupted them. At first, they had considered ignoring it, but the risk that it could be their children from school (some kind of emergency) had changed their minds – though both women would later wish they had left well-enough alone. Standing on their porch had been Leslie, all smiles as she ‘just had’ to show them her latest gargoyle. This one was bigger in frame than the others, with large wings and broad shoulders. She had moved all the gargoyles to her yard (well, her hired help had) and this large one now stood as some kind of ‘leader’ or ‘head piece’, Selena hadn’t been sure and neither had Deanna. Still, Leslie’s display had not been so unclear – she was showing off, trying to discourage Deanna... and partially succeeding.
With only another ten days before Halloween and the big neighborhood party/contest, the lot of statues had stood on Leslie’s yard and, while both Frost wives found them gorgeous in terms of appearance, the gargoyles were now a big eyesore in the yard. There was no ‘rhyme or reason’ to Leslie’s display. The gargoyles were just ‘there’ and contrasted with the lights and decorations. The annoying neighbour had witches mechanically ‘flying’ on some dial on her roof. She had ghosts hanging from various corners and lights strewn here and there and a giant spider was in front of one of the windows.
In short, it all looked very expensive but it was all flash – seeming to be thrown around randomly or something. Despite that, Deanna had been a little dejected. She knew the neighborhood judges wouldn’t see that. They’d just see the money Leslie had thrown into the expensive ornaments (which she was sure, at this point, equaled a good month of Selena’s salary as an SCW icon). Not that she had ‘skimped out’ but they had collected some of these things over the years and had stayed as local as possible. It was supposed to be ‘fun’ and Leslie was just trying to bury everything by outspending them.
With a sigh and a shake of her head, Deanna turned away from the mess that was her neighbour’s house, marching the few steps towards the porch where Selena sat. She had barely set a foot onto the cool stone before the accented voice filled her ears.
“Told you not to look.” Selena shot in, keeping her eyes on her screen, her finger pushing one of the buttons with a steady ‘click’.
“I know.” Sighed Deanna before shuffling towards Selena, helping herself to sitting in her wife’s lap, her legs hanging over the left side. Selena barely acknowledged the sudden presence, instead merely wrapping her arms around her wife’s thin waist and adjusting herself to accommodate the redhead, the former world champion’s head barely shifting away from the screen.
Comfy after a moment, Deanna rested her head against the side of Selena’s. “I think I did a good job with the front yard.”
For a moment, Selena’s eyes flashed to the specified space, taking in the details. “I think so too.” She gave an assuring smile to her beloved. “David seems to like it. He’s even rakes the leaves when he gets home.”
“Yeah…” Deanna half-laughed/half-huffed. “So he can jump into the pile.”
A sigh came from the Snow Queen. “It’s wonderful, isn’t it?”
“Kind of.” Deanna agreed, mirroring her wife’s sigh. “I’ve been taking this thing with Leslie so seriously… I sort of forgot that we first started decorating this space for the kids.”
She felt Selena nod her head. When they had first moved into this house over six years ago, with Deanna pregnant with David and Elsianna soon to join them, that had been one of the appeals of this ‘Forever Home’. Decorating it every season and holiday for their children. To see their faces light up for Christmas, New Year’s, 4th of July, and… yes, Halloween. And, of course, both Selena and Deanna had felt the sting when David had remarked on how ‘cool’ the gargoyles in Leslie’s backyard looked. They couldn’t blame the boy! Even they had been intrigued by the creatures, Selena even remarking how gorgeous they looked, but still… it stung that Leslie had gained their son’s interest by simply buying it.
“She brings out the worst in you, I think.” Selena remarked. “But then again, there’s a handful of people that do that to me in SCW, so I’m hardly one to talk about the one person that does that to you.”
Deanna did not envy her wife that. Nearly a decade as a wrestler and Selena had a good number of people that knew not only how to push her buttons, but did so out of pure enjoyment. People that were still in SCW like Ravyn and Xander Valentine came to mind, but the history was wide and full of such people.
“Soon as this is over, the better.” Selena remarked. “I think we can agree on that.”
Deanna nodded her head. She felt guilty that so much of this was consuming her and her time, especially when they had a shot at the SCW World tag-team championships just a week after Halloween, their first chance ever to become champions together! “I can…”
“Don’t even think about bailing out.” Came the pressing voice of Selena. “If you don’t see this through, it will haunt you and get in the way of Under Attack. Remember how Xander got in my head?”
Deanna nodded, assuming Selena meant the beating the Executioner had put on the Snow Queen that saw Xander take the SCW United States Championship from her. “That why you’ve been looking at this screen for the last few hours?”
“Well, you said you wanted to do the decorating by yourself today.” Selena answered with a shrug of her shoulders, her eyes still on the screen. “But yes. I want this dealt with so we can focus on Under Attack.”
“What is it you’re even looking into?” Deanna asked, finally casting her gaze towards the screen to see the web page title. “Sleep-over games?” She read aloud. “What is this?” she asked.
“For Breakdown.” Selena explained.
“Selena…” Deanna tilted her head. “It’s a birthday party, isn’t it?”
As if prepared for this observation from her wife, Selena nodded her head. “A party with us wearing onesies.” She remarked. That particular element had thrown her off. She had never worn a onesie in her life! Even as a child! These days, she either slept in her magenta nightgown or naked – either way, she was often with Deanna when she slept, the redhead wrapped in her arms. “I’m prepared for a birthday party.” She remarked. “I’ve had several for Elsianna, David and Amiliah, but the sleepwear she’s making us wear? I’m not taking any chances.”
For that, Deanna could understand. She found the whole idea odd but exciting, however, the inclusion of Kim Williams AND Datura AND Ravyn Taylor ANNNNNND Xander Valentine was enough to make her uneasy as well. Still, why was her wife researching such a common thing in one’s childhood?
“Why would you need to research the idea of a sleepover, Selena?” she asked.
“Fortune favors the prepared, pet.” Selena answered as she read the current list she had of ‘things to do in a sleepover’. “I don’t know what Nicole’s planning and SCW has no clue on the rules, so I rather cover the basics so I don’t get thrown off. Last thing I want is to have Xander have ‘insurance’ on his title reign or Ravyn to be next in line after the chamber.”
“No… I mean…” Deanna tried to rephrase. “Why do you need to research sleepovers? It’s not that complicated. Friends come over, they play games, share secrets, watch movies, and then go to sleep. It’s pretty easy. Sort of like a birthday party except for the added ‘sleeping part’.”
“Uh-huh.” Selena nodded as she continued to read. “Says there’s a lot of games involving the word ‘killer’, ‘murder’, ‘corpse’- tell me at least four people who got invites can’t use that to their advantage.“
“That’s just some card games based on mystery and such.” Deanna replied. “I actually liked ‘Murder in the Dark’.”
“That sounds like Nicole’s or Pro’s or even Luna’s style.” Selena remarked sharply. “How do you play?”
“What do you mean? You just use cards to assign roles and-” Deanna started before a sudden thought came to her. One that she hadn’t considered until that moment. “Selena…” she breathed. “Have you… have you never had a sleepover?”
For a moment, Selena turned her head to observe her wife, sapphire eyes taking in the small woman’s frame. “Is that so surprising?” she half-smirked. “I was the most reviled person in Nome till my mid-20s. They hated my dad, bullied me – I mean, I hardly think teenage Gavin would have wanted me for a sleepover… which sounds gross now that I think about it!” she shivered a little at the mere thought.
“So, what about you and Talia as kids?” Deanna tried. “When you were still friends-“ Selena stopped her by shaking her head knowingly.
“Her parents ‘tolerated’ her being friends with me but the last thing they wanted was for word to spread that they had let ‘The Snow Queen’ spend the night in their house. Wouldn’t have gone well.”
“So, you’ve NEVER had a sleepover? Never? Not once?”
“Nope.” Selena shook her head. “To be honest, it doesn’t sound like I missed all that much. I mean, it doesn’t bother me. The only reason I’m looking it up now is because I don’t know what the hell I am supposed to do to win this thing and how to keep Xander and Ravyn from winning.”
In truth, Selena could accept the idea of someone like Kim or Gavin or Datura getting a chance at the world title (in two of those cases, a ‘second’ chance at the world title), but she didn’t want to think of a situation where Xander had both the title and a ‘future title shot’. The man was obsessed with keeping the world title in his possession, not for integrity or for the betterment of the title, but for himself. And Ravyn? After barely surviving that match at Apocalypse where Ravyn had TASERED her? No. She refused to let Ravyn have that kind of power again. Not if the Snow Queen could help it.
Still, Deanna’s observation did cause a bit of reflection. It was true, she hadn’t really thought she missed anything in not participating in ‘sleepovers’ with friends. She had accepted her exile and the hatred of Nome as something that ‘just was’ since her youth. So, the idea of being liked or even loved just wasn’t in the cards. It wasn’t until she had escaped Nome and become an SCW superstar that she had tried to think otherwise. But she didn’t regret her past nor did she feel like she ‘missed out’ on anything.
“I mean…” she turned her gaze to her emerald-eyed wife. “Did you?”
“Of course!” Deanna smiled quickly. “Great time! Loads of fun!”
“I’m assuming this was before you came out and trouble started?”
“Yeah.” Deanna nodded. “Still…” she huffed. “Selena, you need to have a sleepover at least once in your life!”
“Deanna…” Selena laughed. “I’m 33 years old. That ship has kind of sailed. Besides, I just want to be ready for whatever Nicole has planned or whatever Ravyn or Xander might make her do.”
“Nope! You need hands on experience!” Deanna exclaimed, clapping her hands. Suddenly, she was out of Selena’s lap and marching towards their house’s front door. Opening it with a twist of the doorknob, Deanna leaned in and called out. “Elsianna!”
Within seconds, there was movement that even Selena could hear; small steps rushing from somewhere else within the house and growing louder in the Snow Queen’s ears until the young girl popped her head out from the doorway. “Yes, mom?” she asked, Selena able to see her daughter’s hair, so like her own, and black t-shirt and sweatpants, not to mention the black-lace gloves she wore that covered her hands and forearms.
“How would you feel about having Asuna, Becky and Carla over for a sleepover this weekend?” Deanna asked, causing the child’s eyes to widen.
“Wha…really?” Elsianna’s mouth hung open a little. “Can…can we play dungeons and dragons?”
“Absolutely!” Deanna exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “And watch movies and all the things that you kids do.”
“Can I…can I call them and ask?” Elsianna asked, wanting to make sure she was allowed to use the phone.
“Yep. Just one thing.” Deanna held up one finger to indicate the number before those hands rested on Selena’s shoulders gently.
“Hunny…” Selena tried, her mind already putting the pieces of Deanna’s ‘plan’ together.
“Let your mother join in on the fun.”
“Sweetheart, she doesn’t want her mother hanging with her and her friends.” Selena tried again. “She’ll feel embarrassed and self-conscious.”
“No, she won’t.” Deanna challenged, turning her head back to Elsianna. “Will you?”
Throughout this exchange, Elsa had remained silent, but upon being targeted by her mom’s question, she gave a little shrug of her shoulders. “I don’t think so. I mean… Mother, will you want to play with us?”
“I…” Selena wasn’t sure how to answer that question, eventually shrugging her shoulders. “You know I love playing with you and your brother and sister. But I don’t want to take something fun for you and I…”
“Elsianna…” Deanna interjected, earning her daughter’s attention. “Your mother has never had a sleepover before.”
The directness of that fact caused the child’s eyes to widen before they found Selena again. “You haven’t?!”
“I…” Again, Selena found difficulty with finding her words. “I didn’t have many friends when I was your age, snowflake. You know that.”
“But… not even one?” Elsianna sounded so sad with that question, like she had found a wounded bird on the side of the road.
“Not really.” Selena shook her head honestly.
“So…” Deanna pressed. “You think you could let her join you and your friends?”
It took only a second for Elsianna to nod her head. “I’ll go call them.” She stated before disappearing back into the house, leaving the Frost wives alone again.
“You know this isn’t going to help me with my Breakdown match, right?” Selena challenged.
“You said ‘fortune favors the prepared’.” Deanna countered. “Some real hands-on experience will help.”
“Hands-on experience with three normal, SANE children.” Selena interjected. “Nicole is NONE of those things. And we don’t even know if it’s her that’s gonna be in the driver’s seat during the match!”
“Well…” Deanna shrugged. “Some things you just can’t prepare for.”
With a long exhale, Selena breathed out from her nostril before nodding her head. That part was beyond true. She had no idea, no matter how much she prepared and studied for this high-stakes Breakdown match, how it was going to go down. And nothing she did would entirely prepare her for it.
Just like nothing, she felt, was going to prepare her for her very first sleepover…