03-04-2024, 12:42 AM
OOC: Takes place at the same time as Deanna’s roleplay. Frozen Central is a private email sent to the recipient, so it is not publicly released.
DISCLAIMER: The following is a work of fiction and not to be confused as complete or accurate representation of any beliefs, religions, etc. Please refer to research/articles by experts for that.
The Edison Ballroom
New York, New York
February 24th, 2024
8:14pm
She could hear the classical musical playing even through the walls of her stall, albeit just barely, the faint notes of the Victorian-style songs whispering into her ear, interrupted only when her stomach convulsed, causing her to retch into the porcelain once again.
She rode the familiar sensation out, letting her stomach empty the last of its contents – she, herself, feeling more like she was simply ‘watching’ her body go through this or some kind of ‘distant-mind’ effect. Instead, she focused more on the cool porcelain her forehead was resting against, taking what little comfort and distraction she could from the sensation. She felt her hands slowly release their ‘death-grip’ from around the white bowl, her dark-blue, manicured nails slightly scrapping across the surface (not enough to scratch but just enough to make a sound), as her body calmed itself from its vomiting episode.
She didn’t move right away. She knew she still had time. Let her have her moment a little longer… she willed herself to comply, letting the seconds tick away a little without letting her frustrations, or her nerves (as was the cause of her current episode of throwing up), get the better of her.
Since learning of the order of events that had occurred from her father, Selena Frost had worked tirelessly, orchestrating her next move – this move – in retaliation. Did she care that the Alden-family was throwing a party? Not really. Did she care that she hadn’t been the smartest student in her class? Not at all. Did she care that Deanna had been? Yes and no. She was certainly proud of her wife, that much she could assess about herself, but there was a mix of other emotions swirling in there like a puddle of mud that she couldn’t discern.
Actually, that was the perfect analogy when it came to her feelings for her beloved redhead. An indiscernible, dirty pile of emotions. Like how she couldn’t think of her without such words as ‘beloved’ and ‘adorable’ and yet also couldn’t help but feel frustration and, even, anger when it came to the woman.
It was all Deanna’s fault things had eroded like this in the first place. Why couldn’t she see that and accept responsibility for it? She had been the one that had pushed for Selena’s return to Supreme Championship Wrestling more than anyone. Yes, the SCW executives, management and, Selena was sure, even CHBK, himself, had played their part with using her name and legacy for their own benefit but how was that any different than Kandis? The woman had been using her one victory over the Snow Queen at Rise to Greatness over and over again like a broken record-player, even taking credit for ‘driving Selena out of SCW’ for a time – the world champion scoffed at the idea. As if that big-assed porn star had THAT ability.
She’s not good enough or smart enough to do something like that… she thought bitterly. And yet, she had to sit through every promo and every time Kandis opened her mouth or tweeted on X. It had taken so much of her patience not to just beat her to the ground senseless like she had done to Religious Wright shortly after her return.
Not yet… she felt the voice in her mind – familiar and darker, a mixture of hers and Malcolm. Her ‘devil-voice’, she referred to it as. Don’t give into that need yet… patience… enjoy it…
Again, Selena exhaled, forcing her emotions to settle once more. It had been worth it to wait. It WAS worth it to wait. To see Kandis smashing monitors and cursing at everyone and throwing her tantrums, with Selena outsmarting her every step of the way. Now? All the pieces were in place.
She had her official in Aaron Demitria.
She had her match for Retribution.
She had the world title.
Everything she had been waiting for since choosing to return… it was all set. Now, she just needed to wait a week until they were in the ring and the bell rang. And then…
She heard the sound of someone washing their hands outside her stall and then walking away, forcing her to return her focus to the present and her current position of being hunched over a toilet. Slowly, she pushed herself up, grabbing at the toilet-paper from the dispenser and pulling enough of the poor excuse for paper to wipe her mouth. That task accomplished, as well as cleaning up after herself, the young woman exited the stall and moved over to the refined marble sink, letting her hands rest upon the smooth surface as she gazed at herself in the mirror. Seeing her own reflection, she breathed a sigh of relief. Her makeup hadn’t been smudged or ruined by her little episode in the stall. Carefully, the platinum-blonde turned on the sink and, using her hand, scooped up the cold water to sip from in order to rinse her mouth out. She was certain she looked quite the sight – with her hair done in its French-braid and her backless, black, sequined dress hunched over, drinking from the sink.
Please… she scoffed at her slight twinge of embarrassment. Better than on my back with my legs in the air…
One more ‘rinse and spit’ and she carefully pushed herself up again to, once more, check at her own reflection. Much like with Kandis, Selena had laid out her plans for this moment and she didn’t want one thing to go wrong, including how she appeared before the masses. Or before Deanna…
Again, a steady breath came to calm her, as well as a reminder of the aforementioned truth: that this was really all her wife’s fault. Yes, Selena loved her – loved her more than anything – but it had been Deanna that had come home with her schemes and little games, the redhead pushing and playing with the platinum-blonde in trying to get her to talk about SCW and to come back. Part of her, Selena had to admit, still wasn’t sold on her wife being ‘totally oblivious’ to the board’s ‘mistakes’ and uses of Selena’s name. She must have said something or done something off camera or…something… the woman thought.
It didn’t matter. The paths they now walked, with Selena going her own way – Deanna was at fault for that. She had warned the younger Frost that there would be consequences for Selena’s return, even in their marriage. The redhead hadn’t listened and now? Now, she was just acting on emotion and irrationality. She couldn’t see the bigger picture.
What SCW was doing. What the SCW Universe was doing. What they were really like. The same things applied to the Aldens.
She will… in time. her devil-voice reminded. You just have to give her time… and play your hand when it’s time to.
Giving a nod to her own reflection, Selena pushed herself away from the counter, walking out of the polished and gorgeous bathroom and back into the main lobby of The Edison Ballroom. She could see the group of people, many dressed in various forms of clothing, from high-end to even street-wear, but she did not spend too much time taking them all in. Instead, her eyes focused on the small dish sitting on top of the receptionist black-stone desk. She could just make out the multi-colored wrappers of mints. With a quick glide of her hand, she scooped up a pair of the candies, unwrapping them and plopping them into her mouth, letting the flavor and smell slowly overtake any lingering scents of stomach acid.
As she did, she saw the young woman, perhaps a year or two younger than her, approach her. Like her, she wore a dress, but far more simple - a solid color of red – and her hair was merely combed back and in waves, probably dried with a hair-dryer.
“This really happening?” she asked, earning a nod from Selena.
“Right now.” Selena remarked as she adjust her braid over her shoulder. “You know when to move?”
“When you snap your fingers.” The young girl replied, earning a nod from Selena, who turned around and began to walk the way she came, moving further into the building until she stood at the massive doors that lead to the actual ‘ballroom’. She heard, rather than saw, the numerous feet walking behind her, causing a surge of power to fill her and run up her spine. Focus! came the voice in her mind. Find the right time!
Slowly, Selena placed her hands on the handles of the door, letting the sounds on the opposite fill her… except their were no sounds. There was no music. Only one voice… A voice she recognized immediately.
“I came here, to be honest, out of an obligation and a past-“ Deanna’s voice rang through – clearly microphoned in the other room, halting Selena’s actions. Not yet! she wasn’t sure which voice had made that order in her mind, hers or the devil’s. But they seemed to be in agreement, which was enough for Selena to relax her grip on the door handles slightly, her focus merely on listening.
“-That was not my own. With not the best of ‘impressions’ on my side, I attended class with some of you, merely wanting to pass and be done with that sense of ‘owing’. And yet… as time went on… I began to feel more. It stopped being a chore or a job or even an obligation. I started to get to know some of you. Your names, your hobbies, your likes and dislikes. I got to know some of the elders. I got to know my teacher, Mrs. Winthrop, and… slowly…”
There was a pause in her speech, and Selena could almost picture her wife taking a moment to compose herself. Once more, that feeling of pride filled the waiting woman. Deanna had worked so hard to do well with her studies, while juggling a career that, if Selena were honest, was on par to be something incredible! She had already held most of the titles in SCW, and her first top-tier title reign (being with the United States Championship) was close to passing Selena’s longest reign with the world title! She was two titles away from being a Supreme Champion and she had nearly become world champion late last year… and still managed to score the highest in her class. The woman was a force of nature, or maybe she had become one… and she’s my wife… came the thought that belonged to Selena.
Even so… that made the older woman’s choices all the more certain. She needed Deanna to see her side. Needed her to understand the situation. Even if they stayed at opposite ends of SCW’s proverbial ‘playground’ for a time. The redhead needed to see that everything Selena was doing was for the best. For herself, for them, for their family…
“You all accepted me in return. You knew me as ‘Deanna’. And I… I wanted to know more of this amazing family known as the Aldens…” she heard an applause come from the crowd in the other room, causing the woman to roll her eyes. These Aldens… she softly growled under her breath. She didn’t trust a single one of them, not even her grandmother or uncle or aunt. They had used her for their own ‘issues’ with her mother, digging up dirt that should have remained buried. If they hadn’t involved Alejandra, Selena’s mother, the Snow Queen would have told them to go rot in a ditch. But Deanna?
She seemed to be swept up in their little world, enjoying her time with the Aldens and what she was learning, as if she had forgotten how they had been forced into this world. It had made no sense to Selena. Couldn’t Deanna see how entitled and ‘elitist’ these people were? Had she learned nothing from Malcolm and Killjoy? Hell, these people were as bad as the Frost/Frostmere clan with their entitlement and arrogance! Anyone could see that! Alejandra had run to Nome just to get away from them! Wasn’t that enough of a red flag?
She doesn’t see it. Came the voice again. But you will show her. Selena nodded her head, clearing her mind in time to catch more of her wife’s speech.
“I am so proud to be the speaker for tonight. I am so proud of what I have learned, the people I have known, and the family that has welcomed me so warmly. And the thanks I feel-“
NOW! Screamed the devil-voice and Selena acted without hesitation, pulling the doors open with all she had. Immediately, like a wave, she saw the closest people turn to look at her first, followed by the rest of the room until all eyes were on her, including the emerald eyes of Deanna, the farthest person looking at her with shock as she stood on the stage behind the podium.
“Well…well…” Selena spoke out as she strolled into the room to stand before the group. “Better late than never, am I right?”
LAME! her mind screamed at her terrible choice of words. That was the best line you could come up with?!
Shushing her mental cursing, the platinum-blonde swept her gaze across the many people, not wishing to keep her eyes on Deanna (that would make this too hard). She spied her mother not too far away, Raphael Alden on the other side of the room, her grandmother, Freya, and her uncle, Caius, and aunt, Sage. They were all dressed in high-end attire, which only further annoyed Selena – these same people who had come, begging her for help, seemed to have no problem in her exclusion after she had done what they asked.
“You Aldens really do throw the most outlandish parties.” She spoke slowly, moving at a matching speed as she walked around the room. “The lights, the music, the food…” reaching down, she plucked up a piece of bruschetta, admiring its color and scent before tossing it away onto the ground behind the table she stood near. “Truly, I’m impressed. But for the well-to-do… the elite, I imagine it isn’t very hard.” Her eyes narrowed at them, judging them all as opposed to one.
“Selena…” the voice was loud, coming from the speakers, which brough the Devil’s eyes up to the podium, quickly seeing the pleading gaze the redhead held. “Can you not…”
“Oh, I’m afraid I must.” Selena smiled. “But first, a round of applause for my wife, Deanna!” she clapped her hands in the silence, earning no support as she stood there. Nobody took their eyes off Selena. Nobody really moved. Good… came the dark thought in her mind. Keep your eyes on me, people…
Slowing her hands, Selena kept her eyes on Deanna. “Very proud of you, sweetheart.” She threw towards the redhead. “You’ve been taken in…” she chuckled, holding a hand over her chest. “Excuse me… You’ve really ‘taken up’ the task of learning and shined as a student. But that’s not really a surprise. She’s quite brilliant, you know.”
There was a pause of silence as Selena’s walk brought her towards the table of champagne flutes. Immediately, without hesitating, she turned away, her body revolting the sight of the alcoholic beverages. “Really brilliant, actually. She was smart enough not to have me be her plus one.” She eyed the masses before locking eyes with Raphael. “I have to admit that was a rather distressing note to not receiving an invitation.”
“You weren’t invited.” Came the cold voice from the old man, who glared down Selena, the annoyance clear in his voice. It only made Selena feel even better, the woman smiling knowingly.
“Oh yes, I am sure. I didn’t ‘make the cut’, did I?” she teased. “I wasn’t part of the ‘top in the class’, was I?” Her smile disappeared as she moved back towards the closed doors she had entered. “Look at all of you…” she glared at the mass, her tone dropping it’s amused expression. “Celebrating being ‘better than everyone else’. And for what? A class of ‘history buffs’? A cult of ‘witches’? You think that puts you ‘above’ the rest of us? Just because you scored high on a few tests?”
She saw their expressions sour more so, the fools thinking that would throw her off… when it was having the opposite effect.
“I came from a small town in Alaska, you know.” She smirked. “A place filled with people just like you. The big fish in the little pond. People that wouldn’t have invited me to such a party either. People that looked down on me when I was just trying to live my life and believe in my father.”
“Selena…” she heard the plead in her wife but only faintly. She was not letting her plan go to waste over something like the begging of her love. No, she was the devil now…
“And yet… those ‘big fishes’?” she shrugged. “They are still in that little pond back in Nome.” She eyed the group once more. “But now? They have to watch me as I live better, richer, and more of a life than they will ever hope to achieve. They have to watch as their town became synonymous with me. As I became a celebrity that their town would only be known for.”
Reaching up, she threw her platinum-blonde braid around and back across her hand with a flick of her wrist. “The point is, the little fish outgrew the big. And since this is supposed to be a ‘graduation party’ – if my wife’s invitation was accurate.” She shouldn’t have, but she threw a wink at Deanna to further her point. It was too tempting not to. “I figured it… why not let all your little fish see the big suckers they are going to outgrow… and leave in the dust!”
With that last word, Selena snapped her fingers as loudly as she could. As the sound travelled, the doors behind her flew open once more. This time, however, it was not one person that entered, or even two… but a mass! A sea of people – a few dozen – that filled the room, causing a series of stunned sounds to come from the invitees! The new arrivals gathered behind Selena, including the woman in red Selena had spoke to earlier. As for the Snow Queen, she did not move until she heard the doors close behind her, slowly turning around to acknowledge the ‘army’ behind her.
“My friends…” she began, overpowering the remarks of the invited guests, including Raphael’s. “Tonight, we honor YOUR graduation from a class that has next to nothing to do with the real world. So, please, eat and drink your full… and meet your supposed ‘betters’!” she eyed the mass of the supposed ‘elite’. “And let them know what you think of their ‘opinions’ of you!”
At that, the crowd behind her charged forward, dispersing in all directions! Some marched, some ran. Some went to the table of food to help themselves. Others ran to the bar to do the same with the champagne flutes. Others still moved to the dance floor to dance with a partner to the music in their heads. The invitees, however, could only voice their displeasure, shouting and yelling at them and at Selena, some even heading for the door, which was fine with the Snow Queen. By the time this was over, the ballroom would be in a mess, the offended non-invites trashing the place as they grew drunker and more bitter at not being invited.
The plan had worked perfectly.
Simply showing up had not been good enough for Selena. Not after all she had done for people she wanted nothing to do with. No. If that was her ‘thanks’ for sticking her neck out and wasting months of her life… then she was going to leave her mark on the Aldens!
For a moment, she spied her mother standing close to the wall, trying to avoid getting involved with anyone. Yet her dark eyes were on Selena and there was no mistaking the look within them: disappointment.
That makes two of us, mother. Selena thought both sadly and bitterly. When you chose to hide this from me…
She eyed Raphael next, though he wasn’t looking at her. He was helping Deanna off the stage, much to Selena’s surprise. Still, his party was ruined and his plan, whatever it had been, was foiled. The man would be embarrassed and that was enough for the Snow Queen. Caius and Sage held similar glances Selena’s way as Alejandra had, but Freya?
Selena saw the older woman standing near her… and approaching.
“How dare you.” The old woman whispered. “To shame us like this!”
Despite the condescending tone, Selena didn’t feel intimidated like she had before when she had first met her grandmother. Instead, she felt enraged.
“How dare I?” she asked coldly. “How dare you.” She hissed. “You ungrateful bitch.”
The insult must have shocked the older woman, for her mouth hung open. Still, Selena pressed on.
“I solved your little problem and THIS is how you thank me? This is how you repay me?” she eyed Freya. “I didn’t need any of this or any of you. You came to me. You and your kids came to me. And without me, you wouldn’t have Deanna, and you wouldn’t even be here in this charter anymore, would you?” She leaned forward. “So, watch your tone, Freya.” She emphasized the woman’s name. “Because you now OWE me EVERYTHING!”
She watched the woman shrink back, her words striking more than nerves. She had felt a similar sensation when she had stood in the ring after striking down Asher Hayes with a single kick, knowing she was the next in line for the world title shot… and nobody – not CHBK, not management… and sure as hell not Kandis… able to do anything to stop it!
With a smirk, she turned her back on the masses. They would ensure the party utterly ended the way she desired it to. She was no longer needed for that. Her work was done. With one last glance at her ‘work’, the Blue-Eyed Devil headed for the door, taking the few steps needed as the noise from the party, now in complete disarray and utter bedlam filled her ears.
She had not taken more than a few steps into the lobby when she felt a hand on her bare shoulder, just under the dress that tied around her neck to stay upright. Immediately, she was spun around, her surprise temporary as she beheld the red-face expression of her irate wife.
“Why?!” Deanna barked, but Selena merely smiled at her with a tilt of her head, genuinely amused.
“This is a rare sight.” She remarked earnestly. “Now it’s YOUR face that matches the color of your hair!”
It wasn’t as amusing or fun to Deanna as it was with Selena, the redhead stepping forward to stare down the Snow Queen. “Why?!” She asked again. “You gain nothing from this!”
“Not quite.” Selena spoke, looking around the lobby. “I’m just being exactly what you thought I’d be.”
“What does that mean?”
“You didn’t invite me to share in this moment with you. Even to be your plus one.”
“Cause I knew you’d ruin it!” Deanna shot back.
“And that’s exactly what I did.” Selena shrugged. “Might as well be the monster you think I am.”
Her mouth hung open a little and the color faded a bit from her face. “That’s your excuse?” she finally asked. “That’s how you justify ruining this for me?” She looked around the lobby for a moment, the noises from the ballroom fading from their attention as the doors closed behind Deanna. “This was something for me… Something I could be proud of! Something that, for once, did NOT have to involve ‘the great’ Selena Frost’!”
“Like in SCW?” Selena narrowed her eyes at the redhead. “I still have stayed away from you regarding that. Haven’t done a thing to get in your way, have I?” she laughed. “You think I couldn’t get a shot at you and take your title if I wanted to?” again, a laugh escaped her. “Don’t be stupid, Deanna.”
“I’m not stupid!” the redhead shot back. “And this isn’t about work!”
“No, it isn’t, but the situation is the same! You blaming me for your actions!”
“YOU DID THIS!” Deanna fired back. “I didn’t make you do this!”
The taller woman scoffed. “Really? Because who was it that lied to me? Who was it that hid this from me? Who couldn’t just be honest?”
“So I need to tell you everything?!”
“No, but if you’re deliberately hiding shit from me-“
“FUCK YOU!”
The curse was loud and actually stunned Selena, coming from Deanna with such ferocity that it brought tears to the redhead’s eyes.
“You can’t do this to me!” she half-cried, half-yelled. “You walked out on me! You left me! Now you’re punishing me for doing the best I can without you!”
“Except you’re not.” Selena replied coldly. “I left because you wanted me back in SCW – despite me warning you this would happen. You lied to me about this, so here I am. At some point, Deanna, you need to start accepting responsibility for your actions.”
“Look who’s talking!”
“I can talk!” Selena shot back strongly. “I accept my actions are making me hated in SCW and here. I accept that. The fans are fickle but I could easily win them over if I just act like Kandis. Dress slutty, swear a lot? Win by ‘hook or crook’? You think I couldn’t do any of that? It be easy! I refuse to. I want to be the best on MY terms. Because of that, I am hated. I accept that. It’s my choice and my consequence! But I rather be honest with myself than pander to those fickle idiots!”
“Oh so I’m pandering to them because they like me?”
“No. But they’ll turn on you soon enough.” Selena shrugged. “Only a matter of time. You won’t even have to do anything wrong. When hating you is ‘more fun’ than supporting and believing in you? They’ll shift and you won’t even know why.”
The redhead seemed a little taken aback but refused to be distracted. “So…you just get to show up, ruin anything of mine that is worthwhile and doesn’t involve you?”
“You call THAT worthwhile?” Selena laughed at that, not meaning to but it was too ridiculous a notion. “You realize you were just part of some faux-elitist shindig, right?”
“It was celebrating…”
“Oh shut up, Deanna.” Selena shot back. “It was nothing more than a ego-stroking, ‘I’m better than you’ party!”
“For the people that worked hard for their grades!”
“Worked hard?!” again, Selena laughed. “You’re the only person that worked ‘hard’ in that group, Deanna. Or did you not see the all the rich folks there. There wasn’t one of them that had a suit or dress that wasn’t less than ten grand on them.” She eyed her wife’s own green-sequined dress. “Did you buy that dress? Or did Raphael buy it?”
“I…” immediately, the redhead quieted, knowing the answer as well as Selena did.
“And why? You own several dresses. Dresses I bought for you. So, why would he?” she didn’t wait for an answer. “Because it wasn’t good enough. What we have, where we live? It’s not good enough for THEIR world. Your fellow ‘graduates’? Dozens of tutors and people to do the work for them.”
Selena shook her head. She had dug deep in her research for the past week, finding a list of all the classmates and their history. It had taken her time… and maybe even hiring a detective here and there… but she refused to enter a battle, be it in her life or in SCW, acting on emotion alone. She had done it at Rise to Greatness – she refused to do it now.
“That girl in the red-dress that came in after me? Did you see her?” Selena asked, earning a nod from Deanna. “Jordan. Works three jobs including Uber and DoorDash just to pay the bills. 75-hour work week. Missed the ‘elite-grade’ by two percent.”
She saw Deanna blink a little, the woman still furious, but at least she was listening. “There’s four people that came with me: Tommy, Jack, Susan and Ruby. Mentally handicapped. Worked each day to try and study. Their caretakers shared with me the hours they put in trying to understand everything. Didn’t make the cut. Not invited. Mark – raising three kids on top of being a student. Jules – working through addiction issues with rehab. Beth – same as Jordan. Dozens of people working as hard as they can in this world, but because they didn’t pass a certain ‘grade’, they get denied the chance to celebrate graduating.”
Selena let her words settle as she narrowed her eyes at Deanna. “Because those people don’t care about the whys or the hows. They care about the results. That’s ALL they care about. All those people? The people you were celebrating with? They’ll look down on those I mentioned and simply say ‘not good enough’. That’s who you were talking to with your speech, Deanna….” She gave a sad tilt of her head. “But of course you don’t see it. It probably never even crossed your mind. You’re enjoying the praise too much.” She leaned forward, choosing the words she would later regret saying. “Just like in SCW.”
It was those words that, when spoken aloud, Selena saw something snap within Deanna. Something inside the redhead break, perhaps irreparably. In that instant, Deanna leapt at Selena, meaning to tackle her in a rage-fueled attack.
Selena did not even hesitate.
In a second, faster than the redhead could imagine, the trained woman stepped an inch to the left, her foot out and her hand pressing into the closest shoulder-blade of the, now, passing redhead. She saw her wife trip on the foot, caused by the shove of the hand, before losing her balance and crashing – although the location of said crash had not been part of Selena’s plan – as she saw her wife barrel into a nearby potted plant (obviously used for décor). The trio, pot, plant and Deanna tumbled over, with the pot releasing its contents of plant and dirt all over the attacker.
The still-standing woman did not move for a moment, merely taking the damage in. She felt her heart break at the sight of her beloved covered in dirt and plant. As she saw her wife’s face morph from shock to anger before it all just consumed her, driving Deanna to tears. With a sigh, Selena took a few steps towards her fallen wife, offering a pale hand to Deanna’s dirty ones.
She was only half-expecting the dirty woman to shove the offered hand back. “Leave me alone.” She half-yelled, half-cried as she pulled herself up. “Just…Just leave me alone.” That one was all cry and tears as she rushed past Deanna, back towards the ballroom before veering left to enter the bathroom Selena had frequented earlier.
The world champion watched her go without stopping her or saying a word. It has to be done. she heard her devil-voice whisper gently. She will thank you later.
A long sigh escaped the platinum-blonde. She had to believe that. Lowering her gaze, she spotted the ring on her finger. The one she refused to remove despite everything. Her wedding ring.
“It has to work out.” She whispered to herself before turning to leave the building. Everything had to work out the way she planned in the end…
Otherwise…what was even the point?
_______________________________________________________________
![[Image: tetXUW1.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/tetXUW1.gif)
The following video is a private video sent to Mr. Aaron Demtria, SCW head official. The video, upon opening, reveals a simple ring inside what appears to be a gym. Sitting on the edge of the apron, her back against the ropes is none other than the SCW world champion herself, Selena Frost. She is not dressed as the world champion, the Blue-Eyed Devil, or even as The Snow Queen/Face of SCW. Not even the SCW world championship is with her. Rather, this woman’s attire consists of blue jeans and a maroon sweater, her hair in it iconic braid.
Taking a deep breath, she lifts her head to stare into the camera – into the eyes of her sole audience.
Aaron… she breaths the name, showing a bit of exhaustion but also a smile that screams trust and friendship.
I’ll wager this may come as a I surprise for you. Receiving a private video from an SCW superstar. Perhaps a bit more shocking when that superstar is the SCW world champion. But, do you see me dressed like The Snow Queen? Do you see me dressed like The Blue-Eyed Devil? As the world champion? Do you see a title here? she slowly shakes her head. Because I wanted to talk to you as one person to another. Not wrestler and official. But as fellow employees of SCW. And I need you to understand some things before this upcoming weekend…
She takes a slow breath, carefully gathering her thoughts and looking away for a moment. We’ve been through a lot together, you and I, Aaron. I could write a book about the matches of mine that you’ve officiated in the ten years I’ve been here in SCW… And you know I have always respected you. I’ve always tried to look out for you. Tried to keep you out of harm’s way when things go south…
That’s why I did what I did with the contract signing. That’s why I refused to sign the contract until I was certain that YOU, and only you, would be the official for the SCW world championship match in the main-event.
Because this isn’t just me fixing a mistake, an error… a crime against me, Aaron. No. This is me fixing a crime against you.
She stares at the camera. Because it should have been you that night.
It should have been you in the ring, on the biggest main-event in SCW’s history. Rise to Greatness XX – a milestone few, if any, federations have reached in our business. It should have been you, the man that has given more years to this business than… well, basically, anyone! Any superstar, any official, none of them have been here as long as you. No one has GIVEN more than you, Aaron, and I include the on-again, off-again boss that was O. D.! “The best official in the business”. That’s what Sharper called you. That’s what Shaun Cruze believed you to be when he said he’d stand by you in your decisions two years ago… but I’ll get to that…
But… where did you spend the main-event of RTG XX, Aaron? Where was ‘the best in the business’?
Sadly, Selena shakes her head. In the back? Catering? Heading home early? She shakes her head again knowingly. What should have been a ‘defining moment’ earned by you as much as it was earned by me as the world champion was denied to both of us. And for what? For a cheap sell? For some ‘extra tickets bought’? To mess with me? For ‘shock value’? That’s what O. D. and SCW management see after the years WE have put into this business. That is what they see in you. Replaceable with a ‘legend’ – integrity be damned. Years of devotion and hard work be damned. That is what your decades of work amounted to in their eyes, Aaron. Just like with me.
She sits back against the ropes. I don’t see that in you, Aaron. I see a man that has given his life, and risked it, for this company and on his terms of integrity and honor. I see a man that WANTS to be proud of the job he does. A man that wants to say “I work as a referee – as a SENIOR official and HEAD referee - in Supreme Championship Wrestling” with pride and a smile on his face!
Slowly, Selena rubs her hands together. When’s the last time you felt that, Aaron? When was the last time you were that man? When was the last time you felt that pride working here? Was it when Kandis pushed you to the ground to get at Religious Wright? Was it when she derailed an SCW world championship match that I made for Wright and for you simply because it ‘wasn’t what she wanted’? Was it further back? When people were invading each other’s homes because they were pissed off? Was it when Asher Hayes and Kandis were trading title-shots to the head night after night? Were you proud then? Was it at Rise to Greatness, when you had to watch from the back as your main-event passed you by?
A slow exhale came from Selena. That’s why I left, Aaron. I wasn’t proud to be here anymore. I was ashamed to be here. I was ashamed that I was in a business where such acts were not only allowed but encouraged by the SCW fans and the management. Where D. would shrug his shoulders and say that it was ‘just how things were changing’, as if that was what I had to just accept. What you just had to accept…
And when I came back... She tilts her head. I decided that I was going to force things to run my way. That I was going to have my matches, my time, my efforts run on my terms. Because SCW needs me. You know it and I know it. SCW needs it’s ‘Face’ because without me, well… you’ve seen what happens, haven’t you? No pride. No integrity. No nothing.
And I want people like you, like Jessica Winters, like Deanna, good people with integrity, to be proud to work here. I want the SCW world championship to be a source of pride. I want matches that MEAN something. Not matches that are put together for controversy or pop or ploys to sell tickets. I want people to RESPECT what I do. Respect what you do – what we have GIVEN to this business!
Slowly, the platinum-blonde takes a deep breath. And I need you to understand that, Aaron. Because I didn’t demand you in MY main-event just to get the man that’s been running around here lately, unable to control the chaos. The man that could do nothing while people were pelted with chairs or belts or championships were stolen or homes invaded or tights were pulled or rope breaks missed.
I need the man that knew, beyond reproach, when to do the right thing. You remember that man? Selena stares meaningfully at the camera. I do. Two years ago, that man was put in a match to officiate the future of the world championship. A match involving me and Holly Adams. A match where the title could change hands if I was disqualified. The woman rubs the tops of her knees and legs with her hands as she looks away, recalling that fateful night.
You had a choice that night, Aaron. Kimberly Williams ran in, DDTed Holly right in front of you to try and screw me out of the world title. Simply for chaos and for disrespect. You could have called it then and there, could have named Holly Adams the world champion. But you didn’t… why?
Because you knew that it wasn’t right. You knew that this was not how the world title – how the best of SCW – should be found out. You chose the path that you were proud to stand by. You chose to let the match continue and give me the chance to show the world, and you, that I was the better, more deserving SCW world champion. The harder worker. The better talent. The future of that championship. And then, at Retribution, when Holly was ready in that Double Jeopardy match, to bash my head in with a chair… you stopped her. You refused to give her an inch or any kind of unfair advantage because you didn’t want the main-event – the representation of all SCW – to be handled that way. You wanted an undisputed winner, didn’t you? You wanted to say that you helped find ‘the best wrestler in the world’. Just like you always have… except RTG 20, right?
A slow exhale comes from the Snow Queen. I need that man now, Aaron. I need that official that will not balk when Kandis puts her hands on you again when things don’t go her way. Because, I promise you, things will not go her way. And I don’t think you need to see her smash another monitor, or cry her eyes out while she’s standing on top of a table, or attack another superstar… or shove you to the ground again… to know that.
You’ve seen what she can be when she is champion, and what she can be when she isn’t. She runs roughshod here. She thinks she can do whatever she wants and she justifies it with either being ‘champion’ or being a ‘victim of conspiracy or controversy’. D. and CHBK made that happen, Aaron. The fans made that happen.
Now, I need to fix it. I need to make Kandis realize that what happened in Toronto was a damn fluke. It was a mistake. It was a stacked deck where the only person with any integrity in that match was me. Not Kandis, not CHBK, not the fans, just me. I need to make it clear that Kandis can belong in her ‘OnlyFans’ videos or whatever free porn site she uploads to, she can belong in her strip bar or whatever that place she owns with Tommy Valentine is, and she can belong in the fantasies of every low-level, low-standard, no-integrity fan in the SCW Universe…
But where she doesn’t belong? Where she has never belonged? Is in the main-event. Is in the realm of the SCW world championship!
She turns to stare at the camera, her eyes piercing and cold. You understand, Aaron? I am not just looking out for me and my legacy here. I am looking out for you and your legacy and the legacy of this championship – of this whole company. And I need ‘the best official in the world’ to be there to do the right thing like you used to. I need you to want to be proud to be here again. I need you to be the proof-positive that that bitch doesn’t belong near me or this title ever again!
Rolling her shoulders back, Selena takes a slow breath before speaking again. When you were that man, Aaron, I rewarded you with the longest world title reign in SCW history – I made you part of that unbreakable record. Imagine what I can give you and all of SCW now if you’re that man again. Imagine what I can do to change SCW back to something you can be proud to be part of. Imagine what your family will think of you if you were that man again. Imagine what your kids and grandkids will think of you if you are that man again, starting at Retribution – OUR retribution, Aaron.
Selena gives a slight shrug. Or… you can get used to being shoved to the ground, your calls disrespected… and letting main-event after main-event pass you by again simply because it’s ‘what Kandis wants to do’. It’s really up to you. The power is quite literally in your hands, Aaron Demitra. Whether you want to believe it and do the right thing… her sapphire eyes narrow. Or not.
The camera slowly fades on the woman before going entirely to black.
DISCLAIMER: The following is a work of fiction and not to be confused as complete or accurate representation of any beliefs, religions, etc. Please refer to research/articles by experts for that.
Villain of the Year
”Any Crash You Can Walk Away From”
The Edison Ballroom
New York, New York
February 24th, 2024
8:14pm
She could hear the classical musical playing even through the walls of her stall, albeit just barely, the faint notes of the Victorian-style songs whispering into her ear, interrupted only when her stomach convulsed, causing her to retch into the porcelain once again.
She rode the familiar sensation out, letting her stomach empty the last of its contents – she, herself, feeling more like she was simply ‘watching’ her body go through this or some kind of ‘distant-mind’ effect. Instead, she focused more on the cool porcelain her forehead was resting against, taking what little comfort and distraction she could from the sensation. She felt her hands slowly release their ‘death-grip’ from around the white bowl, her dark-blue, manicured nails slightly scrapping across the surface (not enough to scratch but just enough to make a sound), as her body calmed itself from its vomiting episode.
She didn’t move right away. She knew she still had time. Let her have her moment a little longer… she willed herself to comply, letting the seconds tick away a little without letting her frustrations, or her nerves (as was the cause of her current episode of throwing up), get the better of her.
Since learning of the order of events that had occurred from her father, Selena Frost had worked tirelessly, orchestrating her next move – this move – in retaliation. Did she care that the Alden-family was throwing a party? Not really. Did she care that she hadn’t been the smartest student in her class? Not at all. Did she care that Deanna had been? Yes and no. She was certainly proud of her wife, that much she could assess about herself, but there was a mix of other emotions swirling in there like a puddle of mud that she couldn’t discern.
Actually, that was the perfect analogy when it came to her feelings for her beloved redhead. An indiscernible, dirty pile of emotions. Like how she couldn’t think of her without such words as ‘beloved’ and ‘adorable’ and yet also couldn’t help but feel frustration and, even, anger when it came to the woman.
It was all Deanna’s fault things had eroded like this in the first place. Why couldn’t she see that and accept responsibility for it? She had been the one that had pushed for Selena’s return to Supreme Championship Wrestling more than anyone. Yes, the SCW executives, management and, Selena was sure, even CHBK, himself, had played their part with using her name and legacy for their own benefit but how was that any different than Kandis? The woman had been using her one victory over the Snow Queen at Rise to Greatness over and over again like a broken record-player, even taking credit for ‘driving Selena out of SCW’ for a time – the world champion scoffed at the idea. As if that big-assed porn star had THAT ability.
She’s not good enough or smart enough to do something like that… she thought bitterly. And yet, she had to sit through every promo and every time Kandis opened her mouth or tweeted on X. It had taken so much of her patience not to just beat her to the ground senseless like she had done to Religious Wright shortly after her return.
Not yet… she felt the voice in her mind – familiar and darker, a mixture of hers and Malcolm. Her ‘devil-voice’, she referred to it as. Don’t give into that need yet… patience… enjoy it…
Again, Selena exhaled, forcing her emotions to settle once more. It had been worth it to wait. It WAS worth it to wait. To see Kandis smashing monitors and cursing at everyone and throwing her tantrums, with Selena outsmarting her every step of the way. Now? All the pieces were in place.
She had her official in Aaron Demitria.
She had her match for Retribution.
She had the world title.
Everything she had been waiting for since choosing to return… it was all set. Now, she just needed to wait a week until they were in the ring and the bell rang. And then…
She heard the sound of someone washing their hands outside her stall and then walking away, forcing her to return her focus to the present and her current position of being hunched over a toilet. Slowly, she pushed herself up, grabbing at the toilet-paper from the dispenser and pulling enough of the poor excuse for paper to wipe her mouth. That task accomplished, as well as cleaning up after herself, the young woman exited the stall and moved over to the refined marble sink, letting her hands rest upon the smooth surface as she gazed at herself in the mirror. Seeing her own reflection, she breathed a sigh of relief. Her makeup hadn’t been smudged or ruined by her little episode in the stall. Carefully, the platinum-blonde turned on the sink and, using her hand, scooped up the cold water to sip from in order to rinse her mouth out. She was certain she looked quite the sight – with her hair done in its French-braid and her backless, black, sequined dress hunched over, drinking from the sink.
Please… she scoffed at her slight twinge of embarrassment. Better than on my back with my legs in the air…
One more ‘rinse and spit’ and she carefully pushed herself up again to, once more, check at her own reflection. Much like with Kandis, Selena had laid out her plans for this moment and she didn’t want one thing to go wrong, including how she appeared before the masses. Or before Deanna…
Again, a steady breath came to calm her, as well as a reminder of the aforementioned truth: that this was really all her wife’s fault. Yes, Selena loved her – loved her more than anything – but it had been Deanna that had come home with her schemes and little games, the redhead pushing and playing with the platinum-blonde in trying to get her to talk about SCW and to come back. Part of her, Selena had to admit, still wasn’t sold on her wife being ‘totally oblivious’ to the board’s ‘mistakes’ and uses of Selena’s name. She must have said something or done something off camera or…something… the woman thought.
It didn’t matter. The paths they now walked, with Selena going her own way – Deanna was at fault for that. She had warned the younger Frost that there would be consequences for Selena’s return, even in their marriage. The redhead hadn’t listened and now? Now, she was just acting on emotion and irrationality. She couldn’t see the bigger picture.
What SCW was doing. What the SCW Universe was doing. What they were really like. The same things applied to the Aldens.
She will… in time. her devil-voice reminded. You just have to give her time… and play your hand when it’s time to.
Giving a nod to her own reflection, Selena pushed herself away from the counter, walking out of the polished and gorgeous bathroom and back into the main lobby of The Edison Ballroom. She could see the group of people, many dressed in various forms of clothing, from high-end to even street-wear, but she did not spend too much time taking them all in. Instead, her eyes focused on the small dish sitting on top of the receptionist black-stone desk. She could just make out the multi-colored wrappers of mints. With a quick glide of her hand, she scooped up a pair of the candies, unwrapping them and plopping them into her mouth, letting the flavor and smell slowly overtake any lingering scents of stomach acid.
As she did, she saw the young woman, perhaps a year or two younger than her, approach her. Like her, she wore a dress, but far more simple - a solid color of red – and her hair was merely combed back and in waves, probably dried with a hair-dryer.
“This really happening?” she asked, earning a nod from Selena.
“Right now.” Selena remarked as she adjust her braid over her shoulder. “You know when to move?”
“When you snap your fingers.” The young girl replied, earning a nod from Selena, who turned around and began to walk the way she came, moving further into the building until she stood at the massive doors that lead to the actual ‘ballroom’. She heard, rather than saw, the numerous feet walking behind her, causing a surge of power to fill her and run up her spine. Focus! came the voice in her mind. Find the right time!
Slowly, Selena placed her hands on the handles of the door, letting the sounds on the opposite fill her… except their were no sounds. There was no music. Only one voice… A voice she recognized immediately.
“I came here, to be honest, out of an obligation and a past-“ Deanna’s voice rang through – clearly microphoned in the other room, halting Selena’s actions. Not yet! she wasn’t sure which voice had made that order in her mind, hers or the devil’s. But they seemed to be in agreement, which was enough for Selena to relax her grip on the door handles slightly, her focus merely on listening.
“-That was not my own. With not the best of ‘impressions’ on my side, I attended class with some of you, merely wanting to pass and be done with that sense of ‘owing’. And yet… as time went on… I began to feel more. It stopped being a chore or a job or even an obligation. I started to get to know some of you. Your names, your hobbies, your likes and dislikes. I got to know some of the elders. I got to know my teacher, Mrs. Winthrop, and… slowly…”
There was a pause in her speech, and Selena could almost picture her wife taking a moment to compose herself. Once more, that feeling of pride filled the waiting woman. Deanna had worked so hard to do well with her studies, while juggling a career that, if Selena were honest, was on par to be something incredible! She had already held most of the titles in SCW, and her first top-tier title reign (being with the United States Championship) was close to passing Selena’s longest reign with the world title! She was two titles away from being a Supreme Champion and she had nearly become world champion late last year… and still managed to score the highest in her class. The woman was a force of nature, or maybe she had become one… and she’s my wife… came the thought that belonged to Selena.
Even so… that made the older woman’s choices all the more certain. She needed Deanna to see her side. Needed her to understand the situation. Even if they stayed at opposite ends of SCW’s proverbial ‘playground’ for a time. The redhead needed to see that everything Selena was doing was for the best. For herself, for them, for their family…
“You all accepted me in return. You knew me as ‘Deanna’. And I… I wanted to know more of this amazing family known as the Aldens…” she heard an applause come from the crowd in the other room, causing the woman to roll her eyes. These Aldens… she softly growled under her breath. She didn’t trust a single one of them, not even her grandmother or uncle or aunt. They had used her for their own ‘issues’ with her mother, digging up dirt that should have remained buried. If they hadn’t involved Alejandra, Selena’s mother, the Snow Queen would have told them to go rot in a ditch. But Deanna?
She seemed to be swept up in their little world, enjoying her time with the Aldens and what she was learning, as if she had forgotten how they had been forced into this world. It had made no sense to Selena. Couldn’t Deanna see how entitled and ‘elitist’ these people were? Had she learned nothing from Malcolm and Killjoy? Hell, these people were as bad as the Frost/Frostmere clan with their entitlement and arrogance! Anyone could see that! Alejandra had run to Nome just to get away from them! Wasn’t that enough of a red flag?
She doesn’t see it. Came the voice again. But you will show her. Selena nodded her head, clearing her mind in time to catch more of her wife’s speech.
“I am so proud to be the speaker for tonight. I am so proud of what I have learned, the people I have known, and the family that has welcomed me so warmly. And the thanks I feel-“
NOW! Screamed the devil-voice and Selena acted without hesitation, pulling the doors open with all she had. Immediately, like a wave, she saw the closest people turn to look at her first, followed by the rest of the room until all eyes were on her, including the emerald eyes of Deanna, the farthest person looking at her with shock as she stood on the stage behind the podium.
“Well…well…” Selena spoke out as she strolled into the room to stand before the group. “Better late than never, am I right?”
LAME! her mind screamed at her terrible choice of words. That was the best line you could come up with?!
Shushing her mental cursing, the platinum-blonde swept her gaze across the many people, not wishing to keep her eyes on Deanna (that would make this too hard). She spied her mother not too far away, Raphael Alden on the other side of the room, her grandmother, Freya, and her uncle, Caius, and aunt, Sage. They were all dressed in high-end attire, which only further annoyed Selena – these same people who had come, begging her for help, seemed to have no problem in her exclusion after she had done what they asked.
“You Aldens really do throw the most outlandish parties.” She spoke slowly, moving at a matching speed as she walked around the room. “The lights, the music, the food…” reaching down, she plucked up a piece of bruschetta, admiring its color and scent before tossing it away onto the ground behind the table she stood near. “Truly, I’m impressed. But for the well-to-do… the elite, I imagine it isn’t very hard.” Her eyes narrowed at them, judging them all as opposed to one.
“Selena…” the voice was loud, coming from the speakers, which brough the Devil’s eyes up to the podium, quickly seeing the pleading gaze the redhead held. “Can you not…”
“Oh, I’m afraid I must.” Selena smiled. “But first, a round of applause for my wife, Deanna!” she clapped her hands in the silence, earning no support as she stood there. Nobody took their eyes off Selena. Nobody really moved. Good… came the dark thought in her mind. Keep your eyes on me, people…
Slowing her hands, Selena kept her eyes on Deanna. “Very proud of you, sweetheart.” She threw towards the redhead. “You’ve been taken in…” she chuckled, holding a hand over her chest. “Excuse me… You’ve really ‘taken up’ the task of learning and shined as a student. But that’s not really a surprise. She’s quite brilliant, you know.”
There was a pause of silence as Selena’s walk brought her towards the table of champagne flutes. Immediately, without hesitating, she turned away, her body revolting the sight of the alcoholic beverages. “Really brilliant, actually. She was smart enough not to have me be her plus one.” She eyed the masses before locking eyes with Raphael. “I have to admit that was a rather distressing note to not receiving an invitation.”
“You weren’t invited.” Came the cold voice from the old man, who glared down Selena, the annoyance clear in his voice. It only made Selena feel even better, the woman smiling knowingly.
“Oh yes, I am sure. I didn’t ‘make the cut’, did I?” she teased. “I wasn’t part of the ‘top in the class’, was I?” Her smile disappeared as she moved back towards the closed doors she had entered. “Look at all of you…” she glared at the mass, her tone dropping it’s amused expression. “Celebrating being ‘better than everyone else’. And for what? A class of ‘history buffs’? A cult of ‘witches’? You think that puts you ‘above’ the rest of us? Just because you scored high on a few tests?”
She saw their expressions sour more so, the fools thinking that would throw her off… when it was having the opposite effect.
“I came from a small town in Alaska, you know.” She smirked. “A place filled with people just like you. The big fish in the little pond. People that wouldn’t have invited me to such a party either. People that looked down on me when I was just trying to live my life and believe in my father.”
“Selena…” she heard the plead in her wife but only faintly. She was not letting her plan go to waste over something like the begging of her love. No, she was the devil now…
“And yet… those ‘big fishes’?” she shrugged. “They are still in that little pond back in Nome.” She eyed the group once more. “But now? They have to watch me as I live better, richer, and more of a life than they will ever hope to achieve. They have to watch as their town became synonymous with me. As I became a celebrity that their town would only be known for.”
Reaching up, she threw her platinum-blonde braid around and back across her hand with a flick of her wrist. “The point is, the little fish outgrew the big. And since this is supposed to be a ‘graduation party’ – if my wife’s invitation was accurate.” She shouldn’t have, but she threw a wink at Deanna to further her point. It was too tempting not to. “I figured it… why not let all your little fish see the big suckers they are going to outgrow… and leave in the dust!”
With that last word, Selena snapped her fingers as loudly as she could. As the sound travelled, the doors behind her flew open once more. This time, however, it was not one person that entered, or even two… but a mass! A sea of people – a few dozen – that filled the room, causing a series of stunned sounds to come from the invitees! The new arrivals gathered behind Selena, including the woman in red Selena had spoke to earlier. As for the Snow Queen, she did not move until she heard the doors close behind her, slowly turning around to acknowledge the ‘army’ behind her.
“My friends…” she began, overpowering the remarks of the invited guests, including Raphael’s. “Tonight, we honor YOUR graduation from a class that has next to nothing to do with the real world. So, please, eat and drink your full… and meet your supposed ‘betters’!” she eyed the mass of the supposed ‘elite’. “And let them know what you think of their ‘opinions’ of you!”
At that, the crowd behind her charged forward, dispersing in all directions! Some marched, some ran. Some went to the table of food to help themselves. Others ran to the bar to do the same with the champagne flutes. Others still moved to the dance floor to dance with a partner to the music in their heads. The invitees, however, could only voice their displeasure, shouting and yelling at them and at Selena, some even heading for the door, which was fine with the Snow Queen. By the time this was over, the ballroom would be in a mess, the offended non-invites trashing the place as they grew drunker and more bitter at not being invited.
The plan had worked perfectly.
Simply showing up had not been good enough for Selena. Not after all she had done for people she wanted nothing to do with. No. If that was her ‘thanks’ for sticking her neck out and wasting months of her life… then she was going to leave her mark on the Aldens!
For a moment, she spied her mother standing close to the wall, trying to avoid getting involved with anyone. Yet her dark eyes were on Selena and there was no mistaking the look within them: disappointment.
That makes two of us, mother. Selena thought both sadly and bitterly. When you chose to hide this from me…
She eyed Raphael next, though he wasn’t looking at her. He was helping Deanna off the stage, much to Selena’s surprise. Still, his party was ruined and his plan, whatever it had been, was foiled. The man would be embarrassed and that was enough for the Snow Queen. Caius and Sage held similar glances Selena’s way as Alejandra had, but Freya?
Selena saw the older woman standing near her… and approaching.
“How dare you.” The old woman whispered. “To shame us like this!”
Despite the condescending tone, Selena didn’t feel intimidated like she had before when she had first met her grandmother. Instead, she felt enraged.
“How dare I?” she asked coldly. “How dare you.” She hissed. “You ungrateful bitch.”
The insult must have shocked the older woman, for her mouth hung open. Still, Selena pressed on.
“I solved your little problem and THIS is how you thank me? This is how you repay me?” she eyed Freya. “I didn’t need any of this or any of you. You came to me. You and your kids came to me. And without me, you wouldn’t have Deanna, and you wouldn’t even be here in this charter anymore, would you?” She leaned forward. “So, watch your tone, Freya.” She emphasized the woman’s name. “Because you now OWE me EVERYTHING!”
She watched the woman shrink back, her words striking more than nerves. She had felt a similar sensation when she had stood in the ring after striking down Asher Hayes with a single kick, knowing she was the next in line for the world title shot… and nobody – not CHBK, not management… and sure as hell not Kandis… able to do anything to stop it!
With a smirk, she turned her back on the masses. They would ensure the party utterly ended the way she desired it to. She was no longer needed for that. Her work was done. With one last glance at her ‘work’, the Blue-Eyed Devil headed for the door, taking the few steps needed as the noise from the party, now in complete disarray and utter bedlam filled her ears.
She had not taken more than a few steps into the lobby when she felt a hand on her bare shoulder, just under the dress that tied around her neck to stay upright. Immediately, she was spun around, her surprise temporary as she beheld the red-face expression of her irate wife.
“Why?!” Deanna barked, but Selena merely smiled at her with a tilt of her head, genuinely amused.
“This is a rare sight.” She remarked earnestly. “Now it’s YOUR face that matches the color of your hair!”
It wasn’t as amusing or fun to Deanna as it was with Selena, the redhead stepping forward to stare down the Snow Queen. “Why?!” She asked again. “You gain nothing from this!”
“Not quite.” Selena spoke, looking around the lobby. “I’m just being exactly what you thought I’d be.”
“What does that mean?”
“You didn’t invite me to share in this moment with you. Even to be your plus one.”
“Cause I knew you’d ruin it!” Deanna shot back.
“And that’s exactly what I did.” Selena shrugged. “Might as well be the monster you think I am.”
Her mouth hung open a little and the color faded a bit from her face. “That’s your excuse?” she finally asked. “That’s how you justify ruining this for me?” She looked around the lobby for a moment, the noises from the ballroom fading from their attention as the doors closed behind Deanna. “This was something for me… Something I could be proud of! Something that, for once, did NOT have to involve ‘the great’ Selena Frost’!”
“Like in SCW?” Selena narrowed her eyes at the redhead. “I still have stayed away from you regarding that. Haven’t done a thing to get in your way, have I?” she laughed. “You think I couldn’t get a shot at you and take your title if I wanted to?” again, a laugh escaped her. “Don’t be stupid, Deanna.”
“I’m not stupid!” the redhead shot back. “And this isn’t about work!”
“No, it isn’t, but the situation is the same! You blaming me for your actions!”
“YOU DID THIS!” Deanna fired back. “I didn’t make you do this!”
The taller woman scoffed. “Really? Because who was it that lied to me? Who was it that hid this from me? Who couldn’t just be honest?”
“So I need to tell you everything?!”
“No, but if you’re deliberately hiding shit from me-“
“FUCK YOU!”
The curse was loud and actually stunned Selena, coming from Deanna with such ferocity that it brought tears to the redhead’s eyes.
“You can’t do this to me!” she half-cried, half-yelled. “You walked out on me! You left me! Now you’re punishing me for doing the best I can without you!”
“Except you’re not.” Selena replied coldly. “I left because you wanted me back in SCW – despite me warning you this would happen. You lied to me about this, so here I am. At some point, Deanna, you need to start accepting responsibility for your actions.”
“Look who’s talking!”
“I can talk!” Selena shot back strongly. “I accept my actions are making me hated in SCW and here. I accept that. The fans are fickle but I could easily win them over if I just act like Kandis. Dress slutty, swear a lot? Win by ‘hook or crook’? You think I couldn’t do any of that? It be easy! I refuse to. I want to be the best on MY terms. Because of that, I am hated. I accept that. It’s my choice and my consequence! But I rather be honest with myself than pander to those fickle idiots!”
“Oh so I’m pandering to them because they like me?”
“No. But they’ll turn on you soon enough.” Selena shrugged. “Only a matter of time. You won’t even have to do anything wrong. When hating you is ‘more fun’ than supporting and believing in you? They’ll shift and you won’t even know why.”
The redhead seemed a little taken aback but refused to be distracted. “So…you just get to show up, ruin anything of mine that is worthwhile and doesn’t involve you?”
“You call THAT worthwhile?” Selena laughed at that, not meaning to but it was too ridiculous a notion. “You realize you were just part of some faux-elitist shindig, right?”
“It was celebrating…”
“Oh shut up, Deanna.” Selena shot back. “It was nothing more than a ego-stroking, ‘I’m better than you’ party!”
“For the people that worked hard for their grades!”
“Worked hard?!” again, Selena laughed. “You’re the only person that worked ‘hard’ in that group, Deanna. Or did you not see the all the rich folks there. There wasn’t one of them that had a suit or dress that wasn’t less than ten grand on them.” She eyed her wife’s own green-sequined dress. “Did you buy that dress? Or did Raphael buy it?”
“I…” immediately, the redhead quieted, knowing the answer as well as Selena did.
“And why? You own several dresses. Dresses I bought for you. So, why would he?” she didn’t wait for an answer. “Because it wasn’t good enough. What we have, where we live? It’s not good enough for THEIR world. Your fellow ‘graduates’? Dozens of tutors and people to do the work for them.”
Selena shook her head. She had dug deep in her research for the past week, finding a list of all the classmates and their history. It had taken her time… and maybe even hiring a detective here and there… but she refused to enter a battle, be it in her life or in SCW, acting on emotion alone. She had done it at Rise to Greatness – she refused to do it now.
“That girl in the red-dress that came in after me? Did you see her?” Selena asked, earning a nod from Deanna. “Jordan. Works three jobs including Uber and DoorDash just to pay the bills. 75-hour work week. Missed the ‘elite-grade’ by two percent.”
She saw Deanna blink a little, the woman still furious, but at least she was listening. “There’s four people that came with me: Tommy, Jack, Susan and Ruby. Mentally handicapped. Worked each day to try and study. Their caretakers shared with me the hours they put in trying to understand everything. Didn’t make the cut. Not invited. Mark – raising three kids on top of being a student. Jules – working through addiction issues with rehab. Beth – same as Jordan. Dozens of people working as hard as they can in this world, but because they didn’t pass a certain ‘grade’, they get denied the chance to celebrate graduating.”
Selena let her words settle as she narrowed her eyes at Deanna. “Because those people don’t care about the whys or the hows. They care about the results. That’s ALL they care about. All those people? The people you were celebrating with? They’ll look down on those I mentioned and simply say ‘not good enough’. That’s who you were talking to with your speech, Deanna….” She gave a sad tilt of her head. “But of course you don’t see it. It probably never even crossed your mind. You’re enjoying the praise too much.” She leaned forward, choosing the words she would later regret saying. “Just like in SCW.”
It was those words that, when spoken aloud, Selena saw something snap within Deanna. Something inside the redhead break, perhaps irreparably. In that instant, Deanna leapt at Selena, meaning to tackle her in a rage-fueled attack.
Selena did not even hesitate.
In a second, faster than the redhead could imagine, the trained woman stepped an inch to the left, her foot out and her hand pressing into the closest shoulder-blade of the, now, passing redhead. She saw her wife trip on the foot, caused by the shove of the hand, before losing her balance and crashing – although the location of said crash had not been part of Selena’s plan – as she saw her wife barrel into a nearby potted plant (obviously used for décor). The trio, pot, plant and Deanna tumbled over, with the pot releasing its contents of plant and dirt all over the attacker.
The still-standing woman did not move for a moment, merely taking the damage in. She felt her heart break at the sight of her beloved covered in dirt and plant. As she saw her wife’s face morph from shock to anger before it all just consumed her, driving Deanna to tears. With a sigh, Selena took a few steps towards her fallen wife, offering a pale hand to Deanna’s dirty ones.
She was only half-expecting the dirty woman to shove the offered hand back. “Leave me alone.” She half-yelled, half-cried as she pulled herself up. “Just…Just leave me alone.” That one was all cry and tears as she rushed past Deanna, back towards the ballroom before veering left to enter the bathroom Selena had frequented earlier.
The world champion watched her go without stopping her or saying a word. It has to be done. she heard her devil-voice whisper gently. She will thank you later.
A long sigh escaped the platinum-blonde. She had to believe that. Lowering her gaze, she spotted the ring on her finger. The one she refused to remove despite everything. Her wedding ring.
“It has to work out.” She whispered to herself before turning to leave the building. Everything had to work out the way she planned in the end…
Otherwise…what was even the point?
_______________________________________________________________
The following video is a private video sent to Mr. Aaron Demtria, SCW head official. The video, upon opening, reveals a simple ring inside what appears to be a gym. Sitting on the edge of the apron, her back against the ropes is none other than the SCW world champion herself, Selena Frost. She is not dressed as the world champion, the Blue-Eyed Devil, or even as The Snow Queen/Face of SCW. Not even the SCW world championship is with her. Rather, this woman’s attire consists of blue jeans and a maroon sweater, her hair in it iconic braid.
Taking a deep breath, she lifts her head to stare into the camera – into the eyes of her sole audience.
Aaron… she breaths the name, showing a bit of exhaustion but also a smile that screams trust and friendship.
I’ll wager this may come as a I surprise for you. Receiving a private video from an SCW superstar. Perhaps a bit more shocking when that superstar is the SCW world champion. But, do you see me dressed like The Snow Queen? Do you see me dressed like The Blue-Eyed Devil? As the world champion? Do you see a title here? she slowly shakes her head. Because I wanted to talk to you as one person to another. Not wrestler and official. But as fellow employees of SCW. And I need you to understand some things before this upcoming weekend…
She takes a slow breath, carefully gathering her thoughts and looking away for a moment. We’ve been through a lot together, you and I, Aaron. I could write a book about the matches of mine that you’ve officiated in the ten years I’ve been here in SCW… And you know I have always respected you. I’ve always tried to look out for you. Tried to keep you out of harm’s way when things go south…
That’s why I did what I did with the contract signing. That’s why I refused to sign the contract until I was certain that YOU, and only you, would be the official for the SCW world championship match in the main-event.
Because this isn’t just me fixing a mistake, an error… a crime against me, Aaron. No. This is me fixing a crime against you.
She stares at the camera. Because it should have been you that night.
It should have been you in the ring, on the biggest main-event in SCW’s history. Rise to Greatness XX – a milestone few, if any, federations have reached in our business. It should have been you, the man that has given more years to this business than… well, basically, anyone! Any superstar, any official, none of them have been here as long as you. No one has GIVEN more than you, Aaron, and I include the on-again, off-again boss that was O. D.! “The best official in the business”. That’s what Sharper called you. That’s what Shaun Cruze believed you to be when he said he’d stand by you in your decisions two years ago… but I’ll get to that…
But… where did you spend the main-event of RTG XX, Aaron? Where was ‘the best in the business’?
Sadly, Selena shakes her head. In the back? Catering? Heading home early? She shakes her head again knowingly. What should have been a ‘defining moment’ earned by you as much as it was earned by me as the world champion was denied to both of us. And for what? For a cheap sell? For some ‘extra tickets bought’? To mess with me? For ‘shock value’? That’s what O. D. and SCW management see after the years WE have put into this business. That is what they see in you. Replaceable with a ‘legend’ – integrity be damned. Years of devotion and hard work be damned. That is what your decades of work amounted to in their eyes, Aaron. Just like with me.
She sits back against the ropes. I don’t see that in you, Aaron. I see a man that has given his life, and risked it, for this company and on his terms of integrity and honor. I see a man that WANTS to be proud of the job he does. A man that wants to say “I work as a referee – as a SENIOR official and HEAD referee - in Supreme Championship Wrestling” with pride and a smile on his face!
Slowly, Selena rubs her hands together. When’s the last time you felt that, Aaron? When was the last time you were that man? When was the last time you felt that pride working here? Was it when Kandis pushed you to the ground to get at Religious Wright? Was it when she derailed an SCW world championship match that I made for Wright and for you simply because it ‘wasn’t what she wanted’? Was it further back? When people were invading each other’s homes because they were pissed off? Was it when Asher Hayes and Kandis were trading title-shots to the head night after night? Were you proud then? Was it at Rise to Greatness, when you had to watch from the back as your main-event passed you by?
A slow exhale came from Selena. That’s why I left, Aaron. I wasn’t proud to be here anymore. I was ashamed to be here. I was ashamed that I was in a business where such acts were not only allowed but encouraged by the SCW fans and the management. Where D. would shrug his shoulders and say that it was ‘just how things were changing’, as if that was what I had to just accept. What you just had to accept…
And when I came back... She tilts her head. I decided that I was going to force things to run my way. That I was going to have my matches, my time, my efforts run on my terms. Because SCW needs me. You know it and I know it. SCW needs it’s ‘Face’ because without me, well… you’ve seen what happens, haven’t you? No pride. No integrity. No nothing.
And I want people like you, like Jessica Winters, like Deanna, good people with integrity, to be proud to work here. I want the SCW world championship to be a source of pride. I want matches that MEAN something. Not matches that are put together for controversy or pop or ploys to sell tickets. I want people to RESPECT what I do. Respect what you do – what we have GIVEN to this business!
Slowly, the platinum-blonde takes a deep breath. And I need you to understand that, Aaron. Because I didn’t demand you in MY main-event just to get the man that’s been running around here lately, unable to control the chaos. The man that could do nothing while people were pelted with chairs or belts or championships were stolen or homes invaded or tights were pulled or rope breaks missed.
I need the man that knew, beyond reproach, when to do the right thing. You remember that man? Selena stares meaningfully at the camera. I do. Two years ago, that man was put in a match to officiate the future of the world championship. A match involving me and Holly Adams. A match where the title could change hands if I was disqualified. The woman rubs the tops of her knees and legs with her hands as she looks away, recalling that fateful night.
You had a choice that night, Aaron. Kimberly Williams ran in, DDTed Holly right in front of you to try and screw me out of the world title. Simply for chaos and for disrespect. You could have called it then and there, could have named Holly Adams the world champion. But you didn’t… why?
Because you knew that it wasn’t right. You knew that this was not how the world title – how the best of SCW – should be found out. You chose the path that you were proud to stand by. You chose to let the match continue and give me the chance to show the world, and you, that I was the better, more deserving SCW world champion. The harder worker. The better talent. The future of that championship. And then, at Retribution, when Holly was ready in that Double Jeopardy match, to bash my head in with a chair… you stopped her. You refused to give her an inch or any kind of unfair advantage because you didn’t want the main-event – the representation of all SCW – to be handled that way. You wanted an undisputed winner, didn’t you? You wanted to say that you helped find ‘the best wrestler in the world’. Just like you always have… except RTG 20, right?
A slow exhale comes from the Snow Queen. I need that man now, Aaron. I need that official that will not balk when Kandis puts her hands on you again when things don’t go her way. Because, I promise you, things will not go her way. And I don’t think you need to see her smash another monitor, or cry her eyes out while she’s standing on top of a table, or attack another superstar… or shove you to the ground again… to know that.
You’ve seen what she can be when she is champion, and what she can be when she isn’t. She runs roughshod here. She thinks she can do whatever she wants and she justifies it with either being ‘champion’ or being a ‘victim of conspiracy or controversy’. D. and CHBK made that happen, Aaron. The fans made that happen.
Now, I need to fix it. I need to make Kandis realize that what happened in Toronto was a damn fluke. It was a mistake. It was a stacked deck where the only person with any integrity in that match was me. Not Kandis, not CHBK, not the fans, just me. I need to make it clear that Kandis can belong in her ‘OnlyFans’ videos or whatever free porn site she uploads to, she can belong in her strip bar or whatever that place she owns with Tommy Valentine is, and she can belong in the fantasies of every low-level, low-standard, no-integrity fan in the SCW Universe…
But where she doesn’t belong? Where she has never belonged? Is in the main-event. Is in the realm of the SCW world championship!
She turns to stare at the camera, her eyes piercing and cold. You understand, Aaron? I am not just looking out for me and my legacy here. I am looking out for you and your legacy and the legacy of this championship – of this whole company. And I need ‘the best official in the world’ to be there to do the right thing like you used to. I need you to want to be proud to be here again. I need you to be the proof-positive that that bitch doesn’t belong near me or this title ever again!
Rolling her shoulders back, Selena takes a slow breath before speaking again. When you were that man, Aaron, I rewarded you with the longest world title reign in SCW history – I made you part of that unbreakable record. Imagine what I can give you and all of SCW now if you’re that man again. Imagine what I can do to change SCW back to something you can be proud to be part of. Imagine what your family will think of you if you were that man again. Imagine what your kids and grandkids will think of you if you are that man again, starting at Retribution – OUR retribution, Aaron.
Selena gives a slight shrug. Or… you can get used to being shoved to the ground, your calls disrespected… and letting main-event after main-event pass you by again simply because it’s ‘what Kandis wants to do’. It’s really up to you. The power is quite literally in your hands, Aaron Demitra. Whether you want to believe it and do the right thing… her sapphire eyes narrow. Or not.
The camera slowly fades on the woman before going entirely to black.
![[Image: hffOaUZ.png]](https://i.imgur.com/hffOaUZ.png)
SCW Supreme Champion
6x SCW World Champion
4x SCW World Tag-Team Champion
2x SCW United States Champion
3x SCW Adrenaline Champion
SCW Television Champion
Longest Reigning SCW World Champion (234 days)
Winner of Shot of Adrenaline Tournament (2016)
Winner of Best of the Best Tournament (2016)
Winner of Trios Tournament (2018)
Winner of U.S. Championship Tournament (2020)
Winner of World Championship Tournament (2023)
Winner of Tactical Warfare (2014, 2019)
Winner of Elimination Chamber (2015, 2024)
Winner of Roofed Cage Match (2019)
Winner of Last Person Standing Match (2019)
The Unbelievable Main Event (2021-2025)
Winner of Double Jeopardy Match (2022)
Winner of EOTY Invitational (2023)
Winner of EOTY Invitational (2023)
Winner of Ironman Match (2024)
Wrestler of the Year (2016, 2021, 2022, 2024)
Tag-Team of the Year (2020 - w/ Regan Street)
Match of the Year (2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024)
Feud of the Year (2014, 2019)
Shocking Moment of the Year (2024)
![[Image: 34zetxl.png]](https://i.ibb.co/SnpvD5T/34zetxl.png)