05-28-2023, 05:24 PM
OOC: The following roleplay immediately plays off the Frosts’ roleplays of the previous Breakdown (the semifinals of the tournament). It is highly recommended that those roleplays are read before proceeding with this roleplay.
DISCLAIMER: The following is a work of fiction and not to be confused as complete or accurate representation of any beliefs, religions, etc. Please refer to research/articles by experts for that. Furthermore, this roleplay will involve the use of drugs. Illicit use is not encouraged or condoned by the writer. In short: this is a piece of FICTION.
Forest Hills Neighbourhood
Queens, New York
May 15th, 2023
8:55pm
Selena felt the muscles in her abdomen burn as they constricted on her, the Snow Queen barely able to keep her focus enough to aim her face into the blue bin as she vomited into it. She kept her eyes tightly closed as the burning moved into her throat, feeling her eyes push out stray tears from the intensity of pains she was feeling. She tried to focus. Tried to calm her mind. She felt the small, warm hand on her skin, right where her neck met her shoulder blades – Deanna, her wife, silent but doing all she could to help.
Both women had been warned about this initial effect of the ayahuasca – the plant that had been suggested to them by the therapist Dresdin Flynn of the Alden chapter. The old man, kind as he was, had read Selena like a damn book - Not a hard thing to do these days… Selena thought bitterly. Everyone in SCW seems to be able to do it now a days. Ace, Kandis, Adam, Ravyn….
It had been her mind being in such a state of anxiety, pain and ever on the verge of breaking (as Deanna had worded it a few times) that Dresdin had suggested the unconventional method that the witches of Alden had employed in the past. A spiritual journey of some kind – was that the right naming of it? Selena wasn’t sure because, as she retched into the bin, she was certain she preferred the words ‘drug trip’. Least they were honest.
I’m going to go on a fucking drug trip. She clung to that honesty. The bitterness of it. It was comforting in a weird way. The honesty. The coldness of it. It reminded her of the cold winters in her home in Nome. You didn’t just say ‘it’s chilly’, ‘it’s a little nippy’, ‘it’s coat-wearing-weather’ there. It was laughable how many people she saw here in Manhattan and around the world say such things as they lived in the temperate zones.
Nome was so cold, ‘delicate language’ like that wasn’t a thing. It was ‘fucking cold!’ or ‘Jesus Christ, it’s freezing!’, or her personal favorite one that Deanna said ‘Holy cats! It’s cold!’. She focused on that, the memory of her wife losing all ‘polite language’ and ‘renames’ because Nome was THAT cold.
For its part, it was where Selena had acquired her blunt honesty. She spoke her mind, always had. Even when she wasn’t popular for it. Even now, SCW and the SCW Universe were turning on her. And why? Because she had been honest to herself and spoken her mind over a ‘chaos match’ that placed a 1st place to last place value on the titles of SCW. Because she felt that each title had its own value that shouldn’t be measured by numbers like that. Yes, the world title was the biggest title in SCW – of course it was – but what made the United States title ‘bigger or better’ than the ‘tag-team titles’? Weren’t there Hall of Famers and icons like Ravyn and Amy Chastaine and Simon Lyman contending for them? Wasn’t Syren, the most decorated SCW superstar of all time, the Adrenaline champion? Glory Braddock had been in the United States Championship tournament as well!
She had spoken her mind on that, her dislike of it and Kim Williams’ cheap ploy to become Underground champion, which was cheap! It was beyond obvious, and for her honesty, SCW had begun turning on the Snow Queen. It had started as some rumblings, but the more Selena stuck to her guns and her belief in the truth, the more people seemed to be turning against her. Hell, some had cheered when the five-on-two assault at Playing the Wildcard had occurred! What had been a united stand between ‘Face of SCW’ and the ‘SCW Universe’ over the integrity of titles and SCW’s place in the world of professional wrestling had, now, become splintered and divided. And with O. D. selling SCW ever on the horizon, and Owen Cruze leaving to pursue fatherhood and a private life… Selena just couldn’t stop speaking her mind on what was right and what was honest. It was all like the cold winds of her home…
Gods, she missed it right now…
Feeling her body’s convulsions again, the platinum-blonde braced herself as another wave of nausea hit her, her body retching once more into the bin. She mentally clamped down on those thoughts, as if to pull her focus away and deeper into her mind to ignore the pain.
Owen… why the fuck did Owen have to leave?!
Yes, she wasn’t the biggest fan of how he had handled things at the start of his reign as world champion, but he was a good man! She knew he was going to be an amazing father – she believed that with all her heart. And he didn’t like her on a personal level, there were some issues between the two of them on stuff she had said, stuff he had done, but you’d have to be blind and dumb to not understand the journey the young man had made to ‘set things right’ in his own career. To leave SCW on his terms. He had regained his honor and his pride and his integrity… and for that, Selena envied him.
She felt that while Owen had his integrity again, she was losing hers and SCW? The world title? The one she had spent years trying to get back and months holding to try and regain the integrity of? It could all easily be gone in a matter of weeks.
Why did you have to leave?
Who was left to fight for the world title and its integrity? Who was left to fight for the morals? Owen was gone. Syren had been eliminated by a, surprise surprise, cheating Adam Allocco. She was set to face Ace Marshall – the coward that hid behind not one but, at least, two people when dealing with her and that left Kandis or Adam Allocco if she were to get past Ace.
There was no one left in the tournament that cared about integrity or pride in the world title… except her. There was no one that cared about the world title being represented as it should be – with supreme championship wrestling… except her.
She felt her hands tighten around the blue bin. Her vomiting, having run out of stomach contents to retch, had settled on slight convulsions of dry heaving.
“This…sucks.” She managed to gasp out as she leaned her head against the rim of the blue plastic, not caring if it gave her a temporary ‘mark’ on her forehead. “I probably just threw up whatever it is that I was supposed to take.”
She heard a sigh come from beside her but she still didn’t open her eyes.
“Dresdin said this would happen.” Came the quiet, concerned voice. “Some sort of ‘cleansing’ process.”
“Yeah.” Selena sighed. “The NX was easier to take.”
Now THAT was something she hadn’t thought of in so long. The drug that had begun her addiction to drugs in the first place. A pain-blocker that had worked so well and given her so much focus. It wasn’t a performance enhancing drug, least not how Paracelsus or Dr. Perry, or even her stepmother, had described it. It had been meant to simply dull pain and make it more manageable.
Gods, if I had that… Selena’s mind wandered in its pained state. Not even Xander Valentine would be able to stop me. Certainly not Adam Allocco or Kandis- she slammed the brakes on that thought. NX had nearly cost her her family. Had nearly made Deanna into an addict. It was worse than her addiction to alcohol had been! Yes, there were benefits, but the costs had been far too great! What was the point in being ‘stronger’ or ‘better’ if it was because of a pill? Where was the integrity if she was taking drugs to reach that ‘standard’.
Though the burning persisted inside her, Selena slowly sat back against the wall, her eyes still closed, her stomach seeming to calm itself little by little. A few moments passed and she was able to open her eyes. The first thing she spotted was the gorgeous red hair of her wife, followed by those perfect emerald eyes. They were part of the quiet, yet concerned, face Selena saw in Deanna.
“Hey.” Selena whispered with a tired smile. “Hasn’t kicked in yet, I think.”
“Maybe it won’t.” there was a hopeful lift in her wife’s voice that Selena could not miss but said nothing on it. She didn’t want to fight when she could possibly be slipping into the effects of some psychedelic trip. “You okay?”
“I am right now.” Selena sighed again, resting her head up against the cold stone of the wall. Nearby, the black skull helmet of Killjoy – the ‘object of anxiety’ that Dresdin had suggested Selena choose to focus on – nearby. “Keep talking to me till I slip under.” Selena quietly begged her wife.
“Okay… what about?” Deanna shrugged. “I don’t want to stress you out.”
“We can talk about work?”
“I said I DIDN’T want to stress you out.” Deanna pressed. “Dresdin said that stress may lead you to experience a ‘bad trip’.
“It’s okay.” Selena sighed. “I don’t want to talk about work that way.” Again, the Snow Queen exhaled. Her breath more of a whisper, though still audible. “What do you think about quitting?”
There was nothing. A silence that permeated throughout the room. The only sound was the slight sloshing of water from the sealed pool near them and the thunderstorm that had grown into the rager it was outside.
Several seconds passed, then maybe a minute – maybe two – enough time that the platinum-blonde wondered if her wife had heard her. Cracking one sapphire eye open, Selena pointed her gaze in the direction of the voice she had heard, seeing the shocked expression on her wife.
“You’re serious?” Deanna asked, earning a tired nod from Selena.
“Yeah.” Selena answered. “Deanna…” she breathed. “I’m still sane enough to know that THIS is an absurd idea.” She gestured with her hand towards the setup around them – skull-helmet, teapcup that had been filled with a hallucinogenic drug, isolated in their pool/gym room for safety purposes as they tried to invoke some kind of ‘spiritual enlightenment’. “And… I don’t like what these past few months have been turning me into.” Again, she breathed, closing her eyes again. “I never would have hurt David six months ago. Not in a million years. I’m a hothead sometimes but…”
“I get it.” Deanna interjected, reaching out to take her wife’s pale hands. “You need to stay calm, Selena. Don’t think about this if it overworks you.”
“It’s not.” Selena breathed. “I’m actually calmer about this. We could leave it behind. Let the fans have their ‘chaos’ or whatever. If they don’t want integrity-“
“What about those that do?”
“They can find somewhere else to look like XWF, TIA, UWWF, I’m sure they know other places. But…” Selena sighed. “If SCW doesn’t want to learn its lesson from The Beauty Network and The Brand?” she shrugged. “Why kill ourselves and risk our family – risk who I am – to get them to realize the truth?”
“That sounds like quitting to me.” Deanna slowly spoke, earning an understanding shake of the head from Selena.
“It’s not quitting, Deanna.” Selena whispered, her eyes opening to gaze at the ceiling. “It’s knowing that what I believe in… what I fight for? Maybe it’s not there anymore. Maybe O.… maybe he was right.”
The poor old man, Selena’s mind conjured up his face into the wooden panels of the roof’s interior. He had never yelled at her, regardless of how many times she had spat at him through the year with notes of ‘cheating’ and ‘unfairness’ and ‘tainted matches’ and whatever. Gods… she must have sounded like a spoiled little brat because ‘no one was playing by the rules anymore’.
And – it was laughable to Selena how she was just realizing this now, slumped up against the wall – that, like her father, Dracheywch had never yelled at her. Never put her in her place as an ‘employer’ could do. Never spoken down to her like ‘a boss’ could do. In that way, he was also like her Uncle Liam, the owner of the Bar and Grill she had worked for as a waitress in her ‘darker years of youth’. Liam had always been kind to Selena, even when he didn’t need to be or when she fucked up – and boy did she fucked up…
“One night…” Selena whispered, never realizing that she was speaking her thoughts on and off. “We had this BIG order from a basketball team party or something. I mean, they ordered EVERYTHING on the menu! Gavin was on the team and so was his friends. I mean, the coach and school had gone to Anchorage and won some kind of championship so they were celebrating like hometown heroes. Well, I happen to be the one on shift – I come out with this big, honkin’ plate with smaller plates of food. I mean nachos, burgers, steaks, ribs, wings – they had ordered everything on the menu and reserved the whole Bar and Grill that night.
Anyway, I go up there and I’m struggling under the weight. What does Gavin have his friend do? Slap me right on my ass.” Selena chuckled at that. “Dared him ten bucks to do it. I don’t even hesitate. I drop the whole large plate on the guy’s head and knock him out just from gravity. The coach is on me in seconds, yelling and screaming about me, my father, all of it. Gavin’s two seconds away from punching me in the face. Next thing you know, Liam’s throwing his apron down, marching over to the coach and puts him in a headlock. He drags him outside and throws him into a snowbank. Doesn’t even ask him what happened.”
Selena’s voice suddenly became low and gravelly, with a horrible Italian accent added to it. “’Nobody disrespects my niece, got it?!’ He threw so much money out of his pocket – I think it must have been two thousands dollars – at the coach and kicked everyone else out except me. Didn’t ask me about it.” She sniffled. “Didn’t punish me. He just took me home, same as always, as if nothing had happened.” Another sniffle. “And I left him in Nome the first chance I had.”
“I’m sure he understands.” Deanna whispered, squeezing her hand affectionately. “You couldn’t survive there. It was driving you mad.”
“You think O. will understand if I quit?” she tilted her head, her eyes stinging with a few tears. “Before Rise to Greatness, I mean?”
“You’re not going to quit.” Deanna sighed, her own sad smile forming. “You’re about to become world champion.”
Selena laughed at that. “I’m facing a man that sent a horde after us and then either a woman that has attacked me backstage multiple times – including ramming my head against a set of steel stairs and giving me a concussion – who I’ve NEVER beaten one-on-one, mind you… or a man that beat me at the top of my game and STILL needed to cheat to get past Syren.” Selena shook her head. “It’s more likely that I’ll be too distracted by something, or Ravyn will get involved again – or maybe that new guy Ace hangs around with – and even then…”
She stopped herself. She didn’t want to think about the finals. She didn’t want to think about facing either Kandis or Allocco. Sure, she had beaten both of them in the ring before, but her big win against Kandis had been a tag match with her sister, Regan, and Allocco had only occurred because of unwanted interference from Syren, so she couldn’t even brag about that.
In truth, she had no strategy for either of them, especially Allocco. The man just irritated her with his sexist remarks, obnoxiousness and, gods, the BS and lies he spewed.
“Stop.” Deanna warned. “I can see your facing flinching with those thoughts.”
“I know.” Sighed Selena, expelling her mind as the burning in her stomach and throat became more and more of a dull ache. “Calm.” Her voice was a little raspy from the stomach-acid, but she was too weary to really do anything about it, and she sure as hell was not going to ask for water just to have more in her stomach to upchuck.
Still, she wondered. Could she leave now? When she was so close to becoming World Champion again? What if she COULD beat – no, she KNEW she could beat Ace Marshall and Kandis and Adam Allocco. That wasn’t the issue. The issue was whether or not it would be fair and filled with integrity. Her match with Josh Hudson had been, that was for sure, but… her tag match with Ace Marshall? And then her past with Kandis? And Allocco cheating against Syren?
See, THAT was what it was coming down to, which was the basis of Selena’s issues. It wasn’t about whether or not she was ‘good enough to win’ but ‘whether or not her opponent was going to cheat to get past her’. The fact that THAT had become the mentality, not just for her matches but for so many of them throughout SCW – THAT was what hurt her. THAT was what was dragging her further and further into a place and mindset that she didn’t want to go. She wanted to just work hard and enjoy being a wrestler. She wanted to just be challenged in skill and resilience, not have to worry about being jumped from behind or someone messing with her wife backstage, or hitting her with a weapon, or summoning a stable of people to get past her! THAT was what was making her contemplate leaving. That SCW seemed okay with all of that.
But what O., the man that had become, without her realizing it till now, a sort of father and uncle mix to her – would he forgive her if she just walked away like Owen did? Who would be left to fight for the integrity? Who would rise up to take on the likes of Adam, Kandis, Ace, Ravyn-
Who the hell cares? He’s abandoning SCW too!
The voice she heard wasn’t her own and her eyes flew open as she heard it. Before her, Deanna was sitting there, simply looking at her.
“Did you hear that?” Selena asked, earning a confused look from her wife.
“Heard what? You breathing? The thunder outside?”
With a hand, Deanna gestured to the window nearby them. Slowly, taking in everything of her surroundings, the platinum-blonde saw nothing amiss within the pool/gym house. Nothing seemed ‘off’. The walls were the same, the basic décor was the same, even the windows were fine, just wet on the outside from the blood raining from the storm.
…
Selena’s eyes widened as she spied the rainfall, now a deep crimson red as it covered the glass, as if the very sky – the heavens – were bleeding to death.
“Okay…” she breathed at her hokey over-art. “I think it’s hitting me now.” She gasped as she leaned back against the wall once more. She heard Deanna call out her name before the sound seemed to grow more and more distant, fading into a little buzz. Opening her eyes to see, her sapphire-orbs widened as she saw a few drops of blood on the forehead of her beloved wife. Casting her gaze up, the Snow Queen saw the leak in the roof dripping down on them. Red, crimson, blood-drops were raining onto the Queen’s Guard and Deanna seemed completely oblivious.
Selena tried to open her mouth to speak, but found no sound was coming out. Nor could she move anymore, beyond her head to look in various directions, yet she could not will herself to close her eyes or look away, instead watching as, more and more, her wife was covered with blood, Deanna’s emerald-green nightgown now stained red. Even her hair seemed more red, and wetter, obviously, as she seemed to speak, though it was only static in Selena’s ears.
The leak in the roof seemed to shift – or was it growing wider? – the steady stream of blood-rain moving with it: towards Selena – until it stopped at the object in front of her.
Killjoy’s helmet.
Slowly, the black skull sat there as, like with Deanna, it, too, was rained upon; the blood dripping over it until it was covered in red. But it did not stop there. Slowly, the sockets began to glow a dim light from within, like pupils of yellow, capturing Selena’s attention and state of panic. Before her, the blood wrapped around the skull, twisting and morphing over the ‘bones’ of the design until it was muscles… and then skin and hair… and eyes and lips… until the skull – now a face – was staring at her with its withered expression and sad eyes.
”You’re not the Selena Frost I hired. That anyone hired.”
She said nothing to the disappointed expression of O. D., the head simply gazing at her.
”Did you hear the fans…? They clearly disagree!”
The face of her boss seemed to unhinge at the jaw, the face distorting and warping as if transforming before her eyes into the annoying smirk of Ace Marshall.
”I BELIEVE! ACE FROST AND SELENA FROST! I BELIEVE!”
Selena felt her jaw clench with hatred as she heard those words – her words – being mocked with that voice – that tone. A pretender, a LIAR! No different than-
Immediately, as if sensing her thoughts, the face contorted and shifted again, this time to a face she actually hated more than Ace Marshall. The smirking, smug, arrogant face of-
”So… are you saying you don’t believe?” it – he – smirked at Selena. ”I just beat Selena GOD DAMN Frost!”
Those words. Those were the words that caused Selena’s eyes to finally shut, the tears now falling down her face. THAT night – the first Breakdown in over eight months where she wasn’t the SCW world champion. She hadn’t realized it at the time, but that was where it had all started. Everything had begun falling apart.
For her.
For the integrity of SCW.
For everything she had built for the world title.
That night: many fans chanting “No, we don’t.” to Adam’s baiting over her catchphrase. Mocking her and all she had achieved, which would only be added upon as the months progressed, including the End of the Year – as if none of it mattered. As if those eight months did nothing for SCW and the name of it and the world title – when it had been her and that integrity that had made people take notice of SCW in the World Series of Wrestling!
She felt her hand reach up to swipe at the tears, though she wasn’t at all surprised when the tears were actually blood as well. It seemed to be the theme, and, instead of panic, she merely sat there, watching the ‘head’ before her shift and transform.
However, when she stared into eyes nearly identical to her own and a face that could easily pass as her twin… that hand clenched into a fist.
So… do you see now? Do you understand?
“No.” Selena spoke, though she wasn’t sure if anyone heard her.
”Oh really? Think about it! This began with Adam Allocco. He turned the fans against you. And then they turned further against you with Kimberly Williams. And now? Who sings “We Believe!” anymore? Who shouts their faith in integrity anymore? Who believes in it? Ace? Kandis? Ravyn? Killjoy’s face smirked at Selena. Allocco?
“They still do…”
”Weaker and weaker it becomes.” mocked Killjoy. Every week, you slip further and further. Every week, you lose more and more of your composure. Closer to the end. Closer to snapping.
“I’m not going to snap!”
”You already have!” laughed the head before Selena. ”Pathetically blamed a technical error as a ‘conspiracy to screw the Frosts over’! You hit David. You’re one bad day away from quitting even before the tournament is over because you KNOW – you KNOW – you’re going to get screwed out of it at best and beaten cleanly like at Rise to Greatness at worst – and no one will care about you. No one will believe in you. No one will follow integrity. It will all be forgotten!”
Angrily, Selena slammed her head against the wall. She didn’t want this anymore. This wasn’t helping. She was drowning, as if the blood rain was swallowing her and drowning her lungs. She felt powerless. Every week was a failure. Every week, she failed to change anything. To make anyone see reason. To make O. understand. To fix things in SCW. Every week, she was pushed further and further away.
And why?
Why?
WHY?!
“BECAUSE THEY WON’T PLAY BY MY RULES!” she suddenly screamed, the answer shocking her, and causing her eyes to fly open. She was suddenly at the bottom of a pool of blood – the entire gym/pool room flooded to the rooftop. The crimson tide all around her, the surface several feet above. Everything was a murky red and black. Yet, she didn’t feel like she was drowning or in need of air. Rather, she just looked around, her answer resonating in her mind.
All she wanted was a fair fight. All she ever wanted was a fair fight. Because then things like skill and ability and heart could be tested. What good was winning if you needed 5 people to do it? What good was winning if you needed to cheat? That wasn’t an accomplishment! It was just…just…
”Everyone knew the rules. The board signed off on it…”
“Everyone knew the rules…”
“Everyone knew the rules…”
The voice – the one that had been warning her for months of every kind of danger. Every kind of change that was happening and she either hadn’t listened or was too stupid to truly understand what D. had been doing. He had been warning her, trying to protect her, and even Deanna…
She looked around at the thought. There was no Deanna now, so she settled on the skull/head that had been tormenting her, expecting to see her boss’ head again….
And in the blood-red depths… she stared into her own eyes.
”So…they’re not playing by your rules, are they?” Before her, Selena saw her own face twist into a horrifying snarl of an expression. ”Then maybe it’s time you played by THEIRS.” her own voice came from the head before the head came flying at her, it’s mouth hung inhumanly low as if to devour the Snow Queen – devour itself! On instinct, Selena’s eyes slammed shut, expecting a nightmare like those she had in the snowy fields, where she would be torn apart, shot down, and then… oblivion…
But that didn’t happen this time. Nothing did. Slowly, she opened her eyes… she was in an arena, though she wasn’t sure which one. There were no pay-per-view signs or graphics; only the usual SCW-style ones. But she wasn’t in the ring, like she usually was.
No… she was on the other side of the barricade, in the audience, looking into the ring… Where she saw the platinum-blonde standing there. What shocked her was that, around the woman were bodies of wrestlers.
Ace Marshall, outside the ring – was being carried off in a stretcher! Was he okay?! How did- Selena remembered- the Snow Queen had smashed his head open from behind with a chair as he had come down to the ring and then, to ‘hedge her bet’, she had stomped his head against the turnbuckle-post from the outside with The Glass Shard.
Closer to the ring lay Kandis, struggling to regain consciousness – how had… Selena’s eyes widened. The Snow Queen had ordered Deanna to take out Kandis, the redhead having done so by using The Consortium. That left the Snow Queen in the ring, walking around the downed Adam Allocco… gods that had been horrific!
”Oh Adam…” The woman mocked before Selena as she paced around the downed King of Hard Style. ”What happened to all that confidence? Did Xander take it when he exposed you as a fraud?”
Before the Snow Queen’s feet, Adam struggled to get up. He had already taken a shot to the head with the SCW World title twice! Still, the Snow Queen let him squirm – Selena seeing the silver and black of her outfit, which showed more of the Snow Queen’s abdominals, far more than Selena had ever shown in her past! The Snow Queen’s hair was no longer braided, but half-shaved, long on the top and right and a very short buzz on the left, almost to the skin. She looked dangerous…evil…
“Me…” Selena whispered as she watched, unable to stop anything as The Snow Queen knelt down to the bloodied Allocco, running a hand through his blood-soaked hair.
”You failed as a world champion. Failed as a wrestler… and worse of all… you failed as a father, didn’t you? Mister Allocco – ‘all for your son’ – because you took it all from him, didn’t you?” The Snow Queen ‘tsked’ several times. ”No matter how much the SCW Universe hates me, Adam… it really should be asked: how much more do you hate yourself? That all those promises, all those lies… and just like you were NEVER good enough to be a world champion like me “Mr. Zero-Title Defenses”… you’ll also never be good enough of a father for your son, will you?”
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Selena screamed at the Snow Queen! This was sick! This was twisted! This was shit Vixen Cain would spew at her! Words that Ravyn would throw her way! Even Allocco in his ‘sexist’ way… None of this was her! None of this was supposed to be her! Ignoring her, the Snow Queen let Adam’s head drop down to the mat.
”Taking Hold of the Flame… I don’t face the man I did in Vegas. I face a man that won’t measure up to the world champion I am, can be and will be again. I see a man that will never measure up to the wrestler, the parent, the Face of SCW that I am! And I see a man that will never measure up to the measures I’ll employ to ensure I become the SCW world champion. Because integrity… MY integrity… will no longer be a choice.” Her voice became a growl as she stood up. ”It will be commanded! And all of you…” Selena saw her own sapphire eyes narrow at the audience, their boos only now trickling into Selena’s ears. ”Will be forced to obey. Believe it!”
She didn’t recognize the song that played, though it was familiar to her, as The Snow Queen made her way out of the ring. Walking past the bodies before her, she stopped at the pedestal that held the SCW world title, not hesitating to pluck it off and hold it over her shoulder. A few steps went by until she was standing before Selena, a smirk over her face.
”See what you could be?” The Snow Queen whispered.
“No.” growled Selena. “I don’t want this! Put that back! That isn’t yours!”
”And it will never be yours if you keep playing by YOUR rules. But by theirs…” she eyed the fallen wrestlers before taking a hand and gesturing to herself: to the trim physique, the resonating power, the air of confidence, the look of the owner of one of the most dangerous strikes in SCW history! The World champion…
Slowly, the woman held out the SCW world title towards Selena.
”Take it.” she ordered. ”I merely am leveling the playing field by playing by all of THEIR rules. How is that not fair? How is that not integrity? A fair battlefield? A fair fight? Isn’t that what you want? Isn’t that what this is meant to be about?”
Despite herself, Selena’s eyes travelled down to the SCW world title. Gods, it was beautiful… and how she missed it. Missed holding it. Missed being its champion. Missed wearing it proudly on her shoulder or around her waist. Missed being introduced as “The SCW World Champion!”. Missed defending it. Hyping matches for it. Ending shows with it on the line. Standing in the ring, doing her entrance, meeting fans, all with the SCW world title…
She felt a pale hand, hers, reach out towards it, wanting so badly to touch it.
”Level the playing field.” The Snow Queen whispered. ”Make it ‘fair’ like it deserves to be…”
For a moment, Selena could see herself in the body of the Snow Queen, the title beautiful in her hand. For a moment, she could imagine being so untouchable, with the mind and ethics of Adam and Vixen and Ace and the protection of Deanna… Fuck 234 days… she could be the world champion for years!
And all she had to do… was take the title…
”Take the title…”
“Take the title…”
“Take the title…”
Selena’s eyes flew open to the sight of the white ceiling of her bedroom, her breathing ragged and her heart racing for several seconds, forcing the young woman to breath slowly to try and force it back into its calming state. Closing her eyes to assist in this, she let the frustration and despair fill her for several breaths until she checked the clock on her nightstand.
Frost ‘Forever Home’
Manhattan, New York
May 30th, 2023
8:13am
“8:13am…” Selena sighed as she rolled back over onto her back, her gaze back on the ceiling. It had been over two weeks since she had gone through that drug-trip – STUPIDLY gone through that drug-trip – and each night had given her the same result. The same retelling of it, the images and words now a disjointed nightmare, mixing together until she wasn’t even sure that what she now remembered in her nightmares was what she actually saw in the damn trip to begin with.
“Gods…that night…” she whispered under her breath as she rolled out of bed, seeing the magenta nightgown she wore. She had missed sending the children off to school – she would have to apologize for that later, she reminded herself as she made her way into the bathroom to shower, do her hair into its braid and dress in black jeans and a maroon t-shirt (clothes Deanna had already laid out for her wife, it seemed).
Catching her finished reflection in the mirror, a sigh escaped the young woman. What she dreamt, if it had happened that way or not, she couldn’t be certain. Certain parts were correct, but so much of it could easily be part of her nightmares. But gods did she hate what had happened in realty.
She had come to outside, the storm thundering its rain all over her – clear and beautiful teardrops soaking her and Deanna. The redhead had dragged the ‘screaming and gibberish-spouting’ Selena outside to try and wake her up with fresh air or something! Sadly, according to Deanna, Selena’s screams had only continued and it was not long before they had reached a pitch and volume that the neighbours had come rushing out.
Selena winced at the memory of that. Coming out of her trip, lying in the cold dirt of the ground, and staring up at the faces of the Grays, the Cunninghams, and the Westmounts – the closest neighbours to her house.
Gods…she had been saying that a lot every time she thought of this – what the whole thing must have looked like to them. She must have looked so delusional or drugged up – she wasn’t sure how Deanna had handled it, but it had been handled, far as Selena knew. She had stayed cooped up in her house as much as possible, limiting her socializing beyond ‘SCW-things’ to nearly nothing, at least until all this blew over.
With a sigh, the platinum-blonde eyed the other side of her bedroom, where her laptop sat on the desk. She knew all of this wasn’t going to ‘blow over’ until she made a decision. With quiet movements, the Snow Queen walked over to the laptop, flipping it open and logging into it to the last screen she had had on. Giving a quick read, she released a sigh before she heard her name.
“Selena.” It was Deanna calling to her, though she sounded… a little off? With another sigh, Selena closed the laptop on the same screen before leaving the bedroom and making her way downstairs. She did not have to go far towards the voice to find her wife, dressed casually as she was, but with blue jeans and an orange and white (creamsicle-like!, Selena thought) long shirt with a belt that tied up around her waist-line. Beside Deanna was, surprisingly, their children, all looking at her with… confusion? Fear?
“What’s wrong-“ her words stopped as she beheld the other adult in the room. The woman, taller than Deanna, but not Selena, in a black pantsuit, carrying a binder with her. Her black hair contrasted her white skin, but not her suit or glasses.
“Mrs. Selena Frost.” The woman greeted. “Your wife let me in.”
“So I gathered?” Selena’s voice lifted as she descended the stairs to stand on the same floor as the others. “Mind telling me why my children are not in school?”
“Sadly, yes.” The woman answered before Deanna could. “My name is Madison Bailey. I am with Child Protective Services.” Despite her thick glasses, Selena could still see the woman’s eyes narrowing at her.
“I am here to investigate a claim of child abuse between you… and your son.”
_______________________________________________________________
The camera opens up to reveal Selena Frost, the Snow Queen and ‘Face of SCW’, sitting in a black chair. She wears a black pantsuit and her hair is tied up in its iconic braid. One leg crossed over the other shows the matching, black pumps she wears on her feet. Her expression is relaxed with an air of cold hanging as she holds her hands and speaks into the camera.
Adam Allocco and the SCW Universe,
She takes a single breath – inhaling and exhaling. Ordinarily, this is where I would talk to all of you about my current state of mind before diving into my next match and what it means to me and my opponent and all of that. Basic 101 of promoting, right?
She tilts her head as if to think about that for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. But see, things have sort of taken a shift here in SCW. A slow shift over the past several months. A shift that’s left me looking at this match and seeing that a different approach needs to be taken. Because I said, from the start, standing in the ring loud and proud that all I wanted for this tournament was for it to be ‘pure’. I wanted this tournament to honor what the SCW World championship stands for. What Owen Cruze did his best to leave it as. The best of the best fighting to be recognized as the best in SCW and the entire world.
And during the semi-finals… that didn’t happen. Hell, that’s not happened for some of the quarterfinals either, or I’d be facing Syren, wouldn’t I? But here’s the reality. I’m not mad at the official for doing his job during my match with Ace Marshall. Steve, for so many years now, has done his best to be a symbol of integrity and, truthfully? He was just doing his job. He saw someone interfering and he called for a disqualification. He followed the rules, ended the match and punished the person that violated the rules. Selena sighs a little.
And yes, it bothered me to no end, not JUST because I had Ace Marshall where I wanted him and not just because I didn’t need a disqualification to beat him, but because that Steve was put in that position in the first place. And that I, once again, was put in that position were I could barely get a move in without someone coming after me or getting in my way!
Biting her lower lip, Selena shakes her head a little before refocusing. But as it stands, I have to go through this tournament with an asterisk to my name. I can’t say I ‘won my way through the tournament’ or that I ‘beat everyone because I was better’. No. I have to say that I got to the finals because Ace got cocky, Lexy got stupid, and karma is a bitch.
But this is where I take lemons and make lemonade. Because the one thing I’m going to do is take all this and make the one thing Lexy hates more than anything! Seeing a Frost with a championship! Ask the Farmstead Friends, ask Syren, ask Ace Marshall – or didn’t he fire Lexy?
A rare smirk comes to Selena’s face at the memory before, again, she refocuses.
But seeing as how I am headed to the finals at Taking Hold of the Flame and am one win away from the World Championship, let me explain why this match is so different and so much more than just a ‘great world title match with Rise to Greatness implications’. And, surprisingly enough, it has nothing to do with Lexy Chapel or Ace Marshall and EVERYTHING to do with you, Adam Allocco.
Any trance of Selena’s smirk is long gone, her eyes adopting a colder glare. It’s been a little over a year hasn’t it, Adam? A little over a year since you came back to SCW and took it by storm. I’m not ashamed to admit that. You rode in like a hurricane, you won the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royale and then went on to win the world title by beating me at Rise to Greatness last year. You called your shot and you made it happen. I’ve got no problems in saying you deserved to be the SCW world champion that night.
Pausing a moment, Selena holds up a hand as if to silence a crowd. But do you remember… what I said?
Another pause as Selena rests her hand on her knee. Because I called my shot, too. I said that Alloccos are good at shining bright for one night and then, ultimately, crumble under the pressure and under the spotlight. That Alloccos soak up as much of it as they can – silver-tongue their way to look like gods, only to burn out like a candle glowing at both ends.
She clicks her tongue against her teeth. And while you were right about Rise to Greatness last year, Adam. I was right too.
You’ve been back here a little over a year, Adam, and made a lot of noise since.. And yet, ironically, the most amount of noise you made wasn’t some scandal or screwing over someone or that monologue at End of the Year for the half-award you won. It was the night that had your voice choked out and you were knocked to the ground.
She gives a tilt of her head. You remember that night, Adam? Such confidence! Such talk about change! About bringing ‘your own brand of integrity’ to the world title! About how holding that title would be your ‘integrity’! I mean, you had the people in the palm of your hand, Adam! Before you, the only way I got booed or yelled at was if I was wrestling in my opponent’s hometown, and even then, nowhere like that night! So many people chanting “We Believe!” and so many others shouting “No we don’t!”.
An SCW Universe once united in the belief of integrity, now divided. And I look back on this past year, you know? Before the louder jeers against the House of Frost, before me being unable to have a decent match half the time without someone getting involved, before the Kimberly ‘Chaos match’ that people seemed to ‘love’, before a damn taser was brought into my match…
I look back at the start of it… and it’s THAT night, Adam. That night that began the downfall of integrity. Because there the SCW world was! They were ready to believe in you, Adam! Hell, I believed in you! I shook your hand. I told you that you could do it. I believed in you. I said one thing: keep up at the level that you gave me in Vegas? And we’ll be fine, you and me.
Selena gives a non-aggressive shrug. Simple, right? Wasn’t asking for your firstborn or your kidney. No. All I wanted to see was that fire! That passion! That integrity! Even if it was wrapped in an ‘asshole-attitude’. Why? Because I respected that man, Adam. I respected the man that beat me on the grandest stage SCW has. I respected your battles for sobriety, I even respected your desire to reunite your son and honor his time here in SCW by doing what he did. I respected all of that. And so did the SCW Universe.
You divided SCW that night, Adam, because of one passionate night. One victory of a Cinderella story that, for once, wasn’t my own, and finally, all those people that shouted for you were behind you! They were shouting “Change! A new kind of integrity!”.
Again, the cold glare returns to Selena’s face. And we were all lied to. We were all given false promises and false claims, Adam. And I don’t mean the short title reign that you ‘just don’t want to talk about’. I’m talking about the bigger thing. The bigger thing you ‘don’t want to talk about’. I’m talking about how, the moment the world title was ripped from your fingers, suddenly, all that promise of integrity? All that promise of bringing and keeping any integrity for SCW? All of that passion and true confidence? Went out the goddamn window!
Because after the door started to open on you and we got to see the man behind the ‘image of sobriety’ that you had cultivated? What happened? What happened, Adam, as the SCW Universe began to see the truth about you and the challenges got bigger and bigger and harder and harder in the ring, Adam? What happened?
You sold out your integrity. Bit by bit. Piece by piece, little by little, all the while trying desperately to keep everyone fooled with the memory of one night of actual merit. “I BEAT SELENA FROST! REMEMBER?! I BEAT SELENA FROST!”.
Shouts of that night. Shouts of being ‘the only deserving person to be the world champion’. Claims of being the ‘rightful person to be world champion’ and ‘the only person that should get a rematch’…. For a belt you couldn’t even hold for two full episodes of Breakdown.
An amused chuckle escapes the woman at her challenger’s months-long ‘logic’. And during those rants, Adam?
You attacked Syren from behind to ‘hedge your bet’.
You hid behind security guards to protect yourself.
You handcuffed officials to yourself.
You relied on tricks like pulling the tights and exposed turnbuckles to screw people out of matches.
You intentionally disqualified yourself in your own matches.
The Snow Queen shakes her head. So, I don’t have to listen to your repetitive notion of ‘battling demons’ and ‘making the most of a career as it reaches its end’ to know when I’m being lied to, Adam. Same with these people. We listened and we learned. That’s why, whether they continue to be with me or against me. Cheer me or boo me… they’ve stopped caring about it being you that beats me. They’ve stopped believing in you at all. Know why?
She leans forward a little, her leg swinging off the other to plant on the floor. Because you don’t even believe in yourself, do you?
You’ve gone to trying to convince the SCW Universe you’re something… to just trying to convince yourself. Cause month after month, you were given opportunity after opportunity. The Elimination Chamber. The Trios Contract cash-in at Retribution. Kimberly’s “Chaos Match”, for what it was, and month after month, opportunity after opportunity, you have failed. You came up short. Not because of politics. Not because you ‘didn’t have it’ but because YOU gave up! Because you were at a level that could be surpassed! Because you were no longer ‘the only choice for the world championship’ – or even the best choice, were you?
And you knew it. Probably soon as you lost the world title to Xander, I imagine. You knew that you weren’t the best choice – just a guy that won a big match in one night in Las Vegas… like the gambler that finally gets that winning hand and goes all in…
So, you settled on the ‘easy path’. The path devoid of integrity.
Quietly smacking her knuckles inside of her palm, Selena looks away in reflection. And from that nonsense came Kimberly’s chaos. Came the return of Ace Marshall and all the crap he’s done the last few weeks. Until the SCW Universe, still divided, can’t even agree on what integrity is anymore. Can’t even agree what S-C-W means anymore.
Gazing past the camera, a shaky breath escapes the Snow Queen. And that, Adam. That is what kills me. That you brought about this change… and just like with your son, you don’t have the balls to take responsibility for it! To admit that what you did was the most damaging thing that SCW could ever have done to it! Because you’ve dragged SCW backwards! I preached integrity and hard work and 5-star, pure matches! Things that previous champions like Sienna Swann and Syren and Bree Lancaster, at the time, couldn’t do to save their lives! And now? Here we are… and the divide you created? Some of SCW believe in those methods again! That THAT is the only way to become a champion. That ambushes, cheap tricks, cheating… is the only way to be the best in SCW.
Her pale jaw clenches at the notion as she tries to calm herself, shifting topics. Last year, you preached a lot of things about me, Adam. That I was now ‘the odds on favorite’ while you were the underdog. That I was all about ‘the spotlight’ and ‘the fame’ and that integrity was just ‘a method’ or a ‘selling point’. But here we are. I’m still here. I’m still fighting for integrity. The only person that has gone back on EVERYTHING they’ve said and everything they’ve promised… has been you.
Carefully, Selena runs her braid back and over her shoulder. Through everything, Adam! All the losses I’ve suffered, the verbal tongue-lashings, the fans divided, the jeers, the title losses. The embarrassing shortcomings – having Ravyn and Ace laugh in my face as they stole the tag titles from Deanna and I – embarrassed over a meltdown I had over an entrance technical-error… whether I am liked, disliked, cheered or booed: I’m still me.
I’m not saying you’re not capable and I’m not saying you’re not skilled, Adam. But the man that I faced last year is not the man that I’ve been seeing. Is not the man that I agreed to ‘let run the show’ when he beat me for the world title. No. That man wouldn’t have needed handcuffs or pulling tights or security or an exposed turnbuckle. That man, who swore he’d keep at that same level he did last year in Vegas?
A sad expression crosses Selena’s features as she shakes her head. I don’t think that man exists now. Maybe he never did. I think that man was just an image. A lie contrived by you to hide the biggest skeleton in your closest. The secret that was proof that deep down, Adam Allocco was, is, and always will be a liar. A man that will say anything, do anything, and PRETEND to be anything to get what he wants.
And that does not define a world champion in my eyes. A world champion doesn’t have to pretend to stand for integrity. They just do it. A world champion doesn’t have to lie to get what they want. They earn it. A world champion doesn’t have to cheat or do ‘whatever it takes’ to win and keep the title because they’ll be good enough to fight their way through with all their heart and soul to do it!
Her voice holds a bit more edge on the last sentence before she settles back into her chair.
A year ago, you started a divide, Adam. You divided this amazing federation on what integrity is meant to be. What SCW is meant to be. And you got some superstars that have followed suit like Ace, Ravyn, The One… all because ‘it worked’ for you. You’ve divided us. You’ve hurt us. You’ve shamed us.
At Taking Hold of the Flame, Adam? In the very same match where it all began: Selena Frost vs. Adam Allocco for the SCW World title? I am going to unite them all again. I am going to unite SCW under the banner of integrity, hold the world title up high over my head and make it very clear the message that I should have brought back into this division long ago!
And that message is: when it comes to me as the world champion… either step up or step aside!
Her voice growls out the last message. I handed you the keys to SCW almost a year ago, Adam. Soon, I’m taking them back! Believe it!
Slowly, the camera fades on Selena before going entirely to black.
DISCLAIMER: The following is a work of fiction and not to be confused as complete or accurate representation of any beliefs, religions, etc. Please refer to research/articles by experts for that. Furthermore, this roleplay will involve the use of drugs. Illicit use is not encouraged or condoned by the writer. In short: this is a piece of FICTION.
The Witches of Alden
”Trip”
Forest Hills Neighbourhood
Queens, New York
May 15th, 2023
8:55pm
Selena felt the muscles in her abdomen burn as they constricted on her, the Snow Queen barely able to keep her focus enough to aim her face into the blue bin as she vomited into it. She kept her eyes tightly closed as the burning moved into her throat, feeling her eyes push out stray tears from the intensity of pains she was feeling. She tried to focus. Tried to calm her mind. She felt the small, warm hand on her skin, right where her neck met her shoulder blades – Deanna, her wife, silent but doing all she could to help.
Both women had been warned about this initial effect of the ayahuasca – the plant that had been suggested to them by the therapist Dresdin Flynn of the Alden chapter. The old man, kind as he was, had read Selena like a damn book - Not a hard thing to do these days… Selena thought bitterly. Everyone in SCW seems to be able to do it now a days. Ace, Kandis, Adam, Ravyn….
It had been her mind being in such a state of anxiety, pain and ever on the verge of breaking (as Deanna had worded it a few times) that Dresdin had suggested the unconventional method that the witches of Alden had employed in the past. A spiritual journey of some kind – was that the right naming of it? Selena wasn’t sure because, as she retched into the bin, she was certain she preferred the words ‘drug trip’. Least they were honest.
I’m going to go on a fucking drug trip. She clung to that honesty. The bitterness of it. It was comforting in a weird way. The honesty. The coldness of it. It reminded her of the cold winters in her home in Nome. You didn’t just say ‘it’s chilly’, ‘it’s a little nippy’, ‘it’s coat-wearing-weather’ there. It was laughable how many people she saw here in Manhattan and around the world say such things as they lived in the temperate zones.
Nome was so cold, ‘delicate language’ like that wasn’t a thing. It was ‘fucking cold!’ or ‘Jesus Christ, it’s freezing!’, or her personal favorite one that Deanna said ‘Holy cats! It’s cold!’. She focused on that, the memory of her wife losing all ‘polite language’ and ‘renames’ because Nome was THAT cold.
For its part, it was where Selena had acquired her blunt honesty. She spoke her mind, always had. Even when she wasn’t popular for it. Even now, SCW and the SCW Universe were turning on her. And why? Because she had been honest to herself and spoken her mind over a ‘chaos match’ that placed a 1st place to last place value on the titles of SCW. Because she felt that each title had its own value that shouldn’t be measured by numbers like that. Yes, the world title was the biggest title in SCW – of course it was – but what made the United States title ‘bigger or better’ than the ‘tag-team titles’? Weren’t there Hall of Famers and icons like Ravyn and Amy Chastaine and Simon Lyman contending for them? Wasn’t Syren, the most decorated SCW superstar of all time, the Adrenaline champion? Glory Braddock had been in the United States Championship tournament as well!
She had spoken her mind on that, her dislike of it and Kim Williams’ cheap ploy to become Underground champion, which was cheap! It was beyond obvious, and for her honesty, SCW had begun turning on the Snow Queen. It had started as some rumblings, but the more Selena stuck to her guns and her belief in the truth, the more people seemed to be turning against her. Hell, some had cheered when the five-on-two assault at Playing the Wildcard had occurred! What had been a united stand between ‘Face of SCW’ and the ‘SCW Universe’ over the integrity of titles and SCW’s place in the world of professional wrestling had, now, become splintered and divided. And with O. D. selling SCW ever on the horizon, and Owen Cruze leaving to pursue fatherhood and a private life… Selena just couldn’t stop speaking her mind on what was right and what was honest. It was all like the cold winds of her home…
Gods, she missed it right now…
Feeling her body’s convulsions again, the platinum-blonde braced herself as another wave of nausea hit her, her body retching once more into the bin. She mentally clamped down on those thoughts, as if to pull her focus away and deeper into her mind to ignore the pain.
Owen… why the fuck did Owen have to leave?!
Yes, she wasn’t the biggest fan of how he had handled things at the start of his reign as world champion, but he was a good man! She knew he was going to be an amazing father – she believed that with all her heart. And he didn’t like her on a personal level, there were some issues between the two of them on stuff she had said, stuff he had done, but you’d have to be blind and dumb to not understand the journey the young man had made to ‘set things right’ in his own career. To leave SCW on his terms. He had regained his honor and his pride and his integrity… and for that, Selena envied him.
She felt that while Owen had his integrity again, she was losing hers and SCW? The world title? The one she had spent years trying to get back and months holding to try and regain the integrity of? It could all easily be gone in a matter of weeks.
Why did you have to leave?
Who was left to fight for the world title and its integrity? Who was left to fight for the morals? Owen was gone. Syren had been eliminated by a, surprise surprise, cheating Adam Allocco. She was set to face Ace Marshall – the coward that hid behind not one but, at least, two people when dealing with her and that left Kandis or Adam Allocco if she were to get past Ace.
There was no one left in the tournament that cared about integrity or pride in the world title… except her. There was no one that cared about the world title being represented as it should be – with supreme championship wrestling… except her.
She felt her hands tighten around the blue bin. Her vomiting, having run out of stomach contents to retch, had settled on slight convulsions of dry heaving.
“This…sucks.” She managed to gasp out as she leaned her head against the rim of the blue plastic, not caring if it gave her a temporary ‘mark’ on her forehead. “I probably just threw up whatever it is that I was supposed to take.”
She heard a sigh come from beside her but she still didn’t open her eyes.
“Dresdin said this would happen.” Came the quiet, concerned voice. “Some sort of ‘cleansing’ process.”
“Yeah.” Selena sighed. “The NX was easier to take.”
Now THAT was something she hadn’t thought of in so long. The drug that had begun her addiction to drugs in the first place. A pain-blocker that had worked so well and given her so much focus. It wasn’t a performance enhancing drug, least not how Paracelsus or Dr. Perry, or even her stepmother, had described it. It had been meant to simply dull pain and make it more manageable.
Gods, if I had that… Selena’s mind wandered in its pained state. Not even Xander Valentine would be able to stop me. Certainly not Adam Allocco or Kandis- she slammed the brakes on that thought. NX had nearly cost her her family. Had nearly made Deanna into an addict. It was worse than her addiction to alcohol had been! Yes, there were benefits, but the costs had been far too great! What was the point in being ‘stronger’ or ‘better’ if it was because of a pill? Where was the integrity if she was taking drugs to reach that ‘standard’.
Though the burning persisted inside her, Selena slowly sat back against the wall, her eyes still closed, her stomach seeming to calm itself little by little. A few moments passed and she was able to open her eyes. The first thing she spotted was the gorgeous red hair of her wife, followed by those perfect emerald eyes. They were part of the quiet, yet concerned, face Selena saw in Deanna.
“Hey.” Selena whispered with a tired smile. “Hasn’t kicked in yet, I think.”
“Maybe it won’t.” there was a hopeful lift in her wife’s voice that Selena could not miss but said nothing on it. She didn’t want to fight when she could possibly be slipping into the effects of some psychedelic trip. “You okay?”
“I am right now.” Selena sighed again, resting her head up against the cold stone of the wall. Nearby, the black skull helmet of Killjoy – the ‘object of anxiety’ that Dresdin had suggested Selena choose to focus on – nearby. “Keep talking to me till I slip under.” Selena quietly begged her wife.
“Okay… what about?” Deanna shrugged. “I don’t want to stress you out.”
“We can talk about work?”
“I said I DIDN’T want to stress you out.” Deanna pressed. “Dresdin said that stress may lead you to experience a ‘bad trip’.
“It’s okay.” Selena sighed. “I don’t want to talk about work that way.” Again, the Snow Queen exhaled. Her breath more of a whisper, though still audible. “What do you think about quitting?”
There was nothing. A silence that permeated throughout the room. The only sound was the slight sloshing of water from the sealed pool near them and the thunderstorm that had grown into the rager it was outside.
Several seconds passed, then maybe a minute – maybe two – enough time that the platinum-blonde wondered if her wife had heard her. Cracking one sapphire eye open, Selena pointed her gaze in the direction of the voice she had heard, seeing the shocked expression on her wife.
“You’re serious?” Deanna asked, earning a tired nod from Selena.
“Yeah.” Selena answered. “Deanna…” she breathed. “I’m still sane enough to know that THIS is an absurd idea.” She gestured with her hand towards the setup around them – skull-helmet, teapcup that had been filled with a hallucinogenic drug, isolated in their pool/gym room for safety purposes as they tried to invoke some kind of ‘spiritual enlightenment’. “And… I don’t like what these past few months have been turning me into.” Again, she breathed, closing her eyes again. “I never would have hurt David six months ago. Not in a million years. I’m a hothead sometimes but…”
“I get it.” Deanna interjected, reaching out to take her wife’s pale hands. “You need to stay calm, Selena. Don’t think about this if it overworks you.”
“It’s not.” Selena breathed. “I’m actually calmer about this. We could leave it behind. Let the fans have their ‘chaos’ or whatever. If they don’t want integrity-“
“What about those that do?”
“They can find somewhere else to look like XWF, TIA, UWWF, I’m sure they know other places. But…” Selena sighed. “If SCW doesn’t want to learn its lesson from The Beauty Network and The Brand?” she shrugged. “Why kill ourselves and risk our family – risk who I am – to get them to realize the truth?”
“That sounds like quitting to me.” Deanna slowly spoke, earning an understanding shake of the head from Selena.
“It’s not quitting, Deanna.” Selena whispered, her eyes opening to gaze at the ceiling. “It’s knowing that what I believe in… what I fight for? Maybe it’s not there anymore. Maybe O.… maybe he was right.”
The poor old man, Selena’s mind conjured up his face into the wooden panels of the roof’s interior. He had never yelled at her, regardless of how many times she had spat at him through the year with notes of ‘cheating’ and ‘unfairness’ and ‘tainted matches’ and whatever. Gods… she must have sounded like a spoiled little brat because ‘no one was playing by the rules anymore’.
And – it was laughable to Selena how she was just realizing this now, slumped up against the wall – that, like her father, Dracheywch had never yelled at her. Never put her in her place as an ‘employer’ could do. Never spoken down to her like ‘a boss’ could do. In that way, he was also like her Uncle Liam, the owner of the Bar and Grill she had worked for as a waitress in her ‘darker years of youth’. Liam had always been kind to Selena, even when he didn’t need to be or when she fucked up – and boy did she fucked up…
“One night…” Selena whispered, never realizing that she was speaking her thoughts on and off. “We had this BIG order from a basketball team party or something. I mean, they ordered EVERYTHING on the menu! Gavin was on the team and so was his friends. I mean, the coach and school had gone to Anchorage and won some kind of championship so they were celebrating like hometown heroes. Well, I happen to be the one on shift – I come out with this big, honkin’ plate with smaller plates of food. I mean nachos, burgers, steaks, ribs, wings – they had ordered everything on the menu and reserved the whole Bar and Grill that night.
Anyway, I go up there and I’m struggling under the weight. What does Gavin have his friend do? Slap me right on my ass.” Selena chuckled at that. “Dared him ten bucks to do it. I don’t even hesitate. I drop the whole large plate on the guy’s head and knock him out just from gravity. The coach is on me in seconds, yelling and screaming about me, my father, all of it. Gavin’s two seconds away from punching me in the face. Next thing you know, Liam’s throwing his apron down, marching over to the coach and puts him in a headlock. He drags him outside and throws him into a snowbank. Doesn’t even ask him what happened.”
Selena’s voice suddenly became low and gravelly, with a horrible Italian accent added to it. “’Nobody disrespects my niece, got it?!’ He threw so much money out of his pocket – I think it must have been two thousands dollars – at the coach and kicked everyone else out except me. Didn’t ask me about it.” She sniffled. “Didn’t punish me. He just took me home, same as always, as if nothing had happened.” Another sniffle. “And I left him in Nome the first chance I had.”
“I’m sure he understands.” Deanna whispered, squeezing her hand affectionately. “You couldn’t survive there. It was driving you mad.”
“You think O. will understand if I quit?” she tilted her head, her eyes stinging with a few tears. “Before Rise to Greatness, I mean?”
“You’re not going to quit.” Deanna sighed, her own sad smile forming. “You’re about to become world champion.”
Selena laughed at that. “I’m facing a man that sent a horde after us and then either a woman that has attacked me backstage multiple times – including ramming my head against a set of steel stairs and giving me a concussion – who I’ve NEVER beaten one-on-one, mind you… or a man that beat me at the top of my game and STILL needed to cheat to get past Syren.” Selena shook her head. “It’s more likely that I’ll be too distracted by something, or Ravyn will get involved again – or maybe that new guy Ace hangs around with – and even then…”
She stopped herself. She didn’t want to think about the finals. She didn’t want to think about facing either Kandis or Allocco. Sure, she had beaten both of them in the ring before, but her big win against Kandis had been a tag match with her sister, Regan, and Allocco had only occurred because of unwanted interference from Syren, so she couldn’t even brag about that.
In truth, she had no strategy for either of them, especially Allocco. The man just irritated her with his sexist remarks, obnoxiousness and, gods, the BS and lies he spewed.
“Stop.” Deanna warned. “I can see your facing flinching with those thoughts.”
“I know.” Sighed Selena, expelling her mind as the burning in her stomach and throat became more and more of a dull ache. “Calm.” Her voice was a little raspy from the stomach-acid, but she was too weary to really do anything about it, and she sure as hell was not going to ask for water just to have more in her stomach to upchuck.
Still, she wondered. Could she leave now? When she was so close to becoming World Champion again? What if she COULD beat – no, she KNEW she could beat Ace Marshall and Kandis and Adam Allocco. That wasn’t the issue. The issue was whether or not it would be fair and filled with integrity. Her match with Josh Hudson had been, that was for sure, but… her tag match with Ace Marshall? And then her past with Kandis? And Allocco cheating against Syren?
See, THAT was what it was coming down to, which was the basis of Selena’s issues. It wasn’t about whether or not she was ‘good enough to win’ but ‘whether or not her opponent was going to cheat to get past her’. The fact that THAT had become the mentality, not just for her matches but for so many of them throughout SCW – THAT was what hurt her. THAT was what was dragging her further and further into a place and mindset that she didn’t want to go. She wanted to just work hard and enjoy being a wrestler. She wanted to just be challenged in skill and resilience, not have to worry about being jumped from behind or someone messing with her wife backstage, or hitting her with a weapon, or summoning a stable of people to get past her! THAT was what was making her contemplate leaving. That SCW seemed okay with all of that.
But what O., the man that had become, without her realizing it till now, a sort of father and uncle mix to her – would he forgive her if she just walked away like Owen did? Who would be left to fight for the integrity? Who would rise up to take on the likes of Adam, Kandis, Ace, Ravyn-
Who the hell cares? He’s abandoning SCW too!
The voice she heard wasn’t her own and her eyes flew open as she heard it. Before her, Deanna was sitting there, simply looking at her.
“Did you hear that?” Selena asked, earning a confused look from her wife.
“Heard what? You breathing? The thunder outside?”
With a hand, Deanna gestured to the window nearby them. Slowly, taking in everything of her surroundings, the platinum-blonde saw nothing amiss within the pool/gym house. Nothing seemed ‘off’. The walls were the same, the basic décor was the same, even the windows were fine, just wet on the outside from the blood raining from the storm.
…
Selena’s eyes widened as she spied the rainfall, now a deep crimson red as it covered the glass, as if the very sky – the heavens – were bleeding to death.
“Okay…” she breathed at her hokey over-art. “I think it’s hitting me now.” She gasped as she leaned back against the wall once more. She heard Deanna call out her name before the sound seemed to grow more and more distant, fading into a little buzz. Opening her eyes to see, her sapphire-orbs widened as she saw a few drops of blood on the forehead of her beloved wife. Casting her gaze up, the Snow Queen saw the leak in the roof dripping down on them. Red, crimson, blood-drops were raining onto the Queen’s Guard and Deanna seemed completely oblivious.
Selena tried to open her mouth to speak, but found no sound was coming out. Nor could she move anymore, beyond her head to look in various directions, yet she could not will herself to close her eyes or look away, instead watching as, more and more, her wife was covered with blood, Deanna’s emerald-green nightgown now stained red. Even her hair seemed more red, and wetter, obviously, as she seemed to speak, though it was only static in Selena’s ears.
The leak in the roof seemed to shift – or was it growing wider? – the steady stream of blood-rain moving with it: towards Selena – until it stopped at the object in front of her.
Killjoy’s helmet.
Slowly, the black skull sat there as, like with Deanna, it, too, was rained upon; the blood dripping over it until it was covered in red. But it did not stop there. Slowly, the sockets began to glow a dim light from within, like pupils of yellow, capturing Selena’s attention and state of panic. Before her, the blood wrapped around the skull, twisting and morphing over the ‘bones’ of the design until it was muscles… and then skin and hair… and eyes and lips… until the skull – now a face – was staring at her with its withered expression and sad eyes.
”You’re not the Selena Frost I hired. That anyone hired.”
She said nothing to the disappointed expression of O. D., the head simply gazing at her.
”Did you hear the fans…? They clearly disagree!”
The face of her boss seemed to unhinge at the jaw, the face distorting and warping as if transforming before her eyes into the annoying smirk of Ace Marshall.
”I BELIEVE! ACE FROST AND SELENA FROST! I BELIEVE!”
Selena felt her jaw clench with hatred as she heard those words – her words – being mocked with that voice – that tone. A pretender, a LIAR! No different than-
Immediately, as if sensing her thoughts, the face contorted and shifted again, this time to a face she actually hated more than Ace Marshall. The smirking, smug, arrogant face of-
”So… are you saying you don’t believe?” it – he – smirked at Selena. ”I just beat Selena GOD DAMN Frost!”
Those words. Those were the words that caused Selena’s eyes to finally shut, the tears now falling down her face. THAT night – the first Breakdown in over eight months where she wasn’t the SCW world champion. She hadn’t realized it at the time, but that was where it had all started. Everything had begun falling apart.
For her.
For the integrity of SCW.
For everything she had built for the world title.
That night: many fans chanting “No, we don’t.” to Adam’s baiting over her catchphrase. Mocking her and all she had achieved, which would only be added upon as the months progressed, including the End of the Year – as if none of it mattered. As if those eight months did nothing for SCW and the name of it and the world title – when it had been her and that integrity that had made people take notice of SCW in the World Series of Wrestling!
She felt her hand reach up to swipe at the tears, though she wasn’t at all surprised when the tears were actually blood as well. It seemed to be the theme, and, instead of panic, she merely sat there, watching the ‘head’ before her shift and transform.
However, when she stared into eyes nearly identical to her own and a face that could easily pass as her twin… that hand clenched into a fist.
So… do you see now? Do you understand?
“No.” Selena spoke, though she wasn’t sure if anyone heard her.
”Oh really? Think about it! This began with Adam Allocco. He turned the fans against you. And then they turned further against you with Kimberly Williams. And now? Who sings “We Believe!” anymore? Who shouts their faith in integrity anymore? Who believes in it? Ace? Kandis? Ravyn? Killjoy’s face smirked at Selena. Allocco?
“They still do…”
”Weaker and weaker it becomes.” mocked Killjoy. Every week, you slip further and further. Every week, you lose more and more of your composure. Closer to the end. Closer to snapping.
“I’m not going to snap!”
”You already have!” laughed the head before Selena. ”Pathetically blamed a technical error as a ‘conspiracy to screw the Frosts over’! You hit David. You’re one bad day away from quitting even before the tournament is over because you KNOW – you KNOW – you’re going to get screwed out of it at best and beaten cleanly like at Rise to Greatness at worst – and no one will care about you. No one will believe in you. No one will follow integrity. It will all be forgotten!”
Angrily, Selena slammed her head against the wall. She didn’t want this anymore. This wasn’t helping. She was drowning, as if the blood rain was swallowing her and drowning her lungs. She felt powerless. Every week was a failure. Every week, she failed to change anything. To make anyone see reason. To make O. understand. To fix things in SCW. Every week, she was pushed further and further away.
And why?
Why?
WHY?!
“BECAUSE THEY WON’T PLAY BY MY RULES!” she suddenly screamed, the answer shocking her, and causing her eyes to fly open. She was suddenly at the bottom of a pool of blood – the entire gym/pool room flooded to the rooftop. The crimson tide all around her, the surface several feet above. Everything was a murky red and black. Yet, she didn’t feel like she was drowning or in need of air. Rather, she just looked around, her answer resonating in her mind.
All she wanted was a fair fight. All she ever wanted was a fair fight. Because then things like skill and ability and heart could be tested. What good was winning if you needed 5 people to do it? What good was winning if you needed to cheat? That wasn’t an accomplishment! It was just…just…
”Everyone knew the rules. The board signed off on it…”
“Everyone knew the rules…”
“Everyone knew the rules…”
The voice – the one that had been warning her for months of every kind of danger. Every kind of change that was happening and she either hadn’t listened or was too stupid to truly understand what D. had been doing. He had been warning her, trying to protect her, and even Deanna…
She looked around at the thought. There was no Deanna now, so she settled on the skull/head that had been tormenting her, expecting to see her boss’ head again….
And in the blood-red depths… she stared into her own eyes.
”So…they’re not playing by your rules, are they?” Before her, Selena saw her own face twist into a horrifying snarl of an expression. ”Then maybe it’s time you played by THEIRS.” her own voice came from the head before the head came flying at her, it’s mouth hung inhumanly low as if to devour the Snow Queen – devour itself! On instinct, Selena’s eyes slammed shut, expecting a nightmare like those she had in the snowy fields, where she would be torn apart, shot down, and then… oblivion…
But that didn’t happen this time. Nothing did. Slowly, she opened her eyes… she was in an arena, though she wasn’t sure which one. There were no pay-per-view signs or graphics; only the usual SCW-style ones. But she wasn’t in the ring, like she usually was.
No… she was on the other side of the barricade, in the audience, looking into the ring… Where she saw the platinum-blonde standing there. What shocked her was that, around the woman were bodies of wrestlers.
Ace Marshall, outside the ring – was being carried off in a stretcher! Was he okay?! How did- Selena remembered- the Snow Queen had smashed his head open from behind with a chair as he had come down to the ring and then, to ‘hedge her bet’, she had stomped his head against the turnbuckle-post from the outside with The Glass Shard.
Closer to the ring lay Kandis, struggling to regain consciousness – how had… Selena’s eyes widened. The Snow Queen had ordered Deanna to take out Kandis, the redhead having done so by using The Consortium. That left the Snow Queen in the ring, walking around the downed Adam Allocco… gods that had been horrific!
”Oh Adam…” The woman mocked before Selena as she paced around the downed King of Hard Style. ”What happened to all that confidence? Did Xander take it when he exposed you as a fraud?”
Before the Snow Queen’s feet, Adam struggled to get up. He had already taken a shot to the head with the SCW World title twice! Still, the Snow Queen let him squirm – Selena seeing the silver and black of her outfit, which showed more of the Snow Queen’s abdominals, far more than Selena had ever shown in her past! The Snow Queen’s hair was no longer braided, but half-shaved, long on the top and right and a very short buzz on the left, almost to the skin. She looked dangerous…evil…
“Me…” Selena whispered as she watched, unable to stop anything as The Snow Queen knelt down to the bloodied Allocco, running a hand through his blood-soaked hair.
”You failed as a world champion. Failed as a wrestler… and worse of all… you failed as a father, didn’t you? Mister Allocco – ‘all for your son’ – because you took it all from him, didn’t you?” The Snow Queen ‘tsked’ several times. ”No matter how much the SCW Universe hates me, Adam… it really should be asked: how much more do you hate yourself? That all those promises, all those lies… and just like you were NEVER good enough to be a world champion like me “Mr. Zero-Title Defenses”… you’ll also never be good enough of a father for your son, will you?”
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Selena screamed at the Snow Queen! This was sick! This was twisted! This was shit Vixen Cain would spew at her! Words that Ravyn would throw her way! Even Allocco in his ‘sexist’ way… None of this was her! None of this was supposed to be her! Ignoring her, the Snow Queen let Adam’s head drop down to the mat.
”Taking Hold of the Flame… I don’t face the man I did in Vegas. I face a man that won’t measure up to the world champion I am, can be and will be again. I see a man that will never measure up to the wrestler, the parent, the Face of SCW that I am! And I see a man that will never measure up to the measures I’ll employ to ensure I become the SCW world champion. Because integrity… MY integrity… will no longer be a choice.” Her voice became a growl as she stood up. ”It will be commanded! And all of you…” Selena saw her own sapphire eyes narrow at the audience, their boos only now trickling into Selena’s ears. ”Will be forced to obey. Believe it!”
She didn’t recognize the song that played, though it was familiar to her, as The Snow Queen made her way out of the ring. Walking past the bodies before her, she stopped at the pedestal that held the SCW world title, not hesitating to pluck it off and hold it over her shoulder. A few steps went by until she was standing before Selena, a smirk over her face.
”See what you could be?” The Snow Queen whispered.
“No.” growled Selena. “I don’t want this! Put that back! That isn’t yours!”
”And it will never be yours if you keep playing by YOUR rules. But by theirs…” she eyed the fallen wrestlers before taking a hand and gesturing to herself: to the trim physique, the resonating power, the air of confidence, the look of the owner of one of the most dangerous strikes in SCW history! The World champion…
Slowly, the woman held out the SCW world title towards Selena.
”Take it.” she ordered. ”I merely am leveling the playing field by playing by all of THEIR rules. How is that not fair? How is that not integrity? A fair battlefield? A fair fight? Isn’t that what you want? Isn’t that what this is meant to be about?”
Despite herself, Selena’s eyes travelled down to the SCW world title. Gods, it was beautiful… and how she missed it. Missed holding it. Missed being its champion. Missed wearing it proudly on her shoulder or around her waist. Missed being introduced as “The SCW World Champion!”. Missed defending it. Hyping matches for it. Ending shows with it on the line. Standing in the ring, doing her entrance, meeting fans, all with the SCW world title…
She felt a pale hand, hers, reach out towards it, wanting so badly to touch it.
”Level the playing field.” The Snow Queen whispered. ”Make it ‘fair’ like it deserves to be…”
For a moment, Selena could see herself in the body of the Snow Queen, the title beautiful in her hand. For a moment, she could imagine being so untouchable, with the mind and ethics of Adam and Vixen and Ace and the protection of Deanna… Fuck 234 days… she could be the world champion for years!
And all she had to do… was take the title…
”Take the title…”
“Take the title…”
“Take the title…”
Selena’s eyes flew open to the sight of the white ceiling of her bedroom, her breathing ragged and her heart racing for several seconds, forcing the young woman to breath slowly to try and force it back into its calming state. Closing her eyes to assist in this, she let the frustration and despair fill her for several breaths until she checked the clock on her nightstand.
Frost ‘Forever Home’
Manhattan, New York
May 30th, 2023
8:13am
“8:13am…” Selena sighed as she rolled back over onto her back, her gaze back on the ceiling. It had been over two weeks since she had gone through that drug-trip – STUPIDLY gone through that drug-trip – and each night had given her the same result. The same retelling of it, the images and words now a disjointed nightmare, mixing together until she wasn’t even sure that what she now remembered in her nightmares was what she actually saw in the damn trip to begin with.
“Gods…that night…” she whispered under her breath as she rolled out of bed, seeing the magenta nightgown she wore. She had missed sending the children off to school – she would have to apologize for that later, she reminded herself as she made her way into the bathroom to shower, do her hair into its braid and dress in black jeans and a maroon t-shirt (clothes Deanna had already laid out for her wife, it seemed).
Catching her finished reflection in the mirror, a sigh escaped the young woman. What she dreamt, if it had happened that way or not, she couldn’t be certain. Certain parts were correct, but so much of it could easily be part of her nightmares. But gods did she hate what had happened in realty.
She had come to outside, the storm thundering its rain all over her – clear and beautiful teardrops soaking her and Deanna. The redhead had dragged the ‘screaming and gibberish-spouting’ Selena outside to try and wake her up with fresh air or something! Sadly, according to Deanna, Selena’s screams had only continued and it was not long before they had reached a pitch and volume that the neighbours had come rushing out.
Selena winced at the memory of that. Coming out of her trip, lying in the cold dirt of the ground, and staring up at the faces of the Grays, the Cunninghams, and the Westmounts – the closest neighbours to her house.
Gods…she had been saying that a lot every time she thought of this – what the whole thing must have looked like to them. She must have looked so delusional or drugged up – she wasn’t sure how Deanna had handled it, but it had been handled, far as Selena knew. She had stayed cooped up in her house as much as possible, limiting her socializing beyond ‘SCW-things’ to nearly nothing, at least until all this blew over.
With a sigh, the platinum-blonde eyed the other side of her bedroom, where her laptop sat on the desk. She knew all of this wasn’t going to ‘blow over’ until she made a decision. With quiet movements, the Snow Queen walked over to the laptop, flipping it open and logging into it to the last screen she had had on. Giving a quick read, she released a sigh before she heard her name.
“Selena.” It was Deanna calling to her, though she sounded… a little off? With another sigh, Selena closed the laptop on the same screen before leaving the bedroom and making her way downstairs. She did not have to go far towards the voice to find her wife, dressed casually as she was, but with blue jeans and an orange and white (creamsicle-like!, Selena thought) long shirt with a belt that tied up around her waist-line. Beside Deanna was, surprisingly, their children, all looking at her with… confusion? Fear?
“What’s wrong-“ her words stopped as she beheld the other adult in the room. The woman, taller than Deanna, but not Selena, in a black pantsuit, carrying a binder with her. Her black hair contrasted her white skin, but not her suit or glasses.
“Mrs. Selena Frost.” The woman greeted. “Your wife let me in.”
“So I gathered?” Selena’s voice lifted as she descended the stairs to stand on the same floor as the others. “Mind telling me why my children are not in school?”
“Sadly, yes.” The woman answered before Deanna could. “My name is Madison Bailey. I am with Child Protective Services.” Despite her thick glasses, Selena could still see the woman’s eyes narrowing at her.
“I am here to investigate a claim of child abuse between you… and your son.”
_______________________________________________________________
The Royal Letter
The camera opens up to reveal Selena Frost, the Snow Queen and ‘Face of SCW’, sitting in a black chair. She wears a black pantsuit and her hair is tied up in its iconic braid. One leg crossed over the other shows the matching, black pumps she wears on her feet. Her expression is relaxed with an air of cold hanging as she holds her hands and speaks into the camera.
Adam Allocco and the SCW Universe,
She takes a single breath – inhaling and exhaling. Ordinarily, this is where I would talk to all of you about my current state of mind before diving into my next match and what it means to me and my opponent and all of that. Basic 101 of promoting, right?
She tilts her head as if to think about that for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. But see, things have sort of taken a shift here in SCW. A slow shift over the past several months. A shift that’s left me looking at this match and seeing that a different approach needs to be taken. Because I said, from the start, standing in the ring loud and proud that all I wanted for this tournament was for it to be ‘pure’. I wanted this tournament to honor what the SCW World championship stands for. What Owen Cruze did his best to leave it as. The best of the best fighting to be recognized as the best in SCW and the entire world.
And during the semi-finals… that didn’t happen. Hell, that’s not happened for some of the quarterfinals either, or I’d be facing Syren, wouldn’t I? But here’s the reality. I’m not mad at the official for doing his job during my match with Ace Marshall. Steve, for so many years now, has done his best to be a symbol of integrity and, truthfully? He was just doing his job. He saw someone interfering and he called for a disqualification. He followed the rules, ended the match and punished the person that violated the rules. Selena sighs a little.
And yes, it bothered me to no end, not JUST because I had Ace Marshall where I wanted him and not just because I didn’t need a disqualification to beat him, but because that Steve was put in that position in the first place. And that I, once again, was put in that position were I could barely get a move in without someone coming after me or getting in my way!
Biting her lower lip, Selena shakes her head a little before refocusing. But as it stands, I have to go through this tournament with an asterisk to my name. I can’t say I ‘won my way through the tournament’ or that I ‘beat everyone because I was better’. No. I have to say that I got to the finals because Ace got cocky, Lexy got stupid, and karma is a bitch.
But this is where I take lemons and make lemonade. Because the one thing I’m going to do is take all this and make the one thing Lexy hates more than anything! Seeing a Frost with a championship! Ask the Farmstead Friends, ask Syren, ask Ace Marshall – or didn’t he fire Lexy?
A rare smirk comes to Selena’s face at the memory before, again, she refocuses.
But seeing as how I am headed to the finals at Taking Hold of the Flame and am one win away from the World Championship, let me explain why this match is so different and so much more than just a ‘great world title match with Rise to Greatness implications’. And, surprisingly enough, it has nothing to do with Lexy Chapel or Ace Marshall and EVERYTHING to do with you, Adam Allocco.
Any trance of Selena’s smirk is long gone, her eyes adopting a colder glare. It’s been a little over a year hasn’t it, Adam? A little over a year since you came back to SCW and took it by storm. I’m not ashamed to admit that. You rode in like a hurricane, you won the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royale and then went on to win the world title by beating me at Rise to Greatness last year. You called your shot and you made it happen. I’ve got no problems in saying you deserved to be the SCW world champion that night.
Pausing a moment, Selena holds up a hand as if to silence a crowd. But do you remember… what I said?
Another pause as Selena rests her hand on her knee. Because I called my shot, too. I said that Alloccos are good at shining bright for one night and then, ultimately, crumble under the pressure and under the spotlight. That Alloccos soak up as much of it as they can – silver-tongue their way to look like gods, only to burn out like a candle glowing at both ends.
She clicks her tongue against her teeth. And while you were right about Rise to Greatness last year, Adam. I was right too.
You’ve been back here a little over a year, Adam, and made a lot of noise since.. And yet, ironically, the most amount of noise you made wasn’t some scandal or screwing over someone or that monologue at End of the Year for the half-award you won. It was the night that had your voice choked out and you were knocked to the ground.
She gives a tilt of her head. You remember that night, Adam? Such confidence! Such talk about change! About bringing ‘your own brand of integrity’ to the world title! About how holding that title would be your ‘integrity’! I mean, you had the people in the palm of your hand, Adam! Before you, the only way I got booed or yelled at was if I was wrestling in my opponent’s hometown, and even then, nowhere like that night! So many people chanting “We Believe!” and so many others shouting “No we don’t!”.
An SCW Universe once united in the belief of integrity, now divided. And I look back on this past year, you know? Before the louder jeers against the House of Frost, before me being unable to have a decent match half the time without someone getting involved, before the Kimberly ‘Chaos match’ that people seemed to ‘love’, before a damn taser was brought into my match…
I look back at the start of it… and it’s THAT night, Adam. That night that began the downfall of integrity. Because there the SCW world was! They were ready to believe in you, Adam! Hell, I believed in you! I shook your hand. I told you that you could do it. I believed in you. I said one thing: keep up at the level that you gave me in Vegas? And we’ll be fine, you and me.
Selena gives a non-aggressive shrug. Simple, right? Wasn’t asking for your firstborn or your kidney. No. All I wanted to see was that fire! That passion! That integrity! Even if it was wrapped in an ‘asshole-attitude’. Why? Because I respected that man, Adam. I respected the man that beat me on the grandest stage SCW has. I respected your battles for sobriety, I even respected your desire to reunite your son and honor his time here in SCW by doing what he did. I respected all of that. And so did the SCW Universe.
You divided SCW that night, Adam, because of one passionate night. One victory of a Cinderella story that, for once, wasn’t my own, and finally, all those people that shouted for you were behind you! They were shouting “Change! A new kind of integrity!”.
Again, the cold glare returns to Selena’s face. And we were all lied to. We were all given false promises and false claims, Adam. And I don’t mean the short title reign that you ‘just don’t want to talk about’. I’m talking about the bigger thing. The bigger thing you ‘don’t want to talk about’. I’m talking about how, the moment the world title was ripped from your fingers, suddenly, all that promise of integrity? All that promise of bringing and keeping any integrity for SCW? All of that passion and true confidence? Went out the goddamn window!
Because after the door started to open on you and we got to see the man behind the ‘image of sobriety’ that you had cultivated? What happened? What happened, Adam, as the SCW Universe began to see the truth about you and the challenges got bigger and bigger and harder and harder in the ring, Adam? What happened?
You sold out your integrity. Bit by bit. Piece by piece, little by little, all the while trying desperately to keep everyone fooled with the memory of one night of actual merit. “I BEAT SELENA FROST! REMEMBER?! I BEAT SELENA FROST!”.
Shouts of that night. Shouts of being ‘the only deserving person to be the world champion’. Claims of being the ‘rightful person to be world champion’ and ‘the only person that should get a rematch’…. For a belt you couldn’t even hold for two full episodes of Breakdown.
An amused chuckle escapes the woman at her challenger’s months-long ‘logic’. And during those rants, Adam?
You attacked Syren from behind to ‘hedge your bet’.
You hid behind security guards to protect yourself.
You handcuffed officials to yourself.
You relied on tricks like pulling the tights and exposed turnbuckles to screw people out of matches.
You intentionally disqualified yourself in your own matches.
The Snow Queen shakes her head. So, I don’t have to listen to your repetitive notion of ‘battling demons’ and ‘making the most of a career as it reaches its end’ to know when I’m being lied to, Adam. Same with these people. We listened and we learned. That’s why, whether they continue to be with me or against me. Cheer me or boo me… they’ve stopped caring about it being you that beats me. They’ve stopped believing in you at all. Know why?
She leans forward a little, her leg swinging off the other to plant on the floor. Because you don’t even believe in yourself, do you?
You’ve gone to trying to convince the SCW Universe you’re something… to just trying to convince yourself. Cause month after month, you were given opportunity after opportunity. The Elimination Chamber. The Trios Contract cash-in at Retribution. Kimberly’s “Chaos Match”, for what it was, and month after month, opportunity after opportunity, you have failed. You came up short. Not because of politics. Not because you ‘didn’t have it’ but because YOU gave up! Because you were at a level that could be surpassed! Because you were no longer ‘the only choice for the world championship’ – or even the best choice, were you?
And you knew it. Probably soon as you lost the world title to Xander, I imagine. You knew that you weren’t the best choice – just a guy that won a big match in one night in Las Vegas… like the gambler that finally gets that winning hand and goes all in…
So, you settled on the ‘easy path’. The path devoid of integrity.
Quietly smacking her knuckles inside of her palm, Selena looks away in reflection. And from that nonsense came Kimberly’s chaos. Came the return of Ace Marshall and all the crap he’s done the last few weeks. Until the SCW Universe, still divided, can’t even agree on what integrity is anymore. Can’t even agree what S-C-W means anymore.
Gazing past the camera, a shaky breath escapes the Snow Queen. And that, Adam. That is what kills me. That you brought about this change… and just like with your son, you don’t have the balls to take responsibility for it! To admit that what you did was the most damaging thing that SCW could ever have done to it! Because you’ve dragged SCW backwards! I preached integrity and hard work and 5-star, pure matches! Things that previous champions like Sienna Swann and Syren and Bree Lancaster, at the time, couldn’t do to save their lives! And now? Here we are… and the divide you created? Some of SCW believe in those methods again! That THAT is the only way to become a champion. That ambushes, cheap tricks, cheating… is the only way to be the best in SCW.
Her pale jaw clenches at the notion as she tries to calm herself, shifting topics. Last year, you preached a lot of things about me, Adam. That I was now ‘the odds on favorite’ while you were the underdog. That I was all about ‘the spotlight’ and ‘the fame’ and that integrity was just ‘a method’ or a ‘selling point’. But here we are. I’m still here. I’m still fighting for integrity. The only person that has gone back on EVERYTHING they’ve said and everything they’ve promised… has been you.
Carefully, Selena runs her braid back and over her shoulder. Through everything, Adam! All the losses I’ve suffered, the verbal tongue-lashings, the fans divided, the jeers, the title losses. The embarrassing shortcomings – having Ravyn and Ace laugh in my face as they stole the tag titles from Deanna and I – embarrassed over a meltdown I had over an entrance technical-error… whether I am liked, disliked, cheered or booed: I’m still me.
I’m not saying you’re not capable and I’m not saying you’re not skilled, Adam. But the man that I faced last year is not the man that I’ve been seeing. Is not the man that I agreed to ‘let run the show’ when he beat me for the world title. No. That man wouldn’t have needed handcuffs or pulling tights or security or an exposed turnbuckle. That man, who swore he’d keep at that same level he did last year in Vegas?
A sad expression crosses Selena’s features as she shakes her head. I don’t think that man exists now. Maybe he never did. I think that man was just an image. A lie contrived by you to hide the biggest skeleton in your closest. The secret that was proof that deep down, Adam Allocco was, is, and always will be a liar. A man that will say anything, do anything, and PRETEND to be anything to get what he wants.
And that does not define a world champion in my eyes. A world champion doesn’t have to pretend to stand for integrity. They just do it. A world champion doesn’t have to lie to get what they want. They earn it. A world champion doesn’t have to cheat or do ‘whatever it takes’ to win and keep the title because they’ll be good enough to fight their way through with all their heart and soul to do it!
Her voice holds a bit more edge on the last sentence before she settles back into her chair.
A year ago, you started a divide, Adam. You divided this amazing federation on what integrity is meant to be. What SCW is meant to be. And you got some superstars that have followed suit like Ace, Ravyn, The One… all because ‘it worked’ for you. You’ve divided us. You’ve hurt us. You’ve shamed us.
At Taking Hold of the Flame, Adam? In the very same match where it all began: Selena Frost vs. Adam Allocco for the SCW World title? I am going to unite them all again. I am going to unite SCW under the banner of integrity, hold the world title up high over my head and make it very clear the message that I should have brought back into this division long ago!
And that message is: when it comes to me as the world champion… either step up or step aside!
Her voice growls out the last message. I handed you the keys to SCW almost a year ago, Adam. Soon, I’m taking them back! Believe it!
Slowly, the camera fades on Selena before going entirely to black.
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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)
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