03-11-2022, 11:27 PM
OOC: Takes place after Deanna’s first roleplay. In two parts due to length.
Nome Recreation Center
Nome, Alaska
March 3rd, 2022
6:11pm
It was almost an amusing site in an ironic way – at least it was to the Snow Queen. Before her, as she stood in the back of the room, were so many of Nome’s citizens dressed to the nines in suits and dresses, including herself. The range of colors that filled her vision, shades and pigments and various in-betweens – she was almost convinced that she had walked into some high-school prom dance or something. Or perhaps a Gay-Pride celebration, like the ones she and Deanna had participated in back in Manhattan…
I mean, a political statement IS being made here… she thought to herself as she saw the numerous people standing in the room – the chairs having been stored in the back-storage rooms to give as much free space as possible. Which, given Selena’s experience in SCW, was nothing compared to convention centers and arenas.
Reaching up with her hand, Selena hid a quiet laugh behind it. She couldn’t help but find it funny. Here were the supposed ‘elite of Nome’. The bankers, the lawyers, the doctors, the rich – basically anyone with any kind of social power within the small town were all piled into the room, dressed as if to display their social status in grand gesture…
And all one had to do was look down to see the laminated wooden panels with the basketball-zones painted on them, to the side to see the brownish-purple paint job that comprised halfway up the walls – a paint job that was old and chipped in some parts. The Yamaha speakers that stood on metal support stands (and were courtesy of the center) were dusty from years of neglect, with only a ‘quick clean’ by the staff. And Selena was sure the carpet that made up the steps and platform at the other end of the room had a few stains on it from the spilled drinks of previous events.
This… this was the best Nome, Alaska, could offer its ‘elite’. This was the highest ‘assembly center’ that could be acquired. A basketball court inside a recreation center. Not some ballroom in a hotel or an arena that could fill thousands. Nome had no such things. Its low population and obscurity from the world prevented the need for them. Even for those as powerful as the Scythes – if they wanted some kind of assembly – had to settle for this place. They had no idea what performing in sold-out arenas or going to massive conventions in the mainland of the United States felt like – something that gave the Snow Queen an odd sense of satisfaction.
They don’t know what it’s like to perform somewhere like Rise to Greatness at the main-event… she thought, momentarily allowing herself to be a little smug in the matter. Or what it’s like to marry the person you love in a grand fashion in New York. Or walk the long bridges of Manhattan as the sun sets… or travel the world and see the natural and unnatural wonders of the world…
She found herself biting her lower lip. Had it been anyone else in the world, she would have not had these feelings of smugness. She would wish, and even try in some cases, to share such blessings with others. It’s partly why she was who she was – fighting for SCW and to give the fans the integrity and happiness they had been so integral in helping her achieve.
It was laughable. Last week, Dawn had declared that she was responsible for Selena’s career being what it was and, while she had definitely played an important part in the early years, it had been downright childish for her to play that card against Selena. It was the people that were responsible for her success. The people that had accepted her for who she was every step of the way. When she had first arrived in SCW, when she had come out as a lesbian, even when she screwed up or downright failed. Had it been any of them, Selena would have chastised her feelings and done all she could to remove them, to keep some semblance of humility in her heart.
But these weren’t the people of the SCW Universe. These were the people that had looked down at her family. Who had mocked and ridiculed her father, calling him ‘mad’ and ‘delusional’, not shedding a tear when he had disappeared all those years ago. Who had coined the phrase “The Crazy Miner’s Daughter” where she was concerned and had ignored her while she had been tortured and abandoned by the remnants of her ‘family’ that consisted of the DeCarlos and Scythes. Those same people, every time she came back to this town, looked at her with contempt and jealousy. She could see it as clearly as the snow on the ground. They put on masks and false-smiles, trying to butter up to her ‘celebrity status’ but, deep down, they hated how someone ‘so-low’ had outgrown Nome’s limitations where they were all still here.
In short, the elite of Nome were the elite, yes… but only of Nome, and they knew it. They was no comparison to the other towns and cities of Alaska like Fairbanks and Anchorage, which were both several hours away. They were all the ‘elite’ of their little pond or hole in the world and they clung to that for all they had – accepting standards deemed ‘lesser’ in their eyes.
For Selena? She wasn’t bothered by it. She had come from nothing, spent most of her life in squalor and only in the last near decade of her life had achieved something greater – but what made it great and beyond all of this was her wife, Deanna, and her children Elsianna, David and Amiliah, as well as their dog, Oberon.
With a shake of her head, she refocused her attention to the situation at hand. At the other end of the room stood Gavin Scythe with Jean Black and Zoe Evers, his ‘campaign managers’. The mayoral candidate was wrapping up his speech that all four of them had painstakingly written and rewritten multiple times over the last few weeks. They had to make sure it was perfect.
This was Gavin’s official entry into the ‘race’ for his father’s former position as the mayor of Nome. A grand announcement and celebratory party was mandatory – which was why the team had insisted on the Frosts: Selena and Deanna, making an appearance.
An appearance… Selena thought glumly, casting her eyes down at herself. Like the other members of the audience, she had dressed for the occasion, overdressed for the venue. She felt both elegant amongst the other elites but also a little ridiculous standing at the “three-point line” of the basketball court. She had chosen a dark red dress with faded embroidery that ran up it. Around her waist was a thin gold and brown corset that not only wrapped around her dress but also the black coat she wore, the faux-white fur lining the end that trailed down her sides and wrapped around her neck, the color almost matching the platinum-blonde of her medium-length hair, tied expertly in its braid.
Comparatively, Selena was certain she appeared ‘average’ when looking at the extravagant gowns and suits of the men and women that stood on the ‘court’ of the room - Except for that one woman that – are those PEACOCK feathers? – Selena almost chocked trying to hold back the laughter that filled her as she tried to imagine the woman with all those feathers in her gown playing basketball on this court.
“And I can assure you!” Gavin Scythe’s voice continued to ring throughout the room, enhanced by the speakers, as he stood on the makeshift platform and podium. “That, as my father, did I will strive not only to stand by the beliefs and morals that he did, but also seek to better Nome, Alaska, not just for this term, but for the years to come!”
Despite her mind wandering a little, Selena had paid enough attention to the presentation to know that Gavin had done his speech exceptionally well without any mistakes. She breathed a sigh of relief at that, surprised that she needed to do so. Upon further inspection, she recognized that she had been nervous, which was why she had distracted herself with the absurdity of the whole ‘basketball court’ for a social/political ‘get-together’.
But she had every right to be nervous, didn’t she? There were really only two candidates being considered for mayor at this point and both of them were Scythes. Upon revealing his intention to run, Gavin had sent the town of Nome into quite the uproar (in a good way). There hadn’t been a decent ‘election’ to discuss in years! In the past, few would dare run against Malcolm Scythe, and those that did were never truly taken seriously by the citizens of Nome. This? This was the first time that two strong choices existed, and all of Nome was in a passionate debate over who they would vote for! Hell, Deanna and Selena had heard such lively debates everywhere they visited while they were in town, including the grocery store!
The power of having a genuine choice after years of, essentially, having none… Selena remarked. Still, a large part of her wished that there were no ‘other options’ and that Ryan Scythe was just not in the picture at all, though she had a good reason for such thoughts. After all, the older Scythe had quietly threatened – though he would say he merely ‘promised’ – to resurrect the crusade he and Malcolm had launched against Selena over custody of her two oldest children, Elsianna and David… thinking of them, Selena breathed another sigh of relief that she and Deanna had opted for them to stay in Manhattan under the watchful care of Gerda and Oberon.
And with Malcolm leaving a rather large fortune for both children before his death, Selena knew that Ryan was more determined than ever to bring back that agenda against the Frost family – and with the power of being the mayor, he very well could. Which is why Gavin HAD to win…
So, yes, the Snow Queen was nervous and was, at that moment, secretly wishing she was dressed in her regular clothes of jeans, shirt, and leather jacket or cozy at home in her magenta nightgown – even if it was, technically, the afternoon over in New York.
She suddenly felt the small hand take hers, breaking all her thoughts simultaneously. Her head turned around in time to see Deanna standing beside her. “He’s doing well.” The redhead remarked as she lean-snuggled up to her wife’s side, the older Frost instinctively wrapping an arm around her wife’s waist as she did. Like Selena, Deanna had dressed for the ‘crowd’, complete with a burgundy dress that included a beige cloth that wrapped and tied around her waist, tying at the front, a corset with matching colors and a series of cloth accents of the same color as the one around her waist that wrapped around her bust, arms and tops of her shoulders. Her hair was free flowing, like a red mane of waterfall. Again, much like Selena’s, it was not distracting like some of the other dresses and suits were, but it did its job.
“Yeah.” Selena remarked. “I’m not even sure he needed us here.”
“I think we’re more ‘celebrity eye-candy’.” Deanna whispered, her hands secretly squeezing Selena’s arm as she held her wife close to her.
“Well, you are.” Selena smiled teasingly. “Have I told you-“
“Hush now.” Deanna teased, casting a smirk at Selena. “We’re not exactly popular here with who we are, but if you finish that sentence like I think you’re going to finish that sentence, then I’m not going to care how me kissing you does for Gavin’s poll numbers.”
It was a sly remark, more playful in nature but there was a slight serious undertone to it based on truth. While Nome had, by the way things were, been publicly viewed as ‘accepting’ of ‘alternative lifestyles’ in the realms of homosexuals, the fact was that such individuals were still ‘looked down upon’ amongst the ‘heavy-set Republicans’ of Nome, which constituted the majority. Not that the presence of the Frost wives would cause unrest, but such flaunting of their love publicly wasn’t exactly the best idea in a room filled with such narrow-minded people. Not when they wanted their vote for Gavin and for the sake of their own children.
“I’ll behave.” Selena sighed. “Or I’ll try to…” she added before drawing her attention back to the other side of the room, where Gavin stood tall. The young man’s eyes found Selena and Deanna and he offered them a smile as he awaited a question to finish being asked by a nearby patron.
“Yes.” Gavin answered, his eyes back on the task at hand. Selena wasn’t sure if he was glad that they were there for moral support or because having the woman that had become ‘the biggest celebrity of Nome’ by no exaggeration was beneficial to his cause. Either way, he seemed far more at ease as he fielded the question – something about the growing concern of children numbers in the schools and working with the Board of Educators to ensure proper care and help for struggling students. It was political jargon that Selena wasn’t entirely fluent in, but she liked the idea of Gavin helping children rather than bullying them as he had in his youth.
He’s come a long way… she thought. It’s almost like he and his brother switched places or something and Ryan became the asshole and he became the good guy…
“You know…” she heard Deanna remark, the redhead tilting her head this way and that. “I’m starting to see a pattern over the last few weeks.”
“What’s that?” Selena asked, neither woman allowing their voice to go above a whisper and risk distracting those in the crowd that stood nearby.
“Me dealing with your exes.” Deanna cast a glance at Selena, something akin to a mix of playful and irritated.
“My exes?”
“Well…” Deanna shrugged, pointing a pinkie just slightly towards the podium. “There’s Jean and Gavin. Dawn paid us a visit last week. We called and spoke to Fiyero Ulric for our Retribution outfits. And with all that’s planning around Ryan-“
“Geez…” Selena exhaled, her eyes wide. “You make it sound like I had more partners than square-dancers.” She stated glumly. “First of all, I NEVER dated Gavin or anything remotely like that. Second, Jean and Fiyero were…” she paused for a moment, not liking this conversation’s direction in the least. “We were ‘outlets’ to one another. A way to escape whatever hell we thought we were living. Not really any relationship.”
“Still…” Deanna sighed. “I wish I had some crazy exes for you to run into.”
“You didn’t have any in Frankfurt-“ Selena started but stopped herself a second too late. “I just realized how tasteless and crass that was. I’m so sorry.” Her eyes bore into Deanna’s, seeking forgiveness.
The redhead, whose eyes had gone wide at the statement, returned to normal as she merely gave a shrug. “The less we talk about that, the better.”
“Understood.” Selena nodded. “I’m sorry you’re dealing with so much of my past right now. Do you…” she tried with an awkward shrug. “Do you want me to meet any of your crushes in Kentucky? I’ll take that bullet if I have to.”
“I married the only girlfriend I ever had.” Deanna reminded the Snow Queen.
“Oh sure, but you must have had crushes or girls you flirted with in high-school. I could meet them.”
“You make it sound like some cliché ‘high-school reunion’ thing where I flaunt you at them.”
“Well, we ARE in a gymnasium of some sorts. Aren’t most proms held in these kind of things?” Selena asked. “And I am more than prepared to be your ‘trophy wife’ for the night.”
“Oh, aren’t you sweet.” Deanna teased back, shaking her head at her wife.
The two remained quiet for a moment as Gavin continued answering questions.
“Is this really about the others?” Selena asked quietly. “Or is this about Dawn?”
The question was to the point. After all, it didn’t make sense to Selena. They had dealt with Jean, Fiyero, and even Ryan Scythe for years and there hadn’t been an issue for Deanna in dealing with a former ‘paramour’ of Selena’s. What had changed recently? Dawn had re-emerged in SCW and Deanna had challenged her and Marie Jones to a match – which now also included Polly Playtime.
“Deanna…” Selena tried, squeezing her closer to her.
“I don’t like that she’s there.” Dawn admitted. “In SCW, I mean. I don’t like that she’s around. I don’t like that she thinks she can barge in on us. I don’t like how she thinks you owe her or that I’m some kind of substitute or-“
“Deanna…” Selena tried, reaching to caress her fingers against Deanna’s cheek in an attempt to calm her. “I get it.”
“It was bad enough that you guys talked on Twitter. I had to live with that because I was just being jealous, but now? Every time I see her… I just… I see all the ways she hurt you and I just…”
“Deanna…” Selena sighed, looking around to ensure no one was listening. “I feel the same way. I don’t feel those old feelings when I look at her. I feel sorry for her. Because to her, I was just one of many that she clung to desperately. I don’t…” Selena paused, allowing herself to take a deep inhale and exhale through her nose. “I don’t think she will ever grow up. She’ll always keep jumping from person to person once she gets bored of them. And I feel sorry for her. She’ll never know what it’s like to find ‘the one’.”
Like I…like we did… The implication was beyond clear in both sapphire and emerald eyes and it seemed enough to placate the redhead, which Selena was grateful for. In all truth, she wanted today to be over so she could leave Nome with her wife and head to Minnesota for Retribution.
She was almost as nervous about the pay-per-view as she was about this election, what little control she had in SCW as the World Champion the only reason she wasn’t as nervous. She could fight in SCW. She could try and make it out of the Double Jeopardy match alive, retaining the world championship. This? All she could do was watch and hope – she couldn’t even vote on the damn thing! Since her state of residence was registered as New York, she was not able to vote for the mayor of Nome anymore.
In short, she had no control over this beyond helping Gavin, which was why the whole election unnerved her more than five other superstars wanting her head and the World title, though it wasn’t by much.
Trying to distract herself, her eyes flew to the clock hanging on the wall behind the protective metal bars. “Almost done.” She whispered under her breath. Looking back at the podium stand, she could see Jean and Zoe both gazing up at the clock as well, perhaps thinking the same thing. The ‘discussion and question’ was meant to conclude at 6:30pm, allowing for the dancing and partying to begin. Even now, Selena could see tables being set up just to the far left side of the gymnasium, with plates of various food being brought out – it actually did look like some grand high-school dance!
Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt her wife’s hands tighten harshly against her arm, to the point where Selena felt her wife’s manicured nails start to dig in. Immediately, her head flew down to see her gazing in a different direction. She barely had time to follow the gaze before-
“Yes! I wish to ask a question!”
The voice came not from one of the undecided voters or ‘ordinary elite citizens of Nome’ but was slightly distorted as it poured out of the microphone from behind the Frost wives. Immediately, Selena and Deanna moved further from the doorway just as the ‘party-crasher’ strolled into the gymnasium, wearing that damn dark-purple suit that made Selena’s stomach turn. Holding his free arm was the man’s wife, who stole a glance at Selena and Deanna as she passed, her eyes full of worry as she walked past them.
Selena could only manage a slight nod to Talia as Ryan Scythe turned his head to spy the Frost wives, his eyes narrowing only marginally, though he kept that damn smirk plastered on his face.
“Yes, I’m sorry for crashing, but seeing as this was advertised as an open forum…” he continued, speaking into the megaphone he had brought with him. “I thought it would be prudent to say a few words regarding my brother’s decision…”
The crowd parted, giving him plenty of birth to make his way towards the podium, the faces of all the elite audience one of shock, confusion, and uncertainty.
Only five people had different expressions, and they all shared a look with one another as they watched the oldest Scythe son make his way to the stage.
“Right on time.” Selena whispered, taking Deanna’s hand into hers.
The redhead nodded. “Just like Talia said… It’s up to Gavin now.”
The Snow Queen nodded, throwing a silent prayer to Odin. Help him get through this… she prayed. That’s all I ask. Help him get through this…
**************************************
Years Ago…
Nome Recreation Center
Nome, Alaska
October 31st, 2012
8:43pm
Help me get through this… the young woman prayed in her mind. That’s all I ask. Help me get through this.
Unconsciously, Selena’s hand drifted down to her stomach, feeling the massive beach ball that was her belly. She felt so bloated these days. Like it was hard to move without swinging her body weight in a direction. I cannot wait for you to get here, snowflake. she thought to herself. She was only a few more months away from delivering her baby – and she was beyond excited to meet the child! And you can meet your father and be part of the wedding.
She forced the thought to end then and there. She knew better than to think about the wedding. Such an event remained ‘on the horizon’, with no official date made yet – despite almost a year-long engagement. She had given several reasons as to why over and over again: Adrian being busy, Malcolm wanting it to be ‘perfect’ or whatever, her mother wanting her say on ‘things’, whatever that meant – but with the baby on the way in a few months, that had become the focus for Selena, so she was okay with having to wait a little longer.
“Once we’re married.” She whispered to her unborn child. “Everything will go back to normal. I know it.”
Taking a slow, deep breath, she leaned up against the wall, feeling the solid wood against her back. The long, large purple, V-neck dress Adrian had picked for her stuck to her curves, ending just below her knees. The sleeves were long and snug as well. It was a bit more ‘form-fitting’ then some of the other dresses she saw around the room, but a lot of the outfits were costumes and disguises…
Immediately, as a man in a devil costume ran past her, laughing hysterically, part of her wished she had been allowed to dress up for Halloween as well, maybe as a witch or The Bride of Frankenstein – that would have been fun! With a slow sigh through her nose, Selena cast her gaze around the room, spotting the organizer of this Halloween party, shaking heads with some of the suited, non-costume wearing people.
Malcolm Scythe was all smiles as he and his son, Adrian, worked the room. It was the annual Halloween Party that the Scythes put on every year for the people of Nome at the large Recreation center. She could see the lights flashing around the room and could hear the loud ‘Halloween’ music as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” played.
Staying in the corner, Selena kept quiet as she rubbed at her temple with her free hand, the loudness of the music and shifting brightness of the lights beginning to start a headache for her. She didn’t want to be here. She wasn’t welcome here. It was beyond clear. She was among the high-class of Nome, people who made more in a day than she could in a year working minimum-wage jobs. To them, she was still the “Crazy Miner’s Daughter”, but now she was some low-life that was ‘sleeping her way to the upper class’, which only made those already there hate her all the more. She had tried to work the room with Adrian as much as possible, but after the thirteenth or fourteenth dirty look she had gotten, Adrian had ushered her to this corner, telling her to stay there while he finished smoozing, if that was the right word, with his father.
That had been an hour and a half ago and Selena really needed to use the bathroom, which wouldn’t have been a problem if she could reach the damn zipper behind her back. The dress couldn’t be pulled up past her thighs. The zipper at the top was the only way out… At the thought – she suddenly winced as she felt her baby move inside her, it’s foot connecting with a swift kick to her bladder.
“Please, baby.” She half-cried in a whisper. “Behave for just a little longer.”
She was certain the baby wasn’t enjoying the loud noises either, probably having been rudely awakened by them. In that whole ninety minutes, not once had Adrian checked in on her or sent someone to see how she was doing. Hell, he hadn’t even looked her way once. For that, she blamed Malcolm. The old man was grooming his son to be the ‘next mayor’ – Adrian had told her about that – and it seemed all his time was being given to the Malcolm, leaving her with a full bladder and a lonely heart.
“Things will get better…” she whispered to herself. She had finally gotten a semblance of a ‘happy ending’ after years of being the outcast. She wasn’t about to throw it away just because things were a little rough between her and her fiancée. She would be patient, wait for him to do all he needed to do with Malcolm and talk to him later about her needs as the mother of his child. She wouldn’t be like her mother, manipulating and cruel. She would be kind, understanding, like her father had been before he had disappeared.
Her father…
“I wish you could meet him.” She whispered to her baby, her hand still rubbing the swell of her stomach, trying to coax the baby to a state of comfort and calm. “You would love him and, trust me, he would love you-“ Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt another spike of pain from her full bladder. Biting down on her lower lip, she craned her head up to try and find Adrian again. This time around was more difficult as more of the party-goers were filling the dance floor, the party taking the inevitable turn of more “free” movement. She could see a plethora of different costumes but no Adrian –
Biting her lower lip and clapping her eyes, Selena could imagine she looked very much the fool hopping from one foot to the other, trying to ease her bladder. She even tried to reach behind her back to get to the zipper but her hands were no where close to it. Why the hell did he give me a dress like this?! she thought, her emotions bubbling over to frustration.
It was these emotions that fueled her head to scan the room once more, where her sapphire eyes, which were starting to fill with tears from the pain, spotted him… laughing and… and dancing…
She gave a shake of her head to try and give herself a second look, but there was no denying what was before her. Adrian, her fiancée, the father of her unborn child, was dancing with some woman dressed in a white gown and wearing some kind of matching masquerade mask.
Calm down… her mind told her, though it was a muddled thought thanks to the pain that was gripping her bladder. Conceal… her mind whispered her mantra. Don’t feel…
A few slow breaths managed to dull some of the pain, but it also pressed a kind of clarity into the young woman’s mind. “What the hell am I doing?” she asked herself quietly. Here she was, standing in a corner for over an hour and half, pregnant with child, ready to make a puddle of shame on the floor, and for what? So her fiancée could dance with some girl? Shake hands with people who hated her and whom she hated?!
Maybe it was the entire situation, but there was only so much that Selena’s pride could take.
Without hesitating, the young woman moved out of her corner, feeling a sense of liberation as she did so, and marched past the crowds of people dancing, doing her best to avoid bumping into anyone. She almost crashed into a penguin of some kind and a pirate but managed to catch herself and continue walking, fighting any further discomfort and pain as best as she could. Getting closer to the targeted ‘dancing couple’ Selena spied how Adrian was smiling and laughing as he danced with the young woman, who, if figure and skin was any indication, was probably around hers and Adrian’s age.
It wasn’t until she was standing just a few feet away from the couple that she cleared her voice. “Ahem.”
The sound was close enough for Adrian to hear it, the young man turning his head to spot his fiancée standing there. “Selena?” he asked. “I thought I told you to stay-“
“In the corner?” she asked. “I did. For an hour and a half.”
Eyes widening a little, Adrian flicked his wrist to view the expensive watch he was wearing. “Oh.. guess I lost track of the time. I’m sorry.” He offered, though his voice sounded anything but.
“That what she’s for?” Selena asked, eyeing the dancer. “Hi, I’m Selena Frost. Adrian’s fiancee and mother of his child. Care to tell me which circle of windbags you belong to?”
“Selena!” Adrian warned. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he asked, scanning the area to make sure no one was noticing the scene unfolding, the dancers continuing to be in their own worlds as they danced.
“An hour and a half and a full bladder and a child using said bladder as a soccer-ball has worked out my last shred of patience.” She growled back at the man. “Especially when you clearly forgot I was even here.” Her eyes returned to the young dancer that had been occupying Adrian’s dance card. “So, you are?”
“I am the Snow Queen!” the woman teased, sticking her tongue out at Selena. It was a voice Selena recognized instantly, turning to her lover with rage burning in her sapphire eyes.
“Seriously?!” she asked, disbelief on her face. “You left me in a corner for 90 minutes to dance with her?!”
“Selena…” Adrian tried. “I have an image to uphold.”
“What image is that?” she hissed. “Douchebag?”
“Mind your tone.” Came the very real warning in Adrian’s voice. “I will not have you embarrass me!”
Biting her lower lip, Selena cast her eyes towards the dancer, who she knew was the one person that hated her most of all: Talia. “How many dances did you give him?”
With a smug smirk, Talia held up a hand, all fingers extended. It was enough for the air to rush out of Selena’s lungs but she didn’t have time to cry out in despair as she felt a strong hand grab her arm and pull her across the dance floor and back towards the corner she had occupied for so long.
“What is the matter with you?!” growled Adrian under his breath. “I asked for one thing. For you to behave and support me in this."
"I did that.” Argued Selena, trying to keep her voice down. “And you left me in a corner.”
“For good reason!” the Scythe son argued. “Nobody wanted to talk to me as long as you were there.”
“So what? You’re ashamed of me?” Selena asked, hot tears threatening the back of her eyes. Damn hormones!
As for Adrian, the man gave a huff, running a hand through his hair. “I’m not ashamed of you.” He stated. “But I need to do what is best for myself and for father. I can’t have you embarrassing me like that. Not when so much is riding on these people and their perception of me. Do you understand?”
Looking up at his chastising gaze, Selena bit her lower lip. “Is that how this is going to be then?” she asked. “How our relationship – our marriage is going to be? Where you put me in a corner and dance with other girls? Because if it is, tell me right now. I’ll just stay home and look after our child. I much rather do that than pretend to get along with those douchebags.”
“Selena…you’re being unfair.”
“Unfair?” laughed the Snow Queen. “What would be fair to you, Adrian? You go and dance with all the girls you want. Hell, take one of them home – take a whole horde of them home! That be fair?”
“Keep your voice down.” Again, that warning tone in his voice which caused Selena’s spine to stiffen.
Taking a deep breath, Selena looked around the room, her hand on her swollen belly, tears still streaming from her eyes. “You’re supposed to dance with me, Adrian! Isn’t that what couples do? Isn’t that what people in love are supposed to do?”
“You’re being silly.” Adrian remarked. “We’ll have plenty of time to dance later.”
How often had she heard similar remarks in the past year? More and more often – excuses that meant it would not happen.
With a sigh of defeat, Selena shrugged her shoulders, her free hand wiping angrily at her eyes. “Fine. Just help me out of this dress.” She ordered. “I need to go the bathroom and I can’t reach the zipper to undo it.”
“What?” Adrian asked. “Can’t you get someone else to help you?”
“I don’t trust anyone here with that.” Selena argued as another intense wave of pain hit her. “Just take me to the bathroom and help me out of the zipper, please!”
“I…” Adrian started but stopped when he saw his father standing on the other side of the room, beckoning him over with a wave of his hand, calling him by his legal first name.
“Adrian…” Selena whispered through clenched teeth, her hand now clutching her side, almost doubling over. “Please…I need to go…”
Casting one more glance at his father, Adrian held up his hands. “Just wait there. I’ll send someone to help you.”
Before Selena could utter a word, he was gone, darting back into the crowd to rejoin his father.
“Adri-“ Selena tried but her voice died as she felt her body clutch and convulse. Panic filled her as she, suddenly, felt a warm liquid running down her leg. Without looking back, Selena rushed out of the room, out of the center as fast as her form could allow. The cold air of the oncoming winter, much lower in Nome, offered only a temporary respite for the Snow Queen, who, as tears fell from her eyes, stumbled her way around the building of the recreation center until she was standing behind the large dumpster that sat at the side. Unable to hold back, she felt and heard her cries rack her frame as her body relieved itself, pouring down her leg and onto the ground. She kept her balance and leaned over posture by keeping a hand on the dumpster lid, her tears continuing to stream down her face.
“C…Conceal…” she whispered, trying to fight the shame and embarrassment that ran through her. “Don’t feel…”
Moments passed, the cold continued to blow and fill her. Slowly, as the pain subsided, Selena pulled herself up to her feet, taking a shaky breath. She didn’t have to look down but she did anyway – at her ‘work’.
Her dress was soaked and it was beyond noticeable. Casting her gaze towards the building, Selena knew she could not go back inside. Did she even want to? Adrian clearly didn’t care if she was there or not. Nobody truly wanted her there in the first place… and there was no way in Tartaros that she was going to let anyone see her like this.
Alone in the parking lot, Selena took one last glance at the building, hearing the loud music from inside before slowly walking down the roadway and down East 5th Avenue, keeping out of sight as she walked the darker, unlit paths. She knew these paths by heart, especially where she was going.
She wasn’t going back to Adrian’s. She had no desire to see him or hear him try and ‘explain’ his actions right now. She would hear him out tomorrow – but right now? She didn’t even know why they were together.
As if on cue, she felt her baby move inside her. “It’s not you.” She sniffled, trying to ignore the dress growing colder against her bare skin as the wetness began to freeze a little. “Mommy is just being… just being silly…” she admonished as she began to make the fifteen-minute walk towards her own home on the hill, the one her father had left her, along with the mine.
“Don’t worry.” She whispered, holding her belly with her hand as she walked. “Things will get better…” she muttered, repeating it over and over again as she walked through the cold night…
“Things will get better”…
****************************************
Present Day…
She wanted to slap the smug look right off of Ryan’s face as he sauntered up the steps, handing the megaphone over to Talia as he did. She wanted to run a list in front of all these ‘elites’ about the kind of man Ryan truly was. Hell, she would have settled for a chance to land one kick to his head and knock him out.
But as Selena watched her former fiancée reach the platform his younger brother stood on, she slowly breathed a long exhale.
This wasn’t her fight. Not in the sense of ‘not her fight to get involved’ but, rather, this was not her fight to win. It was Gavin’s. Gavin needed to have this fight. Gavin needed to win this fight. Not just for the Frosts or for Nome but for himself. He had been so hesitant about this part of their plan, being against/fighting his own brother. But, as much as Selena wanted to get involved, as she knew Deanna wanted to, they kept one another held back and quiet.
“Good luck, Gavin.” She whispered under her breath. “It’s all you now.”
Keeping her wife held in her arms, Selena watched as Ryan offered a hand to shake to Gavin, who took it, only for the older brother to pull him into an embrace. A laugh escaped Ryan as he was offered the microphone that the patrons/visitors had been used for questions. Holding it, he tried to clap his hands for Gavin, though he eventually gave up on it in lieu of being able to speak.
“Listen, I want to start off by saying…” he paused for a moment. “Just how proud I am of you, Gavin. I am. I know that will surprise you because we’re running for the same position, but I am. More than that, our father would be proud to see both of his sons striving to do what is best for Nome, the town he loved so much. Round of applause for my little brother!”
Again, the older Scythe tried to clap his hands, but barely managed a muffled clap, but it was enough to get the crowd going, giving an applause all their own. To Selena, it was like watching a promo unfold – it was very similar to it. One where the loudmouth starts with false praise before going for the killshot.
“Please get through this…” Selena whispered. This will make or break your campaign…
“I am proud. I know Dad is proud.” Ryan continued. “And I am beyond interested in where this decision came from. I mean, where this desire began for you. For me? I’ve been ready to do this my whole life. My whole life has been about studying politics and Nome and understand how best to lead it. Thirty plus years of preparing for this. So, please, tell me – tell them – where it all began for you.”
The first volley of questions. And Ryan’s smile never faltered. And as Selena’s gaze flew to Gavin, she saw the younger man nod his head before reapproaching his podium.
“First of all, Ryan, thank you for coming to my announcement party. I know you’re busy.” He waited for Ryan to give a ‘good-natured’ shrug. “But to answer your question, I’ve always been studying politics. All my life, I was watching and learning, just like you. I just didn’t need to showboat it to everyone.”
His tone was simple but the bite was barely concealed. The inference that Ryan HAD showboated his ‘inheritance’ was not lost to anyone.
“And to answer your other question, well, truth be told, I took a look at where things were headed after Father’s passing… and I didn’t like it. I didn’t like a lot of it. And while I am sure you have plans for this town, Ryan, there…” Gavin paused for a moment, as if to try and find the right words.
“There’s room for definite change… real change…” Deanna whispered under her breath.
“There’s room for definite change.” Gavin stated from across the room. “REAL change.”
“Oh? What change would that be, Gavin? I’m really interested to know.” Ryan replied offhandedly.
“Well, first and foremost – the existence of a choice. Let’s face it, with our father, there was never really other choices for the people to select. Not really. And it always made me wonder, did our father get chosen so many times because he was ‘the best choice’ or because was the only real choice?”
“Wow…” Ryan remarked. “I can’t believe you’re trampling on our father’s grave like that-“
“I’m not trampling on anything.” Gavin stated quickly.
“Come on…” Selena pressed in a whisper, holding Deanna tight. “Counter fast before he counters you!”
“But don’t you want the people of Nome to have more than what our father could give them? This is the first step, Ryan! The first step is they can have a choice! They can decide from two REAL possibilities on how they want Nome to be led. They don’t have to just follow anyone. They can let their voices be heard. THAT, I think, is what our father truly wanted.”
A loud applause broke through the room at those words, all directed towards the younger Gavin. Ryan, despite himself, was clearly thrown off such a reaction, his jaw clenching a little as he observed the crowd.
“I like to think that the people of Nome have always had a choice, Gavin, but I can respect your views on the matter.” He stated. “But Gavin, as much as I am excited to hear your lofty ideas – the fact is that, you’re too young for this. You’re too inexperienced. Textbook knowledge can only get you so far.” He held a hand to his chest. “Father spent so much of his time imparting his experience onto me. Letting me see how Nome works, how its people operate. At the end of the day, that’s what people will choose. Experience, on the job knowledge and an understanding. I-“ he held his hand up to acknowledge his brother. “I believe that, together, I could teach you what father taught me. And when my time is up, you will be next to become mayor. I am sure of it. I am sure that’s what Father wanted. But right now, Gavin? Speaking as your brother? It’s not the right time.”
He lowered the microphone, shrugging his shoulders. It was a good argument, at least at face-value. Still, despite the words, Gavin merely nodded his head before leaning towards his own microphone.
“I respect your opinion, Ryan. But I have to ask. Did our father ‘wait for the right time’ to become mayor of Nome? Did any of these people-“ he pointed to a man he saw in the audience. “Did Dr. Knox over there wait for ‘the right time’ to plunge into medicine? Did-“ he gestured to another person, an older woman, “Did Mrs. Reeto ‘wait for the right time’ to come to open that orphanage thirty plus years ago? What if she had waited? How many children would have suffered without her if she had?”
Gavin’s eyes flying, they eventually landed on Selena Frost, the young man gesturing towards the Snow Queen. “Mrs. Selena Frost! Quite possibly the biggest celebrity that’s come from Nome. She’s a world champion wrestler. Did she ‘wait for the right time’ to make that happen?”
“No I did not!” Selena yelled back, remembering her one line in all of this. “I took the risk of a lifetime!”
“Exactly!” Gavin proclaimed. “People, we can not simply wait for ‘the right time’ to make a change here! We cannot simply ‘wait for the right time’ to do some real good! Because there is NO right time except NOW!”
“The time is now!” Deanna called out loudly, earning a nod and clap from Gavin.
“Exactly!” he stated. “The time is now! The choice is now! And together, people of Nome, we can and we will make a difference!”
The crowd roared their applause – a mere fraction of what Selena and Deanna were used to in SCW, but in that moment, it certainly felt like the whole world was cheering.
“The time is now! The time is now!” people were cheering, repeating that one line over and over again. Watching Ryan, Selena spied the man’s fists tighten. He knew he had lost this round, and had lost hard. What more could he do but…
She watched as he quietly excused himself, slinking off down the podium and into the crowd. Immediately, music began to play on the speakers, the actual party-part of this meeting finally underway. While Gavin made his way into the crowd to shake hands and speak with people, the rest of his entourage, Jean and Zoe, met up with Selena and Deanna, the brunette, Zelda, breathing a sigh of relief.
“That was close.” She spoke quietly as they four gathered around a section of the room. “Thank goodness for Talia.”
“Giving us quite the advantage I’d say, dearie.” Jean smirked knowingly.
For a moment, Selena tried to spy her old friend, Talia, but couldn’t find her. She wanted to, quietly, thank the woman. It had been Talia that had emailed Jean an outline of Ryan’s plan to ‘crash’ Gavin’s party and what questions and points he was going to bring up, allowing the ‘Gavin party’ to come up with a series of counters, something Selena was quite good at. Excusing herself from her group, the Snow Queen made her way around some of the smaller groups that had started dancing- until she felt her arm being yanked by someone, forcing her to be pulled across the room to a familiar corner.
Released, Selena pulled her arm back and met the rather annoyed expression of Ryan Scythe. “Very clever.” He remarked darkly, standing against the corner so he was hiding behind the upright bleachers and chair-stacks. His eyes did a quick once over of Selena’s body, making her skin crawl. “Going for a Cruella DeVil look?” he gestured to the faux-fur trim on her coat.
“Oh please.” Selena huffed. “There’s only one person here who would think about killing puppies and that’s you.”
“You think you’re pretty smart, don’t you?” Ryan gave a tilt of his head. “I figured you were here for something when I saw you. How did you know I was going to be here? No way that idiot brother of mine could have predicted what I was going to say and counter it like that. So, how did you know?”
Protect Talia… Selena’s mind screamed. Don’t even give him a hint…
“Please, Ryan.” Selena smirked smugly, trying to act a little arrogant – like Holly and Kandis would. “You think I don’t know how you tick at this point? I knew the second we announced this that you wouldn’t resist showing up to try and put your ‘little brother’ in his place. And as for what you said? I’m in the business of predicting people’s moves and punchlines – you’re not that hard to figure out. Not very creative either. I just picked the most obvious points that someone of your limited imagination would do.”
“Limited?” he asked, his jaw clenching a little. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”
“Oh, I don’t?” Selena asked. “Funny. Cause, last I checked, you just got your ass handed to you by Gavin. Maybe you don’t know who you’re dealing with.”
“You honestly think he can run Nome?”
“I think he can do a better job than you can.” Selena declared, crossing her arms over her chest.
Clenching his jaw a little, the older Scythe looked away for a moment before glaring back at Selena. “Stay out of this, Selena. Consider this your one and only warning. Stay out of Nome. Stay away from Gavin. Stop helping him.”
“Or what?” Selena asked, the Snow Queen getting right into her former fiancée’s face, watching his warning glare wither slightly, causing her to grin. “Yeah, that right there, Ryan. That’s the difference between you and your father. Malcolm would only make a threat if he could back it up. Want to know why he never threatened me after I beat him? Because he knew he couldn’t. He couldn’t touch me… and neither can you. You lost that ability years ago.”
Holding her hand up, Selena shoved the mayoral-candidate back against the wall. “Tell you what. Why don’t you stand in that corner for a bit and think things through. Maybe we can talk more then… maybe.”
Turning around, refusing to look back, Selena left Ryan standing in that same corner just as the next song played through the speakers. Without a word, her eyes scanned the crowd before settling on the familiar redhead. Approaching her quickly, she leaned down to whisper in Deanna’s ear. “Dance with me.”
Turning around at the voice, Deanna’s eyes widened a little. “Really?” she asked. “You sure?”
“Definitely.” Selena smiled, her eyes fleeting to Ryan, who continued to glare at her. “Because this time, he’s going to watch me dance with a beautiful woman.”
Stealing a glance, Deanna spied the purple-suited man as well. “Oh…so this is to piss off Ryan?”
“Somewhat.” Selena shrugged guiltily.
“Why didn’t you say so?!” Deanna suddenly beamed, taking Selena’s hands into hers to pull the world champion further onto the ‘dance floor’. “I love pissing off your exes!”
A laugh escaped Selena as Deanna suddenly began moving with much more enthusiasm in the dance, even throwing some twirls to make them more noticeable. Screw what the others thought. If they were going to piss off Ryan, they were going to do it right.
“Maybe I love you.” Selena whispered when she held Deanna close.
“Maybe I love you too.” Deanna whispered back before twirling out and continuing to dance with the Snow Queen. “You know, if we want to make him REALLY mad, we could always-“
BANG!
Deanna never got to finish her thought as her voice was drowned out from the gunshot that filled the room and the screams that followed it.
_______________________________________________________________
Project: Black Ice
”Shall We Dance?”
Nome Recreation Center
Nome, Alaska
March 3rd, 2022
6:11pm
It was almost an amusing site in an ironic way – at least it was to the Snow Queen. Before her, as she stood in the back of the room, were so many of Nome’s citizens dressed to the nines in suits and dresses, including herself. The range of colors that filled her vision, shades and pigments and various in-betweens – she was almost convinced that she had walked into some high-school prom dance or something. Or perhaps a Gay-Pride celebration, like the ones she and Deanna had participated in back in Manhattan…
I mean, a political statement IS being made here… she thought to herself as she saw the numerous people standing in the room – the chairs having been stored in the back-storage rooms to give as much free space as possible. Which, given Selena’s experience in SCW, was nothing compared to convention centers and arenas.
Reaching up with her hand, Selena hid a quiet laugh behind it. She couldn’t help but find it funny. Here were the supposed ‘elite of Nome’. The bankers, the lawyers, the doctors, the rich – basically anyone with any kind of social power within the small town were all piled into the room, dressed as if to display their social status in grand gesture…
And all one had to do was look down to see the laminated wooden panels with the basketball-zones painted on them, to the side to see the brownish-purple paint job that comprised halfway up the walls – a paint job that was old and chipped in some parts. The Yamaha speakers that stood on metal support stands (and were courtesy of the center) were dusty from years of neglect, with only a ‘quick clean’ by the staff. And Selena was sure the carpet that made up the steps and platform at the other end of the room had a few stains on it from the spilled drinks of previous events.
This… this was the best Nome, Alaska, could offer its ‘elite’. This was the highest ‘assembly center’ that could be acquired. A basketball court inside a recreation center. Not some ballroom in a hotel or an arena that could fill thousands. Nome had no such things. Its low population and obscurity from the world prevented the need for them. Even for those as powerful as the Scythes – if they wanted some kind of assembly – had to settle for this place. They had no idea what performing in sold-out arenas or going to massive conventions in the mainland of the United States felt like – something that gave the Snow Queen an odd sense of satisfaction.
They don’t know what it’s like to perform somewhere like Rise to Greatness at the main-event… she thought, momentarily allowing herself to be a little smug in the matter. Or what it’s like to marry the person you love in a grand fashion in New York. Or walk the long bridges of Manhattan as the sun sets… or travel the world and see the natural and unnatural wonders of the world…
She found herself biting her lower lip. Had it been anyone else in the world, she would have not had these feelings of smugness. She would wish, and even try in some cases, to share such blessings with others. It’s partly why she was who she was – fighting for SCW and to give the fans the integrity and happiness they had been so integral in helping her achieve.
It was laughable. Last week, Dawn had declared that she was responsible for Selena’s career being what it was and, while she had definitely played an important part in the early years, it had been downright childish for her to play that card against Selena. It was the people that were responsible for her success. The people that had accepted her for who she was every step of the way. When she had first arrived in SCW, when she had come out as a lesbian, even when she screwed up or downright failed. Had it been any of them, Selena would have chastised her feelings and done all she could to remove them, to keep some semblance of humility in her heart.
But these weren’t the people of the SCW Universe. These were the people that had looked down at her family. Who had mocked and ridiculed her father, calling him ‘mad’ and ‘delusional’, not shedding a tear when he had disappeared all those years ago. Who had coined the phrase “The Crazy Miner’s Daughter” where she was concerned and had ignored her while she had been tortured and abandoned by the remnants of her ‘family’ that consisted of the DeCarlos and Scythes. Those same people, every time she came back to this town, looked at her with contempt and jealousy. She could see it as clearly as the snow on the ground. They put on masks and false-smiles, trying to butter up to her ‘celebrity status’ but, deep down, they hated how someone ‘so-low’ had outgrown Nome’s limitations where they were all still here.
In short, the elite of Nome were the elite, yes… but only of Nome, and they knew it. They was no comparison to the other towns and cities of Alaska like Fairbanks and Anchorage, which were both several hours away. They were all the ‘elite’ of their little pond or hole in the world and they clung to that for all they had – accepting standards deemed ‘lesser’ in their eyes.
For Selena? She wasn’t bothered by it. She had come from nothing, spent most of her life in squalor and only in the last near decade of her life had achieved something greater – but what made it great and beyond all of this was her wife, Deanna, and her children Elsianna, David and Amiliah, as well as their dog, Oberon.
With a shake of her head, she refocused her attention to the situation at hand. At the other end of the room stood Gavin Scythe with Jean Black and Zoe Evers, his ‘campaign managers’. The mayoral candidate was wrapping up his speech that all four of them had painstakingly written and rewritten multiple times over the last few weeks. They had to make sure it was perfect.
This was Gavin’s official entry into the ‘race’ for his father’s former position as the mayor of Nome. A grand announcement and celebratory party was mandatory – which was why the team had insisted on the Frosts: Selena and Deanna, making an appearance.
An appearance… Selena thought glumly, casting her eyes down at herself. Like the other members of the audience, she had dressed for the occasion, overdressed for the venue. She felt both elegant amongst the other elites but also a little ridiculous standing at the “three-point line” of the basketball court. She had chosen a dark red dress with faded embroidery that ran up it. Around her waist was a thin gold and brown corset that not only wrapped around her dress but also the black coat she wore, the faux-white fur lining the end that trailed down her sides and wrapped around her neck, the color almost matching the platinum-blonde of her medium-length hair, tied expertly in its braid.
Comparatively, Selena was certain she appeared ‘average’ when looking at the extravagant gowns and suits of the men and women that stood on the ‘court’ of the room - Except for that one woman that – are those PEACOCK feathers? – Selena almost chocked trying to hold back the laughter that filled her as she tried to imagine the woman with all those feathers in her gown playing basketball on this court.
“And I can assure you!” Gavin Scythe’s voice continued to ring throughout the room, enhanced by the speakers, as he stood on the makeshift platform and podium. “That, as my father, did I will strive not only to stand by the beliefs and morals that he did, but also seek to better Nome, Alaska, not just for this term, but for the years to come!”
Despite her mind wandering a little, Selena had paid enough attention to the presentation to know that Gavin had done his speech exceptionally well without any mistakes. She breathed a sigh of relief at that, surprised that she needed to do so. Upon further inspection, she recognized that she had been nervous, which was why she had distracted herself with the absurdity of the whole ‘basketball court’ for a social/political ‘get-together’.
But she had every right to be nervous, didn’t she? There were really only two candidates being considered for mayor at this point and both of them were Scythes. Upon revealing his intention to run, Gavin had sent the town of Nome into quite the uproar (in a good way). There hadn’t been a decent ‘election’ to discuss in years! In the past, few would dare run against Malcolm Scythe, and those that did were never truly taken seriously by the citizens of Nome. This? This was the first time that two strong choices existed, and all of Nome was in a passionate debate over who they would vote for! Hell, Deanna and Selena had heard such lively debates everywhere they visited while they were in town, including the grocery store!
The power of having a genuine choice after years of, essentially, having none… Selena remarked. Still, a large part of her wished that there were no ‘other options’ and that Ryan Scythe was just not in the picture at all, though she had a good reason for such thoughts. After all, the older Scythe had quietly threatened – though he would say he merely ‘promised’ – to resurrect the crusade he and Malcolm had launched against Selena over custody of her two oldest children, Elsianna and David… thinking of them, Selena breathed another sigh of relief that she and Deanna had opted for them to stay in Manhattan under the watchful care of Gerda and Oberon.
And with Malcolm leaving a rather large fortune for both children before his death, Selena knew that Ryan was more determined than ever to bring back that agenda against the Frost family – and with the power of being the mayor, he very well could. Which is why Gavin HAD to win…
So, yes, the Snow Queen was nervous and was, at that moment, secretly wishing she was dressed in her regular clothes of jeans, shirt, and leather jacket or cozy at home in her magenta nightgown – even if it was, technically, the afternoon over in New York.
She suddenly felt the small hand take hers, breaking all her thoughts simultaneously. Her head turned around in time to see Deanna standing beside her. “He’s doing well.” The redhead remarked as she lean-snuggled up to her wife’s side, the older Frost instinctively wrapping an arm around her wife’s waist as she did. Like Selena, Deanna had dressed for the ‘crowd’, complete with a burgundy dress that included a beige cloth that wrapped and tied around her waist, tying at the front, a corset with matching colors and a series of cloth accents of the same color as the one around her waist that wrapped around her bust, arms and tops of her shoulders. Her hair was free flowing, like a red mane of waterfall. Again, much like Selena’s, it was not distracting like some of the other dresses and suits were, but it did its job.
“Yeah.” Selena remarked. “I’m not even sure he needed us here.”
“I think we’re more ‘celebrity eye-candy’.” Deanna whispered, her hands secretly squeezing Selena’s arm as she held her wife close to her.
“Well, you are.” Selena smiled teasingly. “Have I told you-“
“Hush now.” Deanna teased, casting a smirk at Selena. “We’re not exactly popular here with who we are, but if you finish that sentence like I think you’re going to finish that sentence, then I’m not going to care how me kissing you does for Gavin’s poll numbers.”
It was a sly remark, more playful in nature but there was a slight serious undertone to it based on truth. While Nome had, by the way things were, been publicly viewed as ‘accepting’ of ‘alternative lifestyles’ in the realms of homosexuals, the fact was that such individuals were still ‘looked down upon’ amongst the ‘heavy-set Republicans’ of Nome, which constituted the majority. Not that the presence of the Frost wives would cause unrest, but such flaunting of their love publicly wasn’t exactly the best idea in a room filled with such narrow-minded people. Not when they wanted their vote for Gavin and for the sake of their own children.
“I’ll behave.” Selena sighed. “Or I’ll try to…” she added before drawing her attention back to the other side of the room, where Gavin stood tall. The young man’s eyes found Selena and Deanna and he offered them a smile as he awaited a question to finish being asked by a nearby patron.
“Yes.” Gavin answered, his eyes back on the task at hand. Selena wasn’t sure if he was glad that they were there for moral support or because having the woman that had become ‘the biggest celebrity of Nome’ by no exaggeration was beneficial to his cause. Either way, he seemed far more at ease as he fielded the question – something about the growing concern of children numbers in the schools and working with the Board of Educators to ensure proper care and help for struggling students. It was political jargon that Selena wasn’t entirely fluent in, but she liked the idea of Gavin helping children rather than bullying them as he had in his youth.
He’s come a long way… she thought. It’s almost like he and his brother switched places or something and Ryan became the asshole and he became the good guy…
“You know…” she heard Deanna remark, the redhead tilting her head this way and that. “I’m starting to see a pattern over the last few weeks.”
“What’s that?” Selena asked, neither woman allowing their voice to go above a whisper and risk distracting those in the crowd that stood nearby.
“Me dealing with your exes.” Deanna cast a glance at Selena, something akin to a mix of playful and irritated.
“My exes?”
“Well…” Deanna shrugged, pointing a pinkie just slightly towards the podium. “There’s Jean and Gavin. Dawn paid us a visit last week. We called and spoke to Fiyero Ulric for our Retribution outfits. And with all that’s planning around Ryan-“
“Geez…” Selena exhaled, her eyes wide. “You make it sound like I had more partners than square-dancers.” She stated glumly. “First of all, I NEVER dated Gavin or anything remotely like that. Second, Jean and Fiyero were…” she paused for a moment, not liking this conversation’s direction in the least. “We were ‘outlets’ to one another. A way to escape whatever hell we thought we were living. Not really any relationship.”
“Still…” Deanna sighed. “I wish I had some crazy exes for you to run into.”
“You didn’t have any in Frankfurt-“ Selena started but stopped herself a second too late. “I just realized how tasteless and crass that was. I’m so sorry.” Her eyes bore into Deanna’s, seeking forgiveness.
The redhead, whose eyes had gone wide at the statement, returned to normal as she merely gave a shrug. “The less we talk about that, the better.”
“Understood.” Selena nodded. “I’m sorry you’re dealing with so much of my past right now. Do you…” she tried with an awkward shrug. “Do you want me to meet any of your crushes in Kentucky? I’ll take that bullet if I have to.”
“I married the only girlfriend I ever had.” Deanna reminded the Snow Queen.
“Oh sure, but you must have had crushes or girls you flirted with in high-school. I could meet them.”
“You make it sound like some cliché ‘high-school reunion’ thing where I flaunt you at them.”
“Well, we ARE in a gymnasium of some sorts. Aren’t most proms held in these kind of things?” Selena asked. “And I am more than prepared to be your ‘trophy wife’ for the night.”
“Oh, aren’t you sweet.” Deanna teased back, shaking her head at her wife.
The two remained quiet for a moment as Gavin continued answering questions.
“Is this really about the others?” Selena asked quietly. “Or is this about Dawn?”
The question was to the point. After all, it didn’t make sense to Selena. They had dealt with Jean, Fiyero, and even Ryan Scythe for years and there hadn’t been an issue for Deanna in dealing with a former ‘paramour’ of Selena’s. What had changed recently? Dawn had re-emerged in SCW and Deanna had challenged her and Marie Jones to a match – which now also included Polly Playtime.
“Deanna…” Selena tried, squeezing her closer to her.
“I don’t like that she’s there.” Dawn admitted. “In SCW, I mean. I don’t like that she’s around. I don’t like that she thinks she can barge in on us. I don’t like how she thinks you owe her or that I’m some kind of substitute or-“
“Deanna…” Selena tried, reaching to caress her fingers against Deanna’s cheek in an attempt to calm her. “I get it.”
“It was bad enough that you guys talked on Twitter. I had to live with that because I was just being jealous, but now? Every time I see her… I just… I see all the ways she hurt you and I just…”
“Deanna…” Selena sighed, looking around to ensure no one was listening. “I feel the same way. I don’t feel those old feelings when I look at her. I feel sorry for her. Because to her, I was just one of many that she clung to desperately. I don’t…” Selena paused, allowing herself to take a deep inhale and exhale through her nose. “I don’t think she will ever grow up. She’ll always keep jumping from person to person once she gets bored of them. And I feel sorry for her. She’ll never know what it’s like to find ‘the one’.”
Like I…like we did… The implication was beyond clear in both sapphire and emerald eyes and it seemed enough to placate the redhead, which Selena was grateful for. In all truth, she wanted today to be over so she could leave Nome with her wife and head to Minnesota for Retribution.
She was almost as nervous about the pay-per-view as she was about this election, what little control she had in SCW as the World Champion the only reason she wasn’t as nervous. She could fight in SCW. She could try and make it out of the Double Jeopardy match alive, retaining the world championship. This? All she could do was watch and hope – she couldn’t even vote on the damn thing! Since her state of residence was registered as New York, she was not able to vote for the mayor of Nome anymore.
In short, she had no control over this beyond helping Gavin, which was why the whole election unnerved her more than five other superstars wanting her head and the World title, though it wasn’t by much.
Trying to distract herself, her eyes flew to the clock hanging on the wall behind the protective metal bars. “Almost done.” She whispered under her breath. Looking back at the podium stand, she could see Jean and Zoe both gazing up at the clock as well, perhaps thinking the same thing. The ‘discussion and question’ was meant to conclude at 6:30pm, allowing for the dancing and partying to begin. Even now, Selena could see tables being set up just to the far left side of the gymnasium, with plates of various food being brought out – it actually did look like some grand high-school dance!
Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt her wife’s hands tighten harshly against her arm, to the point where Selena felt her wife’s manicured nails start to dig in. Immediately, her head flew down to see her gazing in a different direction. She barely had time to follow the gaze before-
“Yes! I wish to ask a question!”
The voice came not from one of the undecided voters or ‘ordinary elite citizens of Nome’ but was slightly distorted as it poured out of the microphone from behind the Frost wives. Immediately, Selena and Deanna moved further from the doorway just as the ‘party-crasher’ strolled into the gymnasium, wearing that damn dark-purple suit that made Selena’s stomach turn. Holding his free arm was the man’s wife, who stole a glance at Selena and Deanna as she passed, her eyes full of worry as she walked past them.
Selena could only manage a slight nod to Talia as Ryan Scythe turned his head to spy the Frost wives, his eyes narrowing only marginally, though he kept that damn smirk plastered on his face.
“Yes, I’m sorry for crashing, but seeing as this was advertised as an open forum…” he continued, speaking into the megaphone he had brought with him. “I thought it would be prudent to say a few words regarding my brother’s decision…”
The crowd parted, giving him plenty of birth to make his way towards the podium, the faces of all the elite audience one of shock, confusion, and uncertainty.
Only five people had different expressions, and they all shared a look with one another as they watched the oldest Scythe son make his way to the stage.
“Right on time.” Selena whispered, taking Deanna’s hand into hers.
The redhead nodded. “Just like Talia said… It’s up to Gavin now.”
The Snow Queen nodded, throwing a silent prayer to Odin. Help him get through this… she prayed. That’s all I ask. Help him get through this…
**************************************
Years Ago…
Nome Recreation Center
Nome, Alaska
October 31st, 2012
8:43pm
Help me get through this… the young woman prayed in her mind. That’s all I ask. Help me get through this.
Unconsciously, Selena’s hand drifted down to her stomach, feeling the massive beach ball that was her belly. She felt so bloated these days. Like it was hard to move without swinging her body weight in a direction. I cannot wait for you to get here, snowflake. she thought to herself. She was only a few more months away from delivering her baby – and she was beyond excited to meet the child! And you can meet your father and be part of the wedding.
She forced the thought to end then and there. She knew better than to think about the wedding. Such an event remained ‘on the horizon’, with no official date made yet – despite almost a year-long engagement. She had given several reasons as to why over and over again: Adrian being busy, Malcolm wanting it to be ‘perfect’ or whatever, her mother wanting her say on ‘things’, whatever that meant – but with the baby on the way in a few months, that had become the focus for Selena, so she was okay with having to wait a little longer.
“Once we’re married.” She whispered to her unborn child. “Everything will go back to normal. I know it.”
Taking a slow, deep breath, she leaned up against the wall, feeling the solid wood against her back. The long, large purple, V-neck dress Adrian had picked for her stuck to her curves, ending just below her knees. The sleeves were long and snug as well. It was a bit more ‘form-fitting’ then some of the other dresses she saw around the room, but a lot of the outfits were costumes and disguises…
Immediately, as a man in a devil costume ran past her, laughing hysterically, part of her wished she had been allowed to dress up for Halloween as well, maybe as a witch or The Bride of Frankenstein – that would have been fun! With a slow sigh through her nose, Selena cast her gaze around the room, spotting the organizer of this Halloween party, shaking heads with some of the suited, non-costume wearing people.
Malcolm Scythe was all smiles as he and his son, Adrian, worked the room. It was the annual Halloween Party that the Scythes put on every year for the people of Nome at the large Recreation center. She could see the lights flashing around the room and could hear the loud ‘Halloween’ music as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” played.
Staying in the corner, Selena kept quiet as she rubbed at her temple with her free hand, the loudness of the music and shifting brightness of the lights beginning to start a headache for her. She didn’t want to be here. She wasn’t welcome here. It was beyond clear. She was among the high-class of Nome, people who made more in a day than she could in a year working minimum-wage jobs. To them, she was still the “Crazy Miner’s Daughter”, but now she was some low-life that was ‘sleeping her way to the upper class’, which only made those already there hate her all the more. She had tried to work the room with Adrian as much as possible, but after the thirteenth or fourteenth dirty look she had gotten, Adrian had ushered her to this corner, telling her to stay there while he finished smoozing, if that was the right word, with his father.
That had been an hour and a half ago and Selena really needed to use the bathroom, which wouldn’t have been a problem if she could reach the damn zipper behind her back. The dress couldn’t be pulled up past her thighs. The zipper at the top was the only way out… At the thought – she suddenly winced as she felt her baby move inside her, it’s foot connecting with a swift kick to her bladder.
“Please, baby.” She half-cried in a whisper. “Behave for just a little longer.”
She was certain the baby wasn’t enjoying the loud noises either, probably having been rudely awakened by them. In that whole ninety minutes, not once had Adrian checked in on her or sent someone to see how she was doing. Hell, he hadn’t even looked her way once. For that, she blamed Malcolm. The old man was grooming his son to be the ‘next mayor’ – Adrian had told her about that – and it seemed all his time was being given to the Malcolm, leaving her with a full bladder and a lonely heart.
“Things will get better…” she whispered to herself. She had finally gotten a semblance of a ‘happy ending’ after years of being the outcast. She wasn’t about to throw it away just because things were a little rough between her and her fiancée. She would be patient, wait for him to do all he needed to do with Malcolm and talk to him later about her needs as the mother of his child. She wouldn’t be like her mother, manipulating and cruel. She would be kind, understanding, like her father had been before he had disappeared.
Her father…
“I wish you could meet him.” She whispered to her baby, her hand still rubbing the swell of her stomach, trying to coax the baby to a state of comfort and calm. “You would love him and, trust me, he would love you-“ Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt another spike of pain from her full bladder. Biting down on her lower lip, she craned her head up to try and find Adrian again. This time around was more difficult as more of the party-goers were filling the dance floor, the party taking the inevitable turn of more “free” movement. She could see a plethora of different costumes but no Adrian –
Biting her lower lip and clapping her eyes, Selena could imagine she looked very much the fool hopping from one foot to the other, trying to ease her bladder. She even tried to reach behind her back to get to the zipper but her hands were no where close to it. Why the hell did he give me a dress like this?! she thought, her emotions bubbling over to frustration.
It was these emotions that fueled her head to scan the room once more, where her sapphire eyes, which were starting to fill with tears from the pain, spotted him… laughing and… and dancing…
She gave a shake of her head to try and give herself a second look, but there was no denying what was before her. Adrian, her fiancée, the father of her unborn child, was dancing with some woman dressed in a white gown and wearing some kind of matching masquerade mask.
Calm down… her mind told her, though it was a muddled thought thanks to the pain that was gripping her bladder. Conceal… her mind whispered her mantra. Don’t feel…
A few slow breaths managed to dull some of the pain, but it also pressed a kind of clarity into the young woman’s mind. “What the hell am I doing?” she asked herself quietly. Here she was, standing in a corner for over an hour and half, pregnant with child, ready to make a puddle of shame on the floor, and for what? So her fiancée could dance with some girl? Shake hands with people who hated her and whom she hated?!
Maybe it was the entire situation, but there was only so much that Selena’s pride could take.
Without hesitating, the young woman moved out of her corner, feeling a sense of liberation as she did so, and marched past the crowds of people dancing, doing her best to avoid bumping into anyone. She almost crashed into a penguin of some kind and a pirate but managed to catch herself and continue walking, fighting any further discomfort and pain as best as she could. Getting closer to the targeted ‘dancing couple’ Selena spied how Adrian was smiling and laughing as he danced with the young woman, who, if figure and skin was any indication, was probably around hers and Adrian’s age.
It wasn’t until she was standing just a few feet away from the couple that she cleared her voice. “Ahem.”
The sound was close enough for Adrian to hear it, the young man turning his head to spot his fiancée standing there. “Selena?” he asked. “I thought I told you to stay-“
“In the corner?” she asked. “I did. For an hour and a half.”
Eyes widening a little, Adrian flicked his wrist to view the expensive watch he was wearing. “Oh.. guess I lost track of the time. I’m sorry.” He offered, though his voice sounded anything but.
“That what she’s for?” Selena asked, eyeing the dancer. “Hi, I’m Selena Frost. Adrian’s fiancee and mother of his child. Care to tell me which circle of windbags you belong to?”
“Selena!” Adrian warned. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he asked, scanning the area to make sure no one was noticing the scene unfolding, the dancers continuing to be in their own worlds as they danced.
“An hour and a half and a full bladder and a child using said bladder as a soccer-ball has worked out my last shred of patience.” She growled back at the man. “Especially when you clearly forgot I was even here.” Her eyes returned to the young dancer that had been occupying Adrian’s dance card. “So, you are?”
“I am the Snow Queen!” the woman teased, sticking her tongue out at Selena. It was a voice Selena recognized instantly, turning to her lover with rage burning in her sapphire eyes.
“Seriously?!” she asked, disbelief on her face. “You left me in a corner for 90 minutes to dance with her?!”
“Selena…” Adrian tried. “I have an image to uphold.”
“What image is that?” she hissed. “Douchebag?”
“Mind your tone.” Came the very real warning in Adrian’s voice. “I will not have you embarrass me!”
Biting her lower lip, Selena cast her eyes towards the dancer, who she knew was the one person that hated her most of all: Talia. “How many dances did you give him?”
With a smug smirk, Talia held up a hand, all fingers extended. It was enough for the air to rush out of Selena’s lungs but she didn’t have time to cry out in despair as she felt a strong hand grab her arm and pull her across the dance floor and back towards the corner she had occupied for so long.
“What is the matter with you?!” growled Adrian under his breath. “I asked for one thing. For you to behave and support me in this."
"I did that.” Argued Selena, trying to keep her voice down. “And you left me in a corner.”
“For good reason!” the Scythe son argued. “Nobody wanted to talk to me as long as you were there.”
“So what? You’re ashamed of me?” Selena asked, hot tears threatening the back of her eyes. Damn hormones!
As for Adrian, the man gave a huff, running a hand through his hair. “I’m not ashamed of you.” He stated. “But I need to do what is best for myself and for father. I can’t have you embarrassing me like that. Not when so much is riding on these people and their perception of me. Do you understand?”
Looking up at his chastising gaze, Selena bit her lower lip. “Is that how this is going to be then?” she asked. “How our relationship – our marriage is going to be? Where you put me in a corner and dance with other girls? Because if it is, tell me right now. I’ll just stay home and look after our child. I much rather do that than pretend to get along with those douchebags.”
“Selena…you’re being unfair.”
“Unfair?” laughed the Snow Queen. “What would be fair to you, Adrian? You go and dance with all the girls you want. Hell, take one of them home – take a whole horde of them home! That be fair?”
“Keep your voice down.” Again, that warning tone in his voice which caused Selena’s spine to stiffen.
Taking a deep breath, Selena looked around the room, her hand on her swollen belly, tears still streaming from her eyes. “You’re supposed to dance with me, Adrian! Isn’t that what couples do? Isn’t that what people in love are supposed to do?”
“You’re being silly.” Adrian remarked. “We’ll have plenty of time to dance later.”
How often had she heard similar remarks in the past year? More and more often – excuses that meant it would not happen.
With a sigh of defeat, Selena shrugged her shoulders, her free hand wiping angrily at her eyes. “Fine. Just help me out of this dress.” She ordered. “I need to go the bathroom and I can’t reach the zipper to undo it.”
“What?” Adrian asked. “Can’t you get someone else to help you?”
“I don’t trust anyone here with that.” Selena argued as another intense wave of pain hit her. “Just take me to the bathroom and help me out of the zipper, please!”
“I…” Adrian started but stopped when he saw his father standing on the other side of the room, beckoning him over with a wave of his hand, calling him by his legal first name.
“Adrian…” Selena whispered through clenched teeth, her hand now clutching her side, almost doubling over. “Please…I need to go…”
Casting one more glance at his father, Adrian held up his hands. “Just wait there. I’ll send someone to help you.”
Before Selena could utter a word, he was gone, darting back into the crowd to rejoin his father.
“Adri-“ Selena tried but her voice died as she felt her body clutch and convulse. Panic filled her as she, suddenly, felt a warm liquid running down her leg. Without looking back, Selena rushed out of the room, out of the center as fast as her form could allow. The cold air of the oncoming winter, much lower in Nome, offered only a temporary respite for the Snow Queen, who, as tears fell from her eyes, stumbled her way around the building of the recreation center until she was standing behind the large dumpster that sat at the side. Unable to hold back, she felt and heard her cries rack her frame as her body relieved itself, pouring down her leg and onto the ground. She kept her balance and leaned over posture by keeping a hand on the dumpster lid, her tears continuing to stream down her face.
“C…Conceal…” she whispered, trying to fight the shame and embarrassment that ran through her. “Don’t feel…”
Moments passed, the cold continued to blow and fill her. Slowly, as the pain subsided, Selena pulled herself up to her feet, taking a shaky breath. She didn’t have to look down but she did anyway – at her ‘work’.
Her dress was soaked and it was beyond noticeable. Casting her gaze towards the building, Selena knew she could not go back inside. Did she even want to? Adrian clearly didn’t care if she was there or not. Nobody truly wanted her there in the first place… and there was no way in Tartaros that she was going to let anyone see her like this.
Alone in the parking lot, Selena took one last glance at the building, hearing the loud music from inside before slowly walking down the roadway and down East 5th Avenue, keeping out of sight as she walked the darker, unlit paths. She knew these paths by heart, especially where she was going.
She wasn’t going back to Adrian’s. She had no desire to see him or hear him try and ‘explain’ his actions right now. She would hear him out tomorrow – but right now? She didn’t even know why they were together.
As if on cue, she felt her baby move inside her. “It’s not you.” She sniffled, trying to ignore the dress growing colder against her bare skin as the wetness began to freeze a little. “Mommy is just being… just being silly…” she admonished as she began to make the fifteen-minute walk towards her own home on the hill, the one her father had left her, along with the mine.
“Don’t worry.” She whispered, holding her belly with her hand as she walked. “Things will get better…” she muttered, repeating it over and over again as she walked through the cold night…
“Things will get better”…
****************************************
Present Day…
She wanted to slap the smug look right off of Ryan’s face as he sauntered up the steps, handing the megaphone over to Talia as he did. She wanted to run a list in front of all these ‘elites’ about the kind of man Ryan truly was. Hell, she would have settled for a chance to land one kick to his head and knock him out.
But as Selena watched her former fiancée reach the platform his younger brother stood on, she slowly breathed a long exhale.
This wasn’t her fight. Not in the sense of ‘not her fight to get involved’ but, rather, this was not her fight to win. It was Gavin’s. Gavin needed to have this fight. Gavin needed to win this fight. Not just for the Frosts or for Nome but for himself. He had been so hesitant about this part of their plan, being against/fighting his own brother. But, as much as Selena wanted to get involved, as she knew Deanna wanted to, they kept one another held back and quiet.
“Good luck, Gavin.” She whispered under her breath. “It’s all you now.”
Keeping her wife held in her arms, Selena watched as Ryan offered a hand to shake to Gavin, who took it, only for the older brother to pull him into an embrace. A laugh escaped Ryan as he was offered the microphone that the patrons/visitors had been used for questions. Holding it, he tried to clap his hands for Gavin, though he eventually gave up on it in lieu of being able to speak.
“Listen, I want to start off by saying…” he paused for a moment. “Just how proud I am of you, Gavin. I am. I know that will surprise you because we’re running for the same position, but I am. More than that, our father would be proud to see both of his sons striving to do what is best for Nome, the town he loved so much. Round of applause for my little brother!”
Again, the older Scythe tried to clap his hands, but barely managed a muffled clap, but it was enough to get the crowd going, giving an applause all their own. To Selena, it was like watching a promo unfold – it was very similar to it. One where the loudmouth starts with false praise before going for the killshot.
“Please get through this…” Selena whispered. This will make or break your campaign…
“I am proud. I know Dad is proud.” Ryan continued. “And I am beyond interested in where this decision came from. I mean, where this desire began for you. For me? I’ve been ready to do this my whole life. My whole life has been about studying politics and Nome and understand how best to lead it. Thirty plus years of preparing for this. So, please, tell me – tell them – where it all began for you.”
The first volley of questions. And Ryan’s smile never faltered. And as Selena’s gaze flew to Gavin, she saw the younger man nod his head before reapproaching his podium.
“First of all, Ryan, thank you for coming to my announcement party. I know you’re busy.” He waited for Ryan to give a ‘good-natured’ shrug. “But to answer your question, I’ve always been studying politics. All my life, I was watching and learning, just like you. I just didn’t need to showboat it to everyone.”
His tone was simple but the bite was barely concealed. The inference that Ryan HAD showboated his ‘inheritance’ was not lost to anyone.
“And to answer your other question, well, truth be told, I took a look at where things were headed after Father’s passing… and I didn’t like it. I didn’t like a lot of it. And while I am sure you have plans for this town, Ryan, there…” Gavin paused for a moment, as if to try and find the right words.
“There’s room for definite change… real change…” Deanna whispered under her breath.
“There’s room for definite change.” Gavin stated from across the room. “REAL change.”
“Oh? What change would that be, Gavin? I’m really interested to know.” Ryan replied offhandedly.
“Well, first and foremost – the existence of a choice. Let’s face it, with our father, there was never really other choices for the people to select. Not really. And it always made me wonder, did our father get chosen so many times because he was ‘the best choice’ or because was the only real choice?”
“Wow…” Ryan remarked. “I can’t believe you’re trampling on our father’s grave like that-“
“I’m not trampling on anything.” Gavin stated quickly.
“Come on…” Selena pressed in a whisper, holding Deanna tight. “Counter fast before he counters you!”
“But don’t you want the people of Nome to have more than what our father could give them? This is the first step, Ryan! The first step is they can have a choice! They can decide from two REAL possibilities on how they want Nome to be led. They don’t have to just follow anyone. They can let their voices be heard. THAT, I think, is what our father truly wanted.”
A loud applause broke through the room at those words, all directed towards the younger Gavin. Ryan, despite himself, was clearly thrown off such a reaction, his jaw clenching a little as he observed the crowd.
“I like to think that the people of Nome have always had a choice, Gavin, but I can respect your views on the matter.” He stated. “But Gavin, as much as I am excited to hear your lofty ideas – the fact is that, you’re too young for this. You’re too inexperienced. Textbook knowledge can only get you so far.” He held a hand to his chest. “Father spent so much of his time imparting his experience onto me. Letting me see how Nome works, how its people operate. At the end of the day, that’s what people will choose. Experience, on the job knowledge and an understanding. I-“ he held his hand up to acknowledge his brother. “I believe that, together, I could teach you what father taught me. And when my time is up, you will be next to become mayor. I am sure of it. I am sure that’s what Father wanted. But right now, Gavin? Speaking as your brother? It’s not the right time.”
He lowered the microphone, shrugging his shoulders. It was a good argument, at least at face-value. Still, despite the words, Gavin merely nodded his head before leaning towards his own microphone.
“I respect your opinion, Ryan. But I have to ask. Did our father ‘wait for the right time’ to become mayor of Nome? Did any of these people-“ he pointed to a man he saw in the audience. “Did Dr. Knox over there wait for ‘the right time’ to plunge into medicine? Did-“ he gestured to another person, an older woman, “Did Mrs. Reeto ‘wait for the right time’ to come to open that orphanage thirty plus years ago? What if she had waited? How many children would have suffered without her if she had?”
Gavin’s eyes flying, they eventually landed on Selena Frost, the young man gesturing towards the Snow Queen. “Mrs. Selena Frost! Quite possibly the biggest celebrity that’s come from Nome. She’s a world champion wrestler. Did she ‘wait for the right time’ to make that happen?”
“No I did not!” Selena yelled back, remembering her one line in all of this. “I took the risk of a lifetime!”
“Exactly!” Gavin proclaimed. “People, we can not simply wait for ‘the right time’ to make a change here! We cannot simply ‘wait for the right time’ to do some real good! Because there is NO right time except NOW!”
“The time is now!” Deanna called out loudly, earning a nod and clap from Gavin.
“Exactly!” he stated. “The time is now! The choice is now! And together, people of Nome, we can and we will make a difference!”
The crowd roared their applause – a mere fraction of what Selena and Deanna were used to in SCW, but in that moment, it certainly felt like the whole world was cheering.
“The time is now! The time is now!” people were cheering, repeating that one line over and over again. Watching Ryan, Selena spied the man’s fists tighten. He knew he had lost this round, and had lost hard. What more could he do but…
She watched as he quietly excused himself, slinking off down the podium and into the crowd. Immediately, music began to play on the speakers, the actual party-part of this meeting finally underway. While Gavin made his way into the crowd to shake hands and speak with people, the rest of his entourage, Jean and Zoe, met up with Selena and Deanna, the brunette, Zelda, breathing a sigh of relief.
“That was close.” She spoke quietly as they four gathered around a section of the room. “Thank goodness for Talia.”
“Giving us quite the advantage I’d say, dearie.” Jean smirked knowingly.
For a moment, Selena tried to spy her old friend, Talia, but couldn’t find her. She wanted to, quietly, thank the woman. It had been Talia that had emailed Jean an outline of Ryan’s plan to ‘crash’ Gavin’s party and what questions and points he was going to bring up, allowing the ‘Gavin party’ to come up with a series of counters, something Selena was quite good at. Excusing herself from her group, the Snow Queen made her way around some of the smaller groups that had started dancing- until she felt her arm being yanked by someone, forcing her to be pulled across the room to a familiar corner.
Released, Selena pulled her arm back and met the rather annoyed expression of Ryan Scythe. “Very clever.” He remarked darkly, standing against the corner so he was hiding behind the upright bleachers and chair-stacks. His eyes did a quick once over of Selena’s body, making her skin crawl. “Going for a Cruella DeVil look?” he gestured to the faux-fur trim on her coat.
“Oh please.” Selena huffed. “There’s only one person here who would think about killing puppies and that’s you.”
“You think you’re pretty smart, don’t you?” Ryan gave a tilt of his head. “I figured you were here for something when I saw you. How did you know I was going to be here? No way that idiot brother of mine could have predicted what I was going to say and counter it like that. So, how did you know?”
Protect Talia… Selena’s mind screamed. Don’t even give him a hint…
“Please, Ryan.” Selena smirked smugly, trying to act a little arrogant – like Holly and Kandis would. “You think I don’t know how you tick at this point? I knew the second we announced this that you wouldn’t resist showing up to try and put your ‘little brother’ in his place. And as for what you said? I’m in the business of predicting people’s moves and punchlines – you’re not that hard to figure out. Not very creative either. I just picked the most obvious points that someone of your limited imagination would do.”
“Limited?” he asked, his jaw clenching a little. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”
“Oh, I don’t?” Selena asked. “Funny. Cause, last I checked, you just got your ass handed to you by Gavin. Maybe you don’t know who you’re dealing with.”
“You honestly think he can run Nome?”
“I think he can do a better job than you can.” Selena declared, crossing her arms over her chest.
Clenching his jaw a little, the older Scythe looked away for a moment before glaring back at Selena. “Stay out of this, Selena. Consider this your one and only warning. Stay out of Nome. Stay away from Gavin. Stop helping him.”
“Or what?” Selena asked, the Snow Queen getting right into her former fiancée’s face, watching his warning glare wither slightly, causing her to grin. “Yeah, that right there, Ryan. That’s the difference between you and your father. Malcolm would only make a threat if he could back it up. Want to know why he never threatened me after I beat him? Because he knew he couldn’t. He couldn’t touch me… and neither can you. You lost that ability years ago.”
Holding her hand up, Selena shoved the mayoral-candidate back against the wall. “Tell you what. Why don’t you stand in that corner for a bit and think things through. Maybe we can talk more then… maybe.”
Turning around, refusing to look back, Selena left Ryan standing in that same corner just as the next song played through the speakers. Without a word, her eyes scanned the crowd before settling on the familiar redhead. Approaching her quickly, she leaned down to whisper in Deanna’s ear. “Dance with me.”
Turning around at the voice, Deanna’s eyes widened a little. “Really?” she asked. “You sure?”
“Definitely.” Selena smiled, her eyes fleeting to Ryan, who continued to glare at her. “Because this time, he’s going to watch me dance with a beautiful woman.”
Stealing a glance, Deanna spied the purple-suited man as well. “Oh…so this is to piss off Ryan?”
“Somewhat.” Selena shrugged guiltily.
“Why didn’t you say so?!” Deanna suddenly beamed, taking Selena’s hands into hers to pull the world champion further onto the ‘dance floor’. “I love pissing off your exes!”
A laugh escaped Selena as Deanna suddenly began moving with much more enthusiasm in the dance, even throwing some twirls to make them more noticeable. Screw what the others thought. If they were going to piss off Ryan, they were going to do it right.
“Maybe I love you.” Selena whispered when she held Deanna close.
“Maybe I love you too.” Deanna whispered back before twirling out and continuing to dance with the Snow Queen. “You know, if we want to make him REALLY mad, we could always-“
BANG!
Deanna never got to finish her thought as her voice was drowned out from the gunshot that filled the room and the screams that followed it.
_______________________________________________________________
![[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)