06-03-2023, 11:17 PM
OOC: The following CD immediately plays off the last roleplay (which takes place before the last Breakdown). The promo takes place the day of Taking Hold of the Flame. Posted in two parts due to length.
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 topics of child abuse. This topic is not encouraged or condoned by the writer. In short: this is a piece of FICTION.
Forest Hills Neighbourhood
Queens, New York
May 30th, 2023
8:09am
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, feeling the softness of her pillow against the back of her head as she tried to slowly push the images of that nightmare back to the corners of her mind. She felt the familiar pangs of emotion grip her, her body wanting her to cry from the overhaul of emotion, but she breathed it out as best as she could.
She was tired of crying. How many nights had she done that this year? How many times had she just given in and cried herself to sleep over failing SCW, failing her wife, and/or failing her children? She had honestly lost track, just as she didn’t know how many times she had found herself in Deanna’s arms upon awakening, the redhead having held the older woman as she slept.
With a loud exhale from her nose, knowing she was never going to get back to sleep at this point, Selena turned her head to gaze at the clock on the nightstand. “8:13am…” she sighed at the time as she rolled back over onto her back, her gaze, once more, back on the ceiling.
Did she have anyone to blame for this other than herself? 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 that trip, 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 during the damn trip to begin with. But it all HAD been her choice. Deanna had warned her against this course of action – warned her against taking the plant-hallucinogenic-tea or whatever it was. But of course, Selena hadn’t listened.
She had been desperate. She had tried every other venture possible! She had tried to convince the fans to side with her – they were still divided on how to deal with her beliefs of integrity. She had tried to get through to Mr. D. and that hadn’t worked. And more and more… she was finding herself being the one that was slipping more than anyone else...
And then… the semi-finals…
“Gods…that night…” she whispered under her breath as she rolled out of bed, seeing the magenta nightgown she wore over her lithe frame. She had missed sending the children off to school – she would have to apologize for that later, she reminded herself. “That night…” she whispered again, seeing her reflection in the mirror for a moment as she passed it. She was a little thinner than her usual weight – when was the last time she had eaten a proper meal outside of a salad or water or protein powder… gods, she had lost her appetite long ago…
Quietly, her hands found her ribs, pressing into them a little where the muscle of her abdominals were. Nights like last Breakdown were what was causing her to lose more than her appetite – she groaned at the memory. How could that night have gone so wrong? She wasn’t even surprised now. She KNEW Ace would play the same ‘trick’ he had at Playing the Wildcard – why not? It had worked last time! Overcrowd, overwhelm and steal a victory. Of course it would work – it was why he was a tag-team champion to begin with!
Except it hadn’t worked this time! It had backfired in spectacular fashion and Ace Marshall had been disqualified – karma rearing its ugly head as it eliminated Ace from the World title tournament. And had it been any other night, any other kind of match, Selena could have laughed at it all. It was great! It was funny! Ace’s own cheating ways coming back to haunt him – no! Literally bite him in the ass! Lexy’s never-ending interferences finally costing her! It WOULD have been hilarious…
The problem was? It meant that Selena hadn’t beaten Ace clean. Hadn’t shown to the world that she was still better than him as a wrestler as she had shown nearly two years ago at Rise to Greatness XVIII. And now? Selena was heading into the finals with a disqualification win – the only person in the whole tournament that had done so.
Immediately, like gasoline to a flame, the remarks came flying across social media and SCW, Selena’s ‘legitimacy’ or ‘claim’ to the finals under scrutiny by the roster and some of the SCW Universe. But why?! It wasn’t her fault that Lexy and the others got involved! It wasn’t her fault that Ace had tried to cheat again! So why was she the one being punished for it?! Why was her talent and ability being questioned when Ace was the one that couldn’t fight her without using the same ‘tactics’ every single time?! It wasn’t-
She breathed, moving her eyes away from the mirror and her horrid reflection as she made her way into the bathroom. The worst thing was that her claim to the SCW world title – even if she managed to beat Adam Allocco at Taking Hold of the Flame – being under scrutiny and tainted wasn’t even the worst part of it all! No… what had bothered her more than anything… something she couldn’t even admit to her wife… was Steve.
Closing her eyes slowly, Selena breathed as she felt the stab of guilt wrack her frame from the memory. After she had gone after Mr. D. to, lamely, ask him to restart the match (something that the owner, unsurprisingly, cowardly refused), she had spotted Steve Hollinsworth, the official that had made the decision to disqualify Ace Marshall during her match, coming down at the end of the hall. She had called out to him, and he… he had looked at her with such horror. As if he was afraid of her. Her! The woman that had protected people like him against the likes of Giovanni Aries and, she admitted, Regan Streets during the bad months. Against people like Xander Valentine and Vixen Cain and Merrick Wiseman…
But he was afraid of her… he had held her hands up to her, stammering his apologies and why he had made the call and he was ‘just doing his job’ and ‘just following the rules’.
Selena’s eyes tightened shut further, the Snow Queen feeling her heart break a little just as it had that night at the sight of the innocent man. What had he done wrong? Nothing. He had done his job, even protected Selena after she was being ambushed… Yet, he thought she would… he thought she was going to hurt him.
Or yell at him. Or threaten him. Like you did with D.. came the mocking voice in her mind.
Quietly, her hands on the porcelain counter of her bathroom sink, the former world champion ran a pale hand through her hair. Was that how the other officials saw her too? People she trusted and respect like Aaron Demitria? Did they all see her as someone to be feared? Someone to be loathed? Someone that wouldn’t take a bullet for any of them? Was that how so many of the SCW fans saw her now? She had protected them all against Xander Valentine as best she could years ago – had they forgotten that? Or had she changed so much…
Opening her eyes, Selena saw herself again, this time in the larger mirror of her bathroom. Her hair was wild but it was her eyes that caught her attention. They were bloodshot – orbs of sapphires locked in pools of blood.
Blood… like that night.
The nightmares had continued, unfettered by the semifinals. In fact, Selena’s mindset over those events seemed to spur them on in her sleep, the woman – that woman – her… The Snow Queen… visiting her with that voice, that invitation to simply ‘take the title’ and ‘level the playing field’…
It was harder to ignore her after Breakdown. Because what if Selena had? What if she had brought Deanna with her? True, she had Luz but that had hardly been an ‘even playing field’. Luz had had to deal with Konrad and Lexy and the rest. But what if Selena had brought in Deanna? What if she had ordered Deanna to knockout Ace Marshall with The Burnout? Why not? Lexy had hit her with a clothesline, after all! So it was fair, wasn’t it?! Wasn’t it?!!
No answer came to Selena, the young woman shaking her head sadly as she pulled her nightgown off her form, tossing it back into the bedroom before closing the bathroom door behind her. Quietly, she pulled the shower lever to its coldest setting and stepped into the shower, letting herself gasp and shudder a little as the chilly waters soaked her. She stood there, letting the piercing cold numb her a little as it settled into her bones, effectively waking her up both physically and mentally.
She needed to focus. The send-home episode of Breakdown was coming up, which was bad enough – the idea of facing that vile-tongued bastard Adam Allocco again. Feeling that spike of anger, Selena clenched her jaw, a pale hand becoming a fist to slam against the shower wall.
Her last match with him, a fatal-fourway that had seen her pin and defeat him along with Bree Lancaster and Glory Braddock, hadn’t nearly been enough. By the next week, mostly everyone had forgotten about it. She was sure it wouldn’t even be mentioned. Not that she could brag about it – Allocco would just counter that it had been Syren decking him in the face that had won Selena the match and not her ‘Defying Gravity’ kick.
The platinum-blonde sighed. That was fine, she admitted. She could live with being seen as the underdog in this case – maybe the ‘unstable one’ after all the weeks she had let so much of what was happening in SCW get under her skin. But she would have to hear him again. Hear his words about ‘making the most out of his ending career’. ‘Make a legacy that his son could be proud of’. Words he had used against her over a year ago.
“Words that were utter crap!” Selena hissed in the cold. How the fuck had she bought that so long ago! It was Adam FUCKING Allocco! The man that lied to everyone! The man that had tried to use his own son for fame and attention! The man that had helped put Light in the Darkness on injury without a second thought! The man that had shown ZERO respect to Deanna with that damn ‘five moves of doom match’, squashing the inexperienced woman and killing her momentum after she had just won her first singles title – all to just get to Selena! Why the hell had she believed that Adam really cared about Alistaire or anyone for that matter? Why the hell did she ever believe that he had ANY integrity?!
It had been a secret Xander Valentine had first discovered, prompting the Executioner to go on a tear to keep Adam from acquiring the world title. Then, to further this, he had confided the truth to Owen Cruze… and now all of SCW knew. That Adam Allocco, himself, had been the reason that Alistaire could no longer wrestle. That Adam had been lying to SCW all this time…
“Gods… I wanna kill him…” the voice came out like a growl and it almost caught Selena off-guard to hear her own voice sound like that. But she could not deny it. The very thought of standing in the ring with him, listening to him try and justify all he did as some sort of “asshole behaviour”. Of mocking her and everything she had believed in – everything of hers that he had torn apart since that night in Las Vegas! – She could feel her blood boiling under her skin despite the cold water, her hand trying in vain to make it run colder but the lever was already turned all the way to the side. “Fuck…” she cursed under her breath.
She needed to control herself! If she was getting this worked up thinking about the bastard, then who knew what would happen when she was in the ring with him. Slowly, she breathed, trying to calm herself back down.
“Conceal…” she whispered, breathing under the pelting, frigid droplets. “Don’t feel…”
Her mantra was repeated over and over again until she had, temporarily, dispelled the thoughts of SCW and the finals of SCW occurring at Taking Hold of the Flame. She would train later today, as well as study whatever matches and videos she could find on Allocco. The man had managed to keep his ‘playbook’ secret when they had fought in Las Vegas. That was no longer the case after nearly a year later. Now? All his moves and ‘tricks’ were on full display like hers were! She was not going in this match again with him targeting her leg or any part of her! She would be watching for that strategy! “And if he cheats!” she reminded herself, her memory recalling how the man had torn off the turnbuckle padding to get an advantage over Syren in the quarterfinals. No, she would be ready this time because she COULD be ready this time! Provided she kept her emotions in check.
With a sigh, Selena turned off the water, stepping out to dry herself off. The cold water had, naturally, not created any steam. Hence, the mirror was unmarred as she stepped out, her wet reflection gazing back at her. For a moment, Selena simply stared at her own self. She saw the scars wrapping around her ribs, where, she knew, they formed into a ‘spider’s web’ of scar tissue at her back. For a moment, she wondered if Adam had any scars like that? She couldn’t recall a time where he had been so brutally beaten – the “King of HARDstyle” or however he worded it, preferring to flee or hide behind security than face any real danger.
Probably why he’s never flat-out fought Xander. Selena reasoned. Coward can’t seem to do anything without help.
Of course, that rationale brought with it more thoughts. Such as Adam using assistance like Ace had. Would the official allow it? She had no desire for the world title to be won through disqualification like her match with Ace had gone… but what could she do if Adam brought someone in? What could she do if she was outnumbered again? What could she do if…
Without realizing it, Selena’s eyes widened as she saw her hand suddenly in her platinum-blonde hand, the limb grabbing the hair on the side of her head and pulling it tight around her towards the back. Gazing back at the mirror, Selena saw her locks – the very thing she associated with her last name and her identity – tied back on one side against the skin while the rest remained untouched, flowing down her in a wet snowfall of sorts. She let her eyes narrow and her mouth twist a little – like she had seen in her nightmares. Then a slight lowering of the head to glare into her reflection with an upward glance…
And the Snow Queen of her nightmares stared back at her.
It made her spine go rigid, seeing the woman before her. She looked like Killjoy… but also like her… and it was her – it was her reflection! – but it wasn’t really her, was it?
“Level the playing field…” she felt herself whisper, her voice tired of just… of everything. “I just want to wrestle.” She continued. “I just want to prove that I’m the best. I just want to show that the title is about talent… not how many people you use or who the best ‘cheater’ is… I just…”
Level the playing field… The voice, this time, was in her head – the same tone that had filled her nightmares.
She continued to stare at the Snow Queen – at herself. The woman in her nightmares? Nothing seemed to faze her. She wasn’t scared of ambushers or rule-breakers. Because she would just adapt. If they cheated, then she would too. If they played fair, then so would she. If they brought friends, then she would too, until her enemies had no choice but to face her on equal footing – equal grounds - where their skills would have to better than hers if they hoped for victory.
And face it… nobody’s is…
It was… not true. Not entirely. But even Selena could not deny her rank in the ‘skills’ and ‘resilience’ department. She was the most decorated superstar in the past decade, the woman that had won more “Wrestler of the Year” awards than anyone – the only person to have won every main-kind of tournament in SCW history. She had beaten everyone, including Adam Allocco, and every one else in the tournament in some form and fashion… on a level playing field? Some could beat her once, maybe twice… but how many times had she won the war?
“Maybe that’s why they need to break the rules…” Selena muttered under her breath, casting her gaze away from her reflection and releasing her hair a little to begin to tie it up into its braid. Instead of feeling flattered by that notion, that someone like Ace Marshall or Syren had needed armies just to deal with her… Selena still felt miserable. What good was being so… well, ‘good’, if no one wanted to fight you fairly? What good was it to have worked your way to such skill if no one wanted to challenge you and test that skill anymore?
Kandis? Ace? Adam? Maybe even Syren if she was paling around with Lexy – they all would have taken a shortcut if given the chance. Anything to have a ‘win’ over ‘The Face of SCW’ rather than earning a victory…
Her hair down and her body dry, Selena applied only a basic amount of makeup and eyeliner before stepping back into her bedroom, where she spotted the black jeans, underwear, and maroon t-shirt Deanna had already laid out for her on the bed. She was quick to dress before catching her finished reflection in the mirror.
The woman that stood before her… this was her. Young – she refused to believe otherwise – and flawed, she could admit that much. But this was her. A woman that loved her family. Loved her job. Loved the company she worked for so much that she was willing to risk her own health and, at times, happiness to do right by it, even if SCW didn’t want that from her anymore. A sigh escaped the young woman at that thought.
What she dreamt, the Snow Queen standing there, unfettered by the hate of the SCW Universe… if it had happened that way or not, Selena couldn’t be certain anymore. Certain parts were correct, but so much of it could easily be part of her nightmares. But it wasn’t her – anymore than that gibbering mess that had awakened from the drug-trip screaming bloody murder to the night sky and storm.
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 that had rushed out at the sound of her screams in her delusion. She could not imagine what the whole scene 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.
Still, the older Frost had stayed cooped up in the house as much as possible, limiting her socializing beyond ‘SCW-things’ to nearly nothing, at least until things had cooled down or blown 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 she walked over to the laptop, flipping it open and logging into it to the last screen she had had on. The Microsoft Word document she had been working on since that match with Ace Marshall. Giving a quick read, she released a sigh…
Dear True Believers of the SCW Universe… I’m sorry that this will be the last Royal Letter I write for you…
“Selena.” She heard her name being called and immediately recognized it as her wife’s voice, though it sounded… a little off? With a softer exhale, Selena closed the laptop on the same screen before leaving the bedroom and making her way downstairs.
When I started this adventure nearly a decade ago, I began simply wanting to make money. Survive and thrive. I wanted to take the people that had laughed at me, mocked me, and ruined so much of my life and show them what I could do. I was… I was bitter. I was angry. I was so… lost. I didn’t really believe in myself… didn’t really believe in anything…
The platinum-blonde walked the few steps needed to reach the stairs, following the voice until she spied her beloved Deanna standing on the main-floor near the front door. The redhead was dressed with blue jeans and an orange and white long shirt with a belt that tied up around her waist-line. Beside her, surprisingly, were all three of their children, all looking at her with… confusion? Fear?
But all of you… you accepted me. You let me be part of something that was so much more than ‘a job’. You made me want to come to work every show, every night. You stood with me with your cheers of “We Believe!”. You encouraged me when I finally came out with my sexuality. You celebrated with me when I won my first titles. And when I didn’t believe in myself to be worthy of the SCW world championship, you voted for me and shared your belief with me that I WAS good enough to be world champion… YOUR SCW world champion…
“What’s wrong-“ Selena’s words stopped as she, finally, spotted the other adult in the room. A woman stood there patiently closer to the door. She was taller than Deanna, but not Selena, and wore a black pantsuit, and carrying a binder with her. Her black hair – tied in a tight bun - 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.”
Everything that has grown from that – the awards, the accolades, the Reign of Integrity - everything I have done and accomplished has only been possible because all of you never stopped believing in me and the integrity we wanted to see in SCW. I felt… I felt that we could endure anything together – that SCW could endure anything – as long as we stood united and believed in one another as we have for so many years, through thick and thin, through all the wars, scars and pains… together.
“This is…” Deanna’s voice sounded loudly. “Utterly ridiculous! My wife is an amazing mother!”
Blinking her eyes, Selena gazed around the room. She was suddenly not in the mudroom of her house, but the cinema room, waiting outside the door to her office… the past two hours flying by in a blur, her mind still reeling with the words Madison had thrown at her.
Child abuse… her?
The words sounded foreign… impossible! She would never…
And yet she had. She had struck her son, David. Had slapped his cheek to stop his immature, wildly inappropriate behaviour. Had he told someone about that? He must have since this ‘Madison-woman’ was here now – but did he realize what this meant? Did he even understand?
Despite these questions, the former world champion could not bear to look up at her son, who was sitting down the hall in the ‘play area’, Elsianna and Amiliah sitting beside him. None of them said anything. It was “appointment mode”, a little thing the Frost family had created during one of Amiliah’s first doctor’s appointments years ago. It meant that the children needed to sit still, not speak too loud, and be on their best behaviour. It was rarely used, which made it all the more important to be followed when it was employed – even Amiliah had learned that.
Deanna must have enacted it. Selena guessed, biting the nail of her thumb nervously before shifting her hands to twist at her braid harshly – feeling the pricks of pain in her scalp. They had given a tour of their home to the woman, showing how it was safe for children and now things had moved to the ‘interview’ portion. It would soon be her turn to talk to this Bailey woman. What if she said the wrong thing? What if she was deemed ‘unfit’ or guilty of abuse…
They’ll take David away from you… maybe Elsianna and Amiliah too… just like integrity was taken from you by him… Selena slammed her eyes shut against the familiar voice. She didn’t need to think about The Snow Queen right now! She had to stay calm! She needed to focus…
Maybe that’s why this letter hurts so much for me. For some time now… maybe since after Taking Hold of the Flame and into Rise to Greatness last year, I have felt myself slowly losing that connection with all of you. I found myself losing focus, distracted by your sudden jeers and mocking of my catchphrase – arguing with one another like my kids do over ‘who the best superhero is’. I did my best to stay true to my beliefs and to the goal of integrity that was ongoing despite it. But as the months passed, and I fought to keep my word to all of you, I felt us growing further and further apart… until I… I didn’t know where I stood in SCW anymore. I didn’t even know if I really belonged there anymore.
And then last Breakdown…
“Selena…” The woman jerked her head up, instantly hissing in pain as she accidentally pulled the thumbnail she had been working with her teeth up and off her digit, causing some of the skin to go with it. “Damn…” she hissed under her breath before forcing her attention back to Deanna, who stood at the doorway.
“She wants to talk to you now.” The redhead sounded despondent, her frame sagging a little, which only further unnerved Selena. Still, Selena gave a curt nod before walking the few steps necessary to reach the door. She had just passed Deanna when she felt the shorter woman’s hand on her bicep, the Snow Queen turning her gaze towards the worried emerald eyes of her wife. “Don’t…” her voice trailed off, but nearly eight years of marriage finished the sentence for Selena.
Giving a sharp nod as her answer, Selena shuffled into her office, closing the door behind her. Inside the room, Selena immediately cursed the situation in her mind. This room was supposed to be her sanctuary. Her place of escape to be alone with her thoughts. Her place where she had written some of her best promos for SCW and the other companies she had worked for. It was in this room that she had first come up with the “Frozen Central” segment and had done so much research on her opponents.
Now? That peace was gone. Taken from her by this woman that knew nothing about her!
Last Breakdown… I don’t know if it was the last straw… but it felt so damn close. To hear you cheering on what happened to Deanna and I at the last pay-per-view, when we only wanted to give you integrity and top matches for tag division. When I only wanted the world championship to mean something more than the mundane, cheap, cheating tricks that had plagued it for years… Only to listen to you chant for Ace as he continued to try and cheat you out of a pure semifinal match to find a worthy SCW world champion…
What happened to us, SCW Universe?
“Please have a seat.” The voice snapped Selena back to present, and she almost spoke out at the suited woman as Madison was currently in ‘Selena’s chair’, the child services clerk having made herself quite comfy behind Selena’s desk in her ‘throne chair’. Biting her lower lip against her instinctual response, Selena quietly, with as much grace as she could muster, walked towards the green, faux-leather chair in front of the desk, taking a seat in front and crossing one leg over the other.
“This is all very unnerving.” She said flatly to Bailey.
“Most parents feel that way when I show up.” Madison answered.
“Are…” Selena hesitated for a moment, fear gripping her, and making her terrified to ask the question.
What happened to us, SCW Universe? We used to be united! We use to want to see 5-star matches that displayed talent – displayed Supreme Championship Wrestling! Where hard work and passion were valued and not seen as ‘boring’ or ‘not what we paid to see’. When did that change, guys? Honestly, I am desperate to know at this point. Because I don’t understand why it changed. And why I feel so alone now, fighting for something… do any of you even believe in it anymore?
“Are you going to take my children away?” she couldn’t help the shake in her voice. The thought seemed beyond impossible, and yet there Madison stood with her accusation of ‘child abuser’ on the older Frost woman.
Seeing the platinum-blonde’s discomfort, Madison gave a slow exhale. “I won’t say yes or no to that, Mrs. Frost.” She answered. “However, that is not my ACTIVE goal. All I want is to make sure that your children are in safe and nurturing environment.”
“They are.” Selena assured quickly. “We make sure they exercise, are fed good foods, we…” she stopped herself, seeing the unaffected expression on Madison’s face. How many times had this woman heard such things from other parents? “We… try.” Selena settled on saying. “Parenting isn’t easy, especially for two women in a gated community but… we try.”
“My sympathies on your struggles.” Madison answered simply as she continued to look through her binder. “But this is about David.”
“Yes.” Selena nodded, trying to clear her thoughts at the mental image of her son. “David.”
“So… did you hit your child, Mrs. Frost?”
The fact that I am even asking that question… that I even consider it… I don’t blame you for your reactions. You are the SCW Universe. You are free to choose and free to do as you wish. You have that power. You have that right. Without you, there is no us. Without you, there is no SCW. But if that is what you want – what you believe ‘SCW’ to be now… chaos matches, ambushes, 5-on-2 or 4-on-1 handicaps… if that is what you believe SCW should be…
Then, to paraphrase my boss, this is NOT the SCW hired me. This is NOT the SCW that believed in me…
“Did I… did I what?” Selena gulped, her sapphire eyes wide.
“Perhaps that was too direct.” Madison considered before pulling out a piece of paper from the binder she held. Carefully, she handed it over to Selena. “We received a phone call several days ago. Evidently, your son drew this in class. Someone spotted the drawing and we were, eventually, notified. I’m sorry for the vagueness but, confidentiality…”
Selena had stopped listening to the woman as she reached a pale hand out to take the drawing. Slowly, she turned it in her hand, allowing herself to see the bright colors of the crayons and the streaks of wax etched across the paper. She recognized her son’s hand almost immediately, having seen him draw in his coloring book for so many years.
But the image before her…
There was a small figure, like a stick figure, his head was bigger than most of his body. He had a basic ‘sad’ expression of a single line making a frown and black dots for eyes… but the dark blue of tears going down ‘his’ face were unmistakable. He was hunched over, looking away – Selena noticed a red circle on the boy’s left ‘cheek’.
Towering over him – for it took up the top and bottom of the page – was a second figure with yellow-hair and blue eyes. But this thing had a gigantic head! It almost reminded Selena of her own ‘views’ of Adam Allocco’s ego! Except this wasn’t Adam Allocco that was baring sharp, pointy ‘teeth’ at the boy and snarling at him.
No… her eyes quickly saw past the scribbles that made up the boy’s room, random shadings of green and brown and, instead, locked on towards the charcoal-black of the arrows, one that pointed towards the boy and said ‘Me’ while the other pointed towards the fanged behemoth with the word ‘Mommy’ next to it.
“I…” Selena was at a loss for words as she beheld the picture. There was no way to ‘mistake’ it. The moment, the scene – what haunted her as much, if not more, than everything in SCW right now – was on full display in this ‘art-class drawing’. “What is this?” she asked.
“You tell me.” Madison answered simply. “That is how your son sees you, it seems.” She moved closer to Selena. “Any reason why he would draw you like that?”
That is why, with a heavy heart, I say that I cannot be in an SCW that doesn’t want me there anymore. That doesn’t want integrity. I can’t. Because every show… I’ve felt it. I’ve felt myself slipping. When I lost my temper over a technical error in Deanna’s entrance. When I sucker-punched Ace Marshall during that farce of a title-ceremony. When I yelled at D. over a match where the official was just doing his job… I can feel it – myself, slowly slipping away. Slowly losing more and more of my own belief, faith… even my own integrity…
And it scares me.
Selena barely heard the last question, her eyes unable to tear away from the piece of paper. “Why…” her voice shook as the flurry of emotions hit her – shame, hurt, disgust at herself – “Why would he see me as this…this…”
”Monster?” came the voice in her mind. ”Because, deep down, you ARE one. You need to be one! Because if you don’t… then everything you love will be taken from you! SCW, the integrity, now your children… because you were too afraid...
“This…” she turned her head towards Madison, unable to stop the wild look growing in her eyes. “This isn’t me.” She explained. “I’d never…after everything I’ve been through with my stepmother – THAT woman was a child abuser, okay?! Gods, where were you guys when I was going through that?!”
“Mrs. Frost…”
“For Odin’s sake, she locked me in a tub and tried to drown me… TWICE! Once as a child and another when I was an adult! And that’s just the tip of the goddamn iceburg! And you’re here… saying… that I’m like her? Like that?! That isn’t me! That’s not who I am!!” her voice was near shouting levels at the notion. “I am not a monster!”
It scares me so much because I don’t want to become that. I don’t want to become like Ace Marshall or, gods forbid, a liar and a despicable piece of crap like Adam Allocco. I don’t want to sell out every fiber of my integrity just so we can ‘get along’ and ‘agree’ again. I don’t want to sell out my beliefs just so you cheer my name or scream “We Believe” again. I… I want you to cheer me because you believe in me. Because you’re proud of me. Because you still believe in what I do and what I can do for SCW and for all of us! So my children can continue to be proud of me…
“MRS. FROST!” Madison had risen out of her chair and, though she was shorter than Selena, with the Snow Queen sitting, still in shock, the suited woman towered over the platinum-blonde. “If you do not calm down, I will end this interview here and now.”
It wasn’t much, but it was enough to snap Selena out of her rant, the seated woman almost cowering back into her seat, her eyes fluttering back down to the drawing.
But I can’t… after nearly a year of trying… of watching SCW turn and go back – go back to the low bar so easily… and hearing all of you cheer those people on… I just, maybe this isn’t the place for me anymore. Maybe it’s just my time to stop trying when no one believes, before even I don’t believe anymore… maybe it’s time…
“Now.” Madison pressed. “This…” she reached a finger out to tap on the paper in Selena’s hands. “Is this drawing based on any kind of truth? Did you, or did you not, assault your son? Yes or no?”
Maybe it’s time to say goodbye.
“I…” Selena opened her mouth to speak, but her voice closed out. You can’t say ‘yes’! screamed the Snow Queen in her mind. She’ll take David away! Then Elsianna and Amiliah will be taken next! She’ll take them all to an orphanage! You’ll NEVER see them again! “Y…N…N…Yee…” Selena’s voice was barely a mutter of sounds as she tried to speak, her hands shaking, which only created a louder ‘flapping sound’ as the paper shook right along with her hands.
“Yes or no.” pressed Madison.
“N…” Selena felt her heart race, her anger spiking. How dare this woman come here and threaten to take her children away! How dare she try and put her through this! Gods, I should just throw her in the ring and kick her GODDAMN head off!
The door swung open, gaining both women’s attention to the small boy standing there in his favorite Spider-Man t-shirt and black shorts.
“I made it up!” he screamed. “Please don’t hurt my mom anymore! I made it up!”
The silence was deafening as the three stood there, clerk, mother and son. It hung that way for several minutes until Bailey cleared her throat. Just as quick as the hardened interviewer had appeared, it was gone, replaced with the caring clerk.
“What do you mean, David?” she asked kindly.
“I mean… I made it up.” David stated. “I drew the drawing to get even with mom.”
“Get even?” Selena asked in surprise, too stunned by everything to fully process what was happening.
“I didn’t want to make poppies for memorial day. I wanted to play Metroid. Mom wouldn’t let me and when I complained and whined, she grounded me. So… I drew the picture and handed it to my teacher to get mom in trouble. Cause then she’d get a timeout or detention or something!”
For a moment, Madison just stood there, her eyes narrowing at David, before she quietly moved towards him, kneeling down rather fluidly despite her heels. Eye to eye with the boy, the CPS clerk tilted her head.
“David…” she started. “You know you don’t have to lie to protect your mom, right? If she hurt you, you can tell me.”
Despite himself, Selena heard the boy gulp as he stood there before the woman.
“It’s never okay to strike a child, or anyone. And if your mother did it, she needs to be held accountable.”
“But…” David tried, his voice beginning to stammer. “She didn’t! I mean-“
I regret nothing. Everything I did was by my choice. I wanted to give every single one of you all I had every time I stepped through those ropes and into the ring. I have missed birthdays, first words, first steps, first scrapped knees, so many first lost tooths, and while it saddens me, I never, once, regretted being here and being an SCW superstar. But in my heart… what lies ahead of me made me realize that it was time for me to let SCW be… whatever it is you want it to be.
“Look, she didn’t do it, okay?!” David all but shouted. “I told you that. I’m sorry! I didn’t think this would happen! It was just a… a prank.”
Madison glared at the boy for an impossibly long period of time before slowly standing up to her full height, leaving the boy below her. Without a word, she slowly gathered her notes.
“Well, then…” she said once all her things were gathered. “Then I shall be on my way.”
In that moment, it didn’t matter that every fiber in Selena’s being was screaming at her that this wasn’t over. She merely felt relief as Madison took her leave. She refused to leave her seat until she heard Deanna bid the woman farewell and heard the door close from upstairs.
It was only then that the young Frost exhaled the breath she had been holding, deflating and collapsing further into her chair. Her body running through so many emotions, it almost brought her to tears, forcing her to draw a pale hand to cup over her eyes.
“Mom?” David asked, cautiously moving closer to his mother. “Does this mean I won’t be taken away?”
Hearing her son’s voice, Selena turned her head to see him standing before her, nearly at her eye-level.
“David…” she breathed, wanting to answer him but the burning question in her head persisted as she held up his drawing. “Is this how you see me?”
The young boy opened his mouth to speak as he gazed at his own drawing, but no words followed. Instead, he merely shrugged his shoulders as his eyes moved down to his feet. Not for the first time that day, Selena felt her heart break a little more.
My son thinks I’m a monster… she thought, feeling every painful emotion that came with that knowledge. “Then…” she breathed. “Why did you lie to the lady?” she slowly, feeling the burning tears in her eyes. “Why did you protect me?”
“Because mom said that they were going to take me away from you.”
The answer was so…upfront. As if it was the most obvious answer on the planet. Easier than ‘what’s 2 + 2?’. Except it wasn’t so understandable to Selena.
“Why would you want to stay with me? If I’m…” she gulped at the last two words. “A monster.”
“You’re not always a monster.” David replied. “Usually… you’re ‘mom’.”
“But…” Selena whispered under her breath. “I am a monster…” Despite herself, she felt her free hand drift up to her hair, grasping the side of it and tugging it back a little behind her head…
“David…” the voice caused Selena to drop the locks of hair she held to see Deanna standing there, gaining the boy’s attention.
“Are they going to take me away, mom?” he asked Deanna, his eyes wide.
“No.” Deanna answered. “But you understand why you can’t go around saying things like that or drawing things like that?”
“I…yeah…” David nodded. “I didn’t mean for someone to find the drawing. It must have fallen out of my binder or something.”
“Is that true?” Deanna asked, more quiet than accusatory, not wishing to scare the young boy.
“It doesn’t matter.” Came Selena’s response. “David, you…” she turned her head to him, ready to reprimand him for lying to the lady. But those words did not come out. Instead, she merely sighed. “I’m sorry.” She finally said. “I should never have hit you. I promise…” she sniffled a little, wiping at her eyes with her free hand. “I promise I will never do that again.”
The young boy looked at him for a moment before nodding his head. “I’m sorry I drew that picture.” He offered. “And for swearing. And for-“
“That’s enough, David.” Deanna tried. “We get it.”
“Okay…” he nodded his head. “Can we… can we be done with ‘Appointment protocol’?”
“Yes.” Selena answered with a snort of a laugh from the abrupt topic change. “Go tell your sisters.”
He scampered out of the room to do so, leaving the Frost wives alone in the study.
“Can you…” Selena breathed slowly. “Can you please close the door, Deanna. I’m about to cry and I don’t want them to hear me.”
Quickly, the redhead flew further into the room, closing the door behind her. It wasn’t until Selena heard the click of the latch that she let everything out. All the pain, self-hatred, fear, loathing at herself, all of it. With it came ready tears that ran down her cheeks unlike any crying she had done before. She let them fall, let them wash over her face. It was a silent cry, but the magnitude of it could not be measured in ‘volume’.
“I almost…” she breathed, her breath slowly growing into hiccups. “I almost…hic…lost our son…”
The hics of the hiccups continued as she held up the drawing towards Deanna, who slowly took it from her hand and examined it. “He thinks I’m a monster.” She whispered, her voice breaking a little at such knowledge.
Silence held itself between the two Frost women as Deanna glanced from the paper towards her wife, then back to the drawing, then back to Selena before she finally spoke.
“Then change his mind.”
Slowly, Selena heard her wife’s words, the Snow Queen looking up to gaze at her. “What?”
“You made him think you were a monster. Make him think you’re not.”
“It doesn’t…” Selena tried. “It doesn’t work that way.”
“Why not?” Deanna asked.
“Because once you lose…” she breathed, trying to stop her hiccups. “Because it’s…it’s like Santa Clause… Once you lose faith in something, you can’t just get it back.”
“I’m not asking you to make him believe in something mythical, Selena.” Deanna countered. “I’m asking you to make him see you’re a good person.”
“I don’t know how.”
“Promising not to hit him again was a good start.”
“I meant that!”
“I know.” Deanna nodded. “But then what?”
“I…” Selena shrugged, her mind too jumbled to give proper thought to an answer. “Be nice to him or something?”
“You’re his mother. Not his pal.” Deanna stated, crossing her arms over her chest. “Make him realize that there will be good days and bad days between you two, but you’ll always love him. That’s the important thing.”
“Why-“
“Because monsters don’t feel love.” Deanna stated simply. “They don’t cry like that when they’re called ‘monsters’.” She gestured towards her wife before slowly reaching to take Selena’s free hand into hers. “And monsters don’t try and learn from their mistakes… because they don’t think they ever made mistakes.”
“Well I’ve made mistakes.” Selena sighed, wiping at her eyes. “A lot of them.”
“See?” Deanna smiled, leaning to gently kiss her wife’s lips. “I’m going to call the school and let them know the kids will be back tomorrow. Maybe we can go for a picnic today or something.”
“I’d like that.” Selena offered a small smile, watching her wife go. It wasn’t until she was gone that she released a sigh of sadness before sneaking out of the office, up the stairs and back into her room unnoticed. Once there, she opened her laptop again to gaze at the letter she had been working on.
“But monsters can lie, Deanna.” She whispered. ”And that’s exactly what I almost did…”
She had almost lied to that Bailey-woman. Almost denied she had ever hit David, even though she had. She would have, she knew it deep in her soul that if David hadn’t barged in at that moment… she would have lied to keep from having her son and children taken away from her.
Level the playing field… the voice whispered in her mind.
Make it fair…
Take the title…
Once more, Selena clutched at the side of her hair, pulling it back for a brief moment as she read the last line in her letter.
So…I hope you never stop believing in SCW, because I will always believe in it. And if there’s no place for me… well, thanks for letting it be my place for nearly ten years…
“Not yet…” Selena whispered before slowly closing the laptop once more, refusing to send it. “One more try…” she whispered, taking a deep breath. “One last match…to try and fix everything…”
Decided, Selena left the room, returning to her wife’s side to prepare themselves for the planned picnic.
Sincerely,
Selena Michelle Frost
The Face of SCW…
______________________________________
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 topics of child abuse. This topic is not encouraged or condoned by the writer. In short: this is a piece of FICTION.
The Witches of Alden
”Break”
Forest Hills Neighbourhood
Queens, New York
May 30th, 2023
8:09am
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, feeling the softness of her pillow against the back of her head as she tried to slowly push the images of that nightmare back to the corners of her mind. She felt the familiar pangs of emotion grip her, her body wanting her to cry from the overhaul of emotion, but she breathed it out as best as she could.
She was tired of crying. How many nights had she done that this year? How many times had she just given in and cried herself to sleep over failing SCW, failing her wife, and/or failing her children? She had honestly lost track, just as she didn’t know how many times she had found herself in Deanna’s arms upon awakening, the redhead having held the older woman as she slept.
With a loud exhale from her nose, knowing she was never going to get back to sleep at this point, Selena turned her head to gaze at the clock on the nightstand. “8:13am…” she sighed at the time as she rolled back over onto her back, her gaze, once more, back on the ceiling.
Did she have anyone to blame for this other than herself? 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 that trip, 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 during the damn trip to begin with. But it all HAD been her choice. Deanna had warned her against this course of action – warned her against taking the plant-hallucinogenic-tea or whatever it was. But of course, Selena hadn’t listened.
She had been desperate. She had tried every other venture possible! She had tried to convince the fans to side with her – they were still divided on how to deal with her beliefs of integrity. She had tried to get through to Mr. D. and that hadn’t worked. And more and more… she was finding herself being the one that was slipping more than anyone else...
And then… the semi-finals…
“Gods…that night…” she whispered under her breath as she rolled out of bed, seeing the magenta nightgown she wore over her lithe frame. She had missed sending the children off to school – she would have to apologize for that later, she reminded herself. “That night…” she whispered again, seeing her reflection in the mirror for a moment as she passed it. She was a little thinner than her usual weight – when was the last time she had eaten a proper meal outside of a salad or water or protein powder… gods, she had lost her appetite long ago…
Quietly, her hands found her ribs, pressing into them a little where the muscle of her abdominals were. Nights like last Breakdown were what was causing her to lose more than her appetite – she groaned at the memory. How could that night have gone so wrong? She wasn’t even surprised now. She KNEW Ace would play the same ‘trick’ he had at Playing the Wildcard – why not? It had worked last time! Overcrowd, overwhelm and steal a victory. Of course it would work – it was why he was a tag-team champion to begin with!
Except it hadn’t worked this time! It had backfired in spectacular fashion and Ace Marshall had been disqualified – karma rearing its ugly head as it eliminated Ace from the World title tournament. And had it been any other night, any other kind of match, Selena could have laughed at it all. It was great! It was funny! Ace’s own cheating ways coming back to haunt him – no! Literally bite him in the ass! Lexy’s never-ending interferences finally costing her! It WOULD have been hilarious…
The problem was? It meant that Selena hadn’t beaten Ace clean. Hadn’t shown to the world that she was still better than him as a wrestler as she had shown nearly two years ago at Rise to Greatness XVIII. And now? Selena was heading into the finals with a disqualification win – the only person in the whole tournament that had done so.
Immediately, like gasoline to a flame, the remarks came flying across social media and SCW, Selena’s ‘legitimacy’ or ‘claim’ to the finals under scrutiny by the roster and some of the SCW Universe. But why?! It wasn’t her fault that Lexy and the others got involved! It wasn’t her fault that Ace had tried to cheat again! So why was she the one being punished for it?! Why was her talent and ability being questioned when Ace was the one that couldn’t fight her without using the same ‘tactics’ every single time?! It wasn’t-
She breathed, moving her eyes away from the mirror and her horrid reflection as she made her way into the bathroom. The worst thing was that her claim to the SCW world title – even if she managed to beat Adam Allocco at Taking Hold of the Flame – being under scrutiny and tainted wasn’t even the worst part of it all! No… what had bothered her more than anything… something she couldn’t even admit to her wife… was Steve.
Closing her eyes slowly, Selena breathed as she felt the stab of guilt wrack her frame from the memory. After she had gone after Mr. D. to, lamely, ask him to restart the match (something that the owner, unsurprisingly, cowardly refused), she had spotted Steve Hollinsworth, the official that had made the decision to disqualify Ace Marshall during her match, coming down at the end of the hall. She had called out to him, and he… he had looked at her with such horror. As if he was afraid of her. Her! The woman that had protected people like him against the likes of Giovanni Aries and, she admitted, Regan Streets during the bad months. Against people like Xander Valentine and Vixen Cain and Merrick Wiseman…
But he was afraid of her… he had held her hands up to her, stammering his apologies and why he had made the call and he was ‘just doing his job’ and ‘just following the rules’.
Selena’s eyes tightened shut further, the Snow Queen feeling her heart break a little just as it had that night at the sight of the innocent man. What had he done wrong? Nothing. He had done his job, even protected Selena after she was being ambushed… Yet, he thought she would… he thought she was going to hurt him.
Or yell at him. Or threaten him. Like you did with D.. came the mocking voice in her mind.
Quietly, her hands on the porcelain counter of her bathroom sink, the former world champion ran a pale hand through her hair. Was that how the other officials saw her too? People she trusted and respect like Aaron Demitria? Did they all see her as someone to be feared? Someone to be loathed? Someone that wouldn’t take a bullet for any of them? Was that how so many of the SCW fans saw her now? She had protected them all against Xander Valentine as best she could years ago – had they forgotten that? Or had she changed so much…
Opening her eyes, Selena saw herself again, this time in the larger mirror of her bathroom. Her hair was wild but it was her eyes that caught her attention. They were bloodshot – orbs of sapphires locked in pools of blood.
Blood… like that night.
The nightmares had continued, unfettered by the semifinals. In fact, Selena’s mindset over those events seemed to spur them on in her sleep, the woman – that woman – her… The Snow Queen… visiting her with that voice, that invitation to simply ‘take the title’ and ‘level the playing field’…
It was harder to ignore her after Breakdown. Because what if Selena had? What if she had brought Deanna with her? True, she had Luz but that had hardly been an ‘even playing field’. Luz had had to deal with Konrad and Lexy and the rest. But what if Selena had brought in Deanna? What if she had ordered Deanna to knockout Ace Marshall with The Burnout? Why not? Lexy had hit her with a clothesline, after all! So it was fair, wasn’t it?! Wasn’t it?!!
No answer came to Selena, the young woman shaking her head sadly as she pulled her nightgown off her form, tossing it back into the bedroom before closing the bathroom door behind her. Quietly, she pulled the shower lever to its coldest setting and stepped into the shower, letting herself gasp and shudder a little as the chilly waters soaked her. She stood there, letting the piercing cold numb her a little as it settled into her bones, effectively waking her up both physically and mentally.
She needed to focus. The send-home episode of Breakdown was coming up, which was bad enough – the idea of facing that vile-tongued bastard Adam Allocco again. Feeling that spike of anger, Selena clenched her jaw, a pale hand becoming a fist to slam against the shower wall.
Her last match with him, a fatal-fourway that had seen her pin and defeat him along with Bree Lancaster and Glory Braddock, hadn’t nearly been enough. By the next week, mostly everyone had forgotten about it. She was sure it wouldn’t even be mentioned. Not that she could brag about it – Allocco would just counter that it had been Syren decking him in the face that had won Selena the match and not her ‘Defying Gravity’ kick.
The platinum-blonde sighed. That was fine, she admitted. She could live with being seen as the underdog in this case – maybe the ‘unstable one’ after all the weeks she had let so much of what was happening in SCW get under her skin. But she would have to hear him again. Hear his words about ‘making the most out of his ending career’. ‘Make a legacy that his son could be proud of’. Words he had used against her over a year ago.
“Words that were utter crap!” Selena hissed in the cold. How the fuck had she bought that so long ago! It was Adam FUCKING Allocco! The man that lied to everyone! The man that had tried to use his own son for fame and attention! The man that had helped put Light in the Darkness on injury without a second thought! The man that had shown ZERO respect to Deanna with that damn ‘five moves of doom match’, squashing the inexperienced woman and killing her momentum after she had just won her first singles title – all to just get to Selena! Why the hell had she believed that Adam really cared about Alistaire or anyone for that matter? Why the hell did she ever believe that he had ANY integrity?!
It had been a secret Xander Valentine had first discovered, prompting the Executioner to go on a tear to keep Adam from acquiring the world title. Then, to further this, he had confided the truth to Owen Cruze… and now all of SCW knew. That Adam Allocco, himself, had been the reason that Alistaire could no longer wrestle. That Adam had been lying to SCW all this time…
“Gods… I wanna kill him…” the voice came out like a growl and it almost caught Selena off-guard to hear her own voice sound like that. But she could not deny it. The very thought of standing in the ring with him, listening to him try and justify all he did as some sort of “asshole behaviour”. Of mocking her and everything she had believed in – everything of hers that he had torn apart since that night in Las Vegas! – She could feel her blood boiling under her skin despite the cold water, her hand trying in vain to make it run colder but the lever was already turned all the way to the side. “Fuck…” she cursed under her breath.
She needed to control herself! If she was getting this worked up thinking about the bastard, then who knew what would happen when she was in the ring with him. Slowly, she breathed, trying to calm herself back down.
“Conceal…” she whispered, breathing under the pelting, frigid droplets. “Don’t feel…”
Her mantra was repeated over and over again until she had, temporarily, dispelled the thoughts of SCW and the finals of SCW occurring at Taking Hold of the Flame. She would train later today, as well as study whatever matches and videos she could find on Allocco. The man had managed to keep his ‘playbook’ secret when they had fought in Las Vegas. That was no longer the case after nearly a year later. Now? All his moves and ‘tricks’ were on full display like hers were! She was not going in this match again with him targeting her leg or any part of her! She would be watching for that strategy! “And if he cheats!” she reminded herself, her memory recalling how the man had torn off the turnbuckle padding to get an advantage over Syren in the quarterfinals. No, she would be ready this time because she COULD be ready this time! Provided she kept her emotions in check.
With a sigh, Selena turned off the water, stepping out to dry herself off. The cold water had, naturally, not created any steam. Hence, the mirror was unmarred as she stepped out, her wet reflection gazing back at her. For a moment, Selena simply stared at her own self. She saw the scars wrapping around her ribs, where, she knew, they formed into a ‘spider’s web’ of scar tissue at her back. For a moment, she wondered if Adam had any scars like that? She couldn’t recall a time where he had been so brutally beaten – the “King of HARDstyle” or however he worded it, preferring to flee or hide behind security than face any real danger.
Probably why he’s never flat-out fought Xander. Selena reasoned. Coward can’t seem to do anything without help.
Of course, that rationale brought with it more thoughts. Such as Adam using assistance like Ace had. Would the official allow it? She had no desire for the world title to be won through disqualification like her match with Ace had gone… but what could she do if Adam brought someone in? What could she do if she was outnumbered again? What could she do if…
Without realizing it, Selena’s eyes widened as she saw her hand suddenly in her platinum-blonde hand, the limb grabbing the hair on the side of her head and pulling it tight around her towards the back. Gazing back at the mirror, Selena saw her locks – the very thing she associated with her last name and her identity – tied back on one side against the skin while the rest remained untouched, flowing down her in a wet snowfall of sorts. She let her eyes narrow and her mouth twist a little – like she had seen in her nightmares. Then a slight lowering of the head to glare into her reflection with an upward glance…
And the Snow Queen of her nightmares stared back at her.
It made her spine go rigid, seeing the woman before her. She looked like Killjoy… but also like her… and it was her – it was her reflection! – but it wasn’t really her, was it?
“Level the playing field…” she felt herself whisper, her voice tired of just… of everything. “I just want to wrestle.” She continued. “I just want to prove that I’m the best. I just want to show that the title is about talent… not how many people you use or who the best ‘cheater’ is… I just…”
Level the playing field… The voice, this time, was in her head – the same tone that had filled her nightmares.
She continued to stare at the Snow Queen – at herself. The woman in her nightmares? Nothing seemed to faze her. She wasn’t scared of ambushers or rule-breakers. Because she would just adapt. If they cheated, then she would too. If they played fair, then so would she. If they brought friends, then she would too, until her enemies had no choice but to face her on equal footing – equal grounds - where their skills would have to better than hers if they hoped for victory.
And face it… nobody’s is…
It was… not true. Not entirely. But even Selena could not deny her rank in the ‘skills’ and ‘resilience’ department. She was the most decorated superstar in the past decade, the woman that had won more “Wrestler of the Year” awards than anyone – the only person to have won every main-kind of tournament in SCW history. She had beaten everyone, including Adam Allocco, and every one else in the tournament in some form and fashion… on a level playing field? Some could beat her once, maybe twice… but how many times had she won the war?
“Maybe that’s why they need to break the rules…” Selena muttered under her breath, casting her gaze away from her reflection and releasing her hair a little to begin to tie it up into its braid. Instead of feeling flattered by that notion, that someone like Ace Marshall or Syren had needed armies just to deal with her… Selena still felt miserable. What good was being so… well, ‘good’, if no one wanted to fight you fairly? What good was it to have worked your way to such skill if no one wanted to challenge you and test that skill anymore?
Kandis? Ace? Adam? Maybe even Syren if she was paling around with Lexy – they all would have taken a shortcut if given the chance. Anything to have a ‘win’ over ‘The Face of SCW’ rather than earning a victory…
Her hair down and her body dry, Selena applied only a basic amount of makeup and eyeliner before stepping back into her bedroom, where she spotted the black jeans, underwear, and maroon t-shirt Deanna had already laid out for her on the bed. She was quick to dress before catching her finished reflection in the mirror.
The woman that stood before her… this was her. Young – she refused to believe otherwise – and flawed, she could admit that much. But this was her. A woman that loved her family. Loved her job. Loved the company she worked for so much that she was willing to risk her own health and, at times, happiness to do right by it, even if SCW didn’t want that from her anymore. A sigh escaped the young woman at that thought.
What she dreamt, the Snow Queen standing there, unfettered by the hate of the SCW Universe… if it had happened that way or not, Selena couldn’t be certain anymore. Certain parts were correct, but so much of it could easily be part of her nightmares. But it wasn’t her – anymore than that gibbering mess that had awakened from the drug-trip screaming bloody murder to the night sky and storm.
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 that had rushed out at the sound of her screams in her delusion. She could not imagine what the whole scene 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.
Still, the older Frost had stayed cooped up in the house as much as possible, limiting her socializing beyond ‘SCW-things’ to nearly nothing, at least until things had cooled down or blown 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 she walked over to the laptop, flipping it open and logging into it to the last screen she had had on. The Microsoft Word document she had been working on since that match with Ace Marshall. Giving a quick read, she released a sigh…
Dear True Believers of the SCW Universe… I’m sorry that this will be the last Royal Letter I write for you…
“Selena.” She heard her name being called and immediately recognized it as her wife’s voice, though it sounded… a little off? With a softer exhale, Selena closed the laptop on the same screen before leaving the bedroom and making her way downstairs.
When I started this adventure nearly a decade ago, I began simply wanting to make money. Survive and thrive. I wanted to take the people that had laughed at me, mocked me, and ruined so much of my life and show them what I could do. I was… I was bitter. I was angry. I was so… lost. I didn’t really believe in myself… didn’t really believe in anything…
The platinum-blonde walked the few steps needed to reach the stairs, following the voice until she spied her beloved Deanna standing on the main-floor near the front door. The redhead was dressed with blue jeans and an orange and white long shirt with a belt that tied up around her waist-line. Beside her, surprisingly, were all three of their children, all looking at her with… confusion? Fear?
But all of you… you accepted me. You let me be part of something that was so much more than ‘a job’. You made me want to come to work every show, every night. You stood with me with your cheers of “We Believe!”. You encouraged me when I finally came out with my sexuality. You celebrated with me when I won my first titles. And when I didn’t believe in myself to be worthy of the SCW world championship, you voted for me and shared your belief with me that I WAS good enough to be world champion… YOUR SCW world champion…
“What’s wrong-“ Selena’s words stopped as she, finally, spotted the other adult in the room. A woman stood there patiently closer to the door. She was taller than Deanna, but not Selena, and wore a black pantsuit, and carrying a binder with her. Her black hair – tied in a tight bun - 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.”
Everything that has grown from that – the awards, the accolades, the Reign of Integrity - everything I have done and accomplished has only been possible because all of you never stopped believing in me and the integrity we wanted to see in SCW. I felt… I felt that we could endure anything together – that SCW could endure anything – as long as we stood united and believed in one another as we have for so many years, through thick and thin, through all the wars, scars and pains… together.
“This is…” Deanna’s voice sounded loudly. “Utterly ridiculous! My wife is an amazing mother!”
Blinking her eyes, Selena gazed around the room. She was suddenly not in the mudroom of her house, but the cinema room, waiting outside the door to her office… the past two hours flying by in a blur, her mind still reeling with the words Madison had thrown at her.
Child abuse… her?
The words sounded foreign… impossible! She would never…
And yet she had. She had struck her son, David. Had slapped his cheek to stop his immature, wildly inappropriate behaviour. Had he told someone about that? He must have since this ‘Madison-woman’ was here now – but did he realize what this meant? Did he even understand?
Despite these questions, the former world champion could not bear to look up at her son, who was sitting down the hall in the ‘play area’, Elsianna and Amiliah sitting beside him. None of them said anything. It was “appointment mode”, a little thing the Frost family had created during one of Amiliah’s first doctor’s appointments years ago. It meant that the children needed to sit still, not speak too loud, and be on their best behaviour. It was rarely used, which made it all the more important to be followed when it was employed – even Amiliah had learned that.
Deanna must have enacted it. Selena guessed, biting the nail of her thumb nervously before shifting her hands to twist at her braid harshly – feeling the pricks of pain in her scalp. They had given a tour of their home to the woman, showing how it was safe for children and now things had moved to the ‘interview’ portion. It would soon be her turn to talk to this Bailey woman. What if she said the wrong thing? What if she was deemed ‘unfit’ or guilty of abuse…
They’ll take David away from you… maybe Elsianna and Amiliah too… just like integrity was taken from you by him… Selena slammed her eyes shut against the familiar voice. She didn’t need to think about The Snow Queen right now! She had to stay calm! She needed to focus…
Maybe that’s why this letter hurts so much for me. For some time now… maybe since after Taking Hold of the Flame and into Rise to Greatness last year, I have felt myself slowly losing that connection with all of you. I found myself losing focus, distracted by your sudden jeers and mocking of my catchphrase – arguing with one another like my kids do over ‘who the best superhero is’. I did my best to stay true to my beliefs and to the goal of integrity that was ongoing despite it. But as the months passed, and I fought to keep my word to all of you, I felt us growing further and further apart… until I… I didn’t know where I stood in SCW anymore. I didn’t even know if I really belonged there anymore.
And then last Breakdown…
“Selena…” The woman jerked her head up, instantly hissing in pain as she accidentally pulled the thumbnail she had been working with her teeth up and off her digit, causing some of the skin to go with it. “Damn…” she hissed under her breath before forcing her attention back to Deanna, who stood at the doorway.
“She wants to talk to you now.” The redhead sounded despondent, her frame sagging a little, which only further unnerved Selena. Still, Selena gave a curt nod before walking the few steps necessary to reach the door. She had just passed Deanna when she felt the shorter woman’s hand on her bicep, the Snow Queen turning her gaze towards the worried emerald eyes of her wife. “Don’t…” her voice trailed off, but nearly eight years of marriage finished the sentence for Selena.
Giving a sharp nod as her answer, Selena shuffled into her office, closing the door behind her. Inside the room, Selena immediately cursed the situation in her mind. This room was supposed to be her sanctuary. Her place of escape to be alone with her thoughts. Her place where she had written some of her best promos for SCW and the other companies she had worked for. It was in this room that she had first come up with the “Frozen Central” segment and had done so much research on her opponents.
Now? That peace was gone. Taken from her by this woman that knew nothing about her!
Last Breakdown… I don’t know if it was the last straw… but it felt so damn close. To hear you cheering on what happened to Deanna and I at the last pay-per-view, when we only wanted to give you integrity and top matches for tag division. When I only wanted the world championship to mean something more than the mundane, cheap, cheating tricks that had plagued it for years… Only to listen to you chant for Ace as he continued to try and cheat you out of a pure semifinal match to find a worthy SCW world champion…
What happened to us, SCW Universe?
“Please have a seat.” The voice snapped Selena back to present, and she almost spoke out at the suited woman as Madison was currently in ‘Selena’s chair’, the child services clerk having made herself quite comfy behind Selena’s desk in her ‘throne chair’. Biting her lower lip against her instinctual response, Selena quietly, with as much grace as she could muster, walked towards the green, faux-leather chair in front of the desk, taking a seat in front and crossing one leg over the other.
“This is all very unnerving.” She said flatly to Bailey.
“Most parents feel that way when I show up.” Madison answered.
“Are…” Selena hesitated for a moment, fear gripping her, and making her terrified to ask the question.
What happened to us, SCW Universe? We used to be united! We use to want to see 5-star matches that displayed talent – displayed Supreme Championship Wrestling! Where hard work and passion were valued and not seen as ‘boring’ or ‘not what we paid to see’. When did that change, guys? Honestly, I am desperate to know at this point. Because I don’t understand why it changed. And why I feel so alone now, fighting for something… do any of you even believe in it anymore?
“Are you going to take my children away?” she couldn’t help the shake in her voice. The thought seemed beyond impossible, and yet there Madison stood with her accusation of ‘child abuser’ on the older Frost woman.
Seeing the platinum-blonde’s discomfort, Madison gave a slow exhale. “I won’t say yes or no to that, Mrs. Frost.” She answered. “However, that is not my ACTIVE goal. All I want is to make sure that your children are in safe and nurturing environment.”
“They are.” Selena assured quickly. “We make sure they exercise, are fed good foods, we…” she stopped herself, seeing the unaffected expression on Madison’s face. How many times had this woman heard such things from other parents? “We… try.” Selena settled on saying. “Parenting isn’t easy, especially for two women in a gated community but… we try.”
“My sympathies on your struggles.” Madison answered simply as she continued to look through her binder. “But this is about David.”
“Yes.” Selena nodded, trying to clear her thoughts at the mental image of her son. “David.”
“So… did you hit your child, Mrs. Frost?”
The fact that I am even asking that question… that I even consider it… I don’t blame you for your reactions. You are the SCW Universe. You are free to choose and free to do as you wish. You have that power. You have that right. Without you, there is no us. Without you, there is no SCW. But if that is what you want – what you believe ‘SCW’ to be now… chaos matches, ambushes, 5-on-2 or 4-on-1 handicaps… if that is what you believe SCW should be…
Then, to paraphrase my boss, this is NOT the SCW hired me. This is NOT the SCW that believed in me…
“Did I… did I what?” Selena gulped, her sapphire eyes wide.
“Perhaps that was too direct.” Madison considered before pulling out a piece of paper from the binder she held. Carefully, she handed it over to Selena. “We received a phone call several days ago. Evidently, your son drew this in class. Someone spotted the drawing and we were, eventually, notified. I’m sorry for the vagueness but, confidentiality…”
Selena had stopped listening to the woman as she reached a pale hand out to take the drawing. Slowly, she turned it in her hand, allowing herself to see the bright colors of the crayons and the streaks of wax etched across the paper. She recognized her son’s hand almost immediately, having seen him draw in his coloring book for so many years.
But the image before her…
There was a small figure, like a stick figure, his head was bigger than most of his body. He had a basic ‘sad’ expression of a single line making a frown and black dots for eyes… but the dark blue of tears going down ‘his’ face were unmistakable. He was hunched over, looking away – Selena noticed a red circle on the boy’s left ‘cheek’.
Towering over him – for it took up the top and bottom of the page – was a second figure with yellow-hair and blue eyes. But this thing had a gigantic head! It almost reminded Selena of her own ‘views’ of Adam Allocco’s ego! Except this wasn’t Adam Allocco that was baring sharp, pointy ‘teeth’ at the boy and snarling at him.
No… her eyes quickly saw past the scribbles that made up the boy’s room, random shadings of green and brown and, instead, locked on towards the charcoal-black of the arrows, one that pointed towards the boy and said ‘Me’ while the other pointed towards the fanged behemoth with the word ‘Mommy’ next to it.
“I…” Selena was at a loss for words as she beheld the picture. There was no way to ‘mistake’ it. The moment, the scene – what haunted her as much, if not more, than everything in SCW right now – was on full display in this ‘art-class drawing’. “What is this?” she asked.
“You tell me.” Madison answered simply. “That is how your son sees you, it seems.” She moved closer to Selena. “Any reason why he would draw you like that?”
That is why, with a heavy heart, I say that I cannot be in an SCW that doesn’t want me there anymore. That doesn’t want integrity. I can’t. Because every show… I’ve felt it. I’ve felt myself slipping. When I lost my temper over a technical error in Deanna’s entrance. When I sucker-punched Ace Marshall during that farce of a title-ceremony. When I yelled at D. over a match where the official was just doing his job… I can feel it – myself, slowly slipping away. Slowly losing more and more of my own belief, faith… even my own integrity…
And it scares me.
Selena barely heard the last question, her eyes unable to tear away from the piece of paper. “Why…” her voice shook as the flurry of emotions hit her – shame, hurt, disgust at herself – “Why would he see me as this…this…”
”Monster?” came the voice in her mind. ”Because, deep down, you ARE one. You need to be one! Because if you don’t… then everything you love will be taken from you! SCW, the integrity, now your children… because you were too afraid...
“This…” she turned her head towards Madison, unable to stop the wild look growing in her eyes. “This isn’t me.” She explained. “I’d never…after everything I’ve been through with my stepmother – THAT woman was a child abuser, okay?! Gods, where were you guys when I was going through that?!”
“Mrs. Frost…”
“For Odin’s sake, she locked me in a tub and tried to drown me… TWICE! Once as a child and another when I was an adult! And that’s just the tip of the goddamn iceburg! And you’re here… saying… that I’m like her? Like that?! That isn’t me! That’s not who I am!!” her voice was near shouting levels at the notion. “I am not a monster!”
It scares me so much because I don’t want to become that. I don’t want to become like Ace Marshall or, gods forbid, a liar and a despicable piece of crap like Adam Allocco. I don’t want to sell out every fiber of my integrity just so we can ‘get along’ and ‘agree’ again. I don’t want to sell out my beliefs just so you cheer my name or scream “We Believe” again. I… I want you to cheer me because you believe in me. Because you’re proud of me. Because you still believe in what I do and what I can do for SCW and for all of us! So my children can continue to be proud of me…
“MRS. FROST!” Madison had risen out of her chair and, though she was shorter than Selena, with the Snow Queen sitting, still in shock, the suited woman towered over the platinum-blonde. “If you do not calm down, I will end this interview here and now.”
It wasn’t much, but it was enough to snap Selena out of her rant, the seated woman almost cowering back into her seat, her eyes fluttering back down to the drawing.
But I can’t… after nearly a year of trying… of watching SCW turn and go back – go back to the low bar so easily… and hearing all of you cheer those people on… I just, maybe this isn’t the place for me anymore. Maybe it’s just my time to stop trying when no one believes, before even I don’t believe anymore… maybe it’s time…
“Now.” Madison pressed. “This…” she reached a finger out to tap on the paper in Selena’s hands. “Is this drawing based on any kind of truth? Did you, or did you not, assault your son? Yes or no?”
Maybe it’s time to say goodbye.
“I…” Selena opened her mouth to speak, but her voice closed out. You can’t say ‘yes’! screamed the Snow Queen in her mind. She’ll take David away! Then Elsianna and Amiliah will be taken next! She’ll take them all to an orphanage! You’ll NEVER see them again! “Y…N…N…Yee…” Selena’s voice was barely a mutter of sounds as she tried to speak, her hands shaking, which only created a louder ‘flapping sound’ as the paper shook right along with her hands.
“Yes or no.” pressed Madison.
“N…” Selena felt her heart race, her anger spiking. How dare this woman come here and threaten to take her children away! How dare she try and put her through this! Gods, I should just throw her in the ring and kick her GODDAMN head off!
The door swung open, gaining both women’s attention to the small boy standing there in his favorite Spider-Man t-shirt and black shorts.
“I made it up!” he screamed. “Please don’t hurt my mom anymore! I made it up!”
The silence was deafening as the three stood there, clerk, mother and son. It hung that way for several minutes until Bailey cleared her throat. Just as quick as the hardened interviewer had appeared, it was gone, replaced with the caring clerk.
“What do you mean, David?” she asked kindly.
“I mean… I made it up.” David stated. “I drew the drawing to get even with mom.”
“Get even?” Selena asked in surprise, too stunned by everything to fully process what was happening.
“I didn’t want to make poppies for memorial day. I wanted to play Metroid. Mom wouldn’t let me and when I complained and whined, she grounded me. So… I drew the picture and handed it to my teacher to get mom in trouble. Cause then she’d get a timeout or detention or something!”
For a moment, Madison just stood there, her eyes narrowing at David, before she quietly moved towards him, kneeling down rather fluidly despite her heels. Eye to eye with the boy, the CPS clerk tilted her head.
“David…” she started. “You know you don’t have to lie to protect your mom, right? If she hurt you, you can tell me.”
Despite himself, Selena heard the boy gulp as he stood there before the woman.
“It’s never okay to strike a child, or anyone. And if your mother did it, she needs to be held accountable.”
“But…” David tried, his voice beginning to stammer. “She didn’t! I mean-“
I regret nothing. Everything I did was by my choice. I wanted to give every single one of you all I had every time I stepped through those ropes and into the ring. I have missed birthdays, first words, first steps, first scrapped knees, so many first lost tooths, and while it saddens me, I never, once, regretted being here and being an SCW superstar. But in my heart… what lies ahead of me made me realize that it was time for me to let SCW be… whatever it is you want it to be.
“Look, she didn’t do it, okay?!” David all but shouted. “I told you that. I’m sorry! I didn’t think this would happen! It was just a… a prank.”
Madison glared at the boy for an impossibly long period of time before slowly standing up to her full height, leaving the boy below her. Without a word, she slowly gathered her notes.
“Well, then…” she said once all her things were gathered. “Then I shall be on my way.”
In that moment, it didn’t matter that every fiber in Selena’s being was screaming at her that this wasn’t over. She merely felt relief as Madison took her leave. She refused to leave her seat until she heard Deanna bid the woman farewell and heard the door close from upstairs.
It was only then that the young Frost exhaled the breath she had been holding, deflating and collapsing further into her chair. Her body running through so many emotions, it almost brought her to tears, forcing her to draw a pale hand to cup over her eyes.
“Mom?” David asked, cautiously moving closer to his mother. “Does this mean I won’t be taken away?”
Hearing her son’s voice, Selena turned her head to see him standing before her, nearly at her eye-level.
“David…” she breathed, wanting to answer him but the burning question in her head persisted as she held up his drawing. “Is this how you see me?”
The young boy opened his mouth to speak as he gazed at his own drawing, but no words followed. Instead, he merely shrugged his shoulders as his eyes moved down to his feet. Not for the first time that day, Selena felt her heart break a little more.
My son thinks I’m a monster… she thought, feeling every painful emotion that came with that knowledge. “Then…” she breathed. “Why did you lie to the lady?” she slowly, feeling the burning tears in her eyes. “Why did you protect me?”
“Because mom said that they were going to take me away from you.”
The answer was so…upfront. As if it was the most obvious answer on the planet. Easier than ‘what’s 2 + 2?’. Except it wasn’t so understandable to Selena.
“Why would you want to stay with me? If I’m…” she gulped at the last two words. “A monster.”
“You’re not always a monster.” David replied. “Usually… you’re ‘mom’.”
“But…” Selena whispered under her breath. “I am a monster…” Despite herself, she felt her free hand drift up to her hair, grasping the side of it and tugging it back a little behind her head…
“David…” the voice caused Selena to drop the locks of hair she held to see Deanna standing there, gaining the boy’s attention.
“Are they going to take me away, mom?” he asked Deanna, his eyes wide.
“No.” Deanna answered. “But you understand why you can’t go around saying things like that or drawing things like that?”
“I…yeah…” David nodded. “I didn’t mean for someone to find the drawing. It must have fallen out of my binder or something.”
“Is that true?” Deanna asked, more quiet than accusatory, not wishing to scare the young boy.
“It doesn’t matter.” Came Selena’s response. “David, you…” she turned her head to him, ready to reprimand him for lying to the lady. But those words did not come out. Instead, she merely sighed. “I’m sorry.” She finally said. “I should never have hit you. I promise…” she sniffled a little, wiping at her eyes with her free hand. “I promise I will never do that again.”
The young boy looked at him for a moment before nodding his head. “I’m sorry I drew that picture.” He offered. “And for swearing. And for-“
“That’s enough, David.” Deanna tried. “We get it.”
“Okay…” he nodded his head. “Can we… can we be done with ‘Appointment protocol’?”
“Yes.” Selena answered with a snort of a laugh from the abrupt topic change. “Go tell your sisters.”
He scampered out of the room to do so, leaving the Frost wives alone in the study.
“Can you…” Selena breathed slowly. “Can you please close the door, Deanna. I’m about to cry and I don’t want them to hear me.”
Quickly, the redhead flew further into the room, closing the door behind her. It wasn’t until Selena heard the click of the latch that she let everything out. All the pain, self-hatred, fear, loathing at herself, all of it. With it came ready tears that ran down her cheeks unlike any crying she had done before. She let them fall, let them wash over her face. It was a silent cry, but the magnitude of it could not be measured in ‘volume’.
“I almost…” she breathed, her breath slowly growing into hiccups. “I almost…hic…lost our son…”
The hics of the hiccups continued as she held up the drawing towards Deanna, who slowly took it from her hand and examined it. “He thinks I’m a monster.” She whispered, her voice breaking a little at such knowledge.
Silence held itself between the two Frost women as Deanna glanced from the paper towards her wife, then back to the drawing, then back to Selena before she finally spoke.
“Then change his mind.”
Slowly, Selena heard her wife’s words, the Snow Queen looking up to gaze at her. “What?”
“You made him think you were a monster. Make him think you’re not.”
“It doesn’t…” Selena tried. “It doesn’t work that way.”
“Why not?” Deanna asked.
“Because once you lose…” she breathed, trying to stop her hiccups. “Because it’s…it’s like Santa Clause… Once you lose faith in something, you can’t just get it back.”
“I’m not asking you to make him believe in something mythical, Selena.” Deanna countered. “I’m asking you to make him see you’re a good person.”
“I don’t know how.”
“Promising not to hit him again was a good start.”
“I meant that!”
“I know.” Deanna nodded. “But then what?”
“I…” Selena shrugged, her mind too jumbled to give proper thought to an answer. “Be nice to him or something?”
“You’re his mother. Not his pal.” Deanna stated, crossing her arms over her chest. “Make him realize that there will be good days and bad days between you two, but you’ll always love him. That’s the important thing.”
“Why-“
“Because monsters don’t feel love.” Deanna stated simply. “They don’t cry like that when they’re called ‘monsters’.” She gestured towards her wife before slowly reaching to take Selena’s free hand into hers. “And monsters don’t try and learn from their mistakes… because they don’t think they ever made mistakes.”
“Well I’ve made mistakes.” Selena sighed, wiping at her eyes. “A lot of them.”
“See?” Deanna smiled, leaning to gently kiss her wife’s lips. “I’m going to call the school and let them know the kids will be back tomorrow. Maybe we can go for a picnic today or something.”
“I’d like that.” Selena offered a small smile, watching her wife go. It wasn’t until she was gone that she released a sigh of sadness before sneaking out of the office, up the stairs and back into her room unnoticed. Once there, she opened her laptop again to gaze at the letter she had been working on.
“But monsters can lie, Deanna.” She whispered. ”And that’s exactly what I almost did…”
She had almost lied to that Bailey-woman. Almost denied she had ever hit David, even though she had. She would have, she knew it deep in her soul that if David hadn’t barged in at that moment… she would have lied to keep from having her son and children taken away from her.
Level the playing field… the voice whispered in her mind.
Make it fair…
Take the title…
Once more, Selena clutched at the side of her hair, pulling it back for a brief moment as she read the last line in her letter.
So…I hope you never stop believing in SCW, because I will always believe in it. And if there’s no place for me… well, thanks for letting it be my place for nearly ten years…
“Not yet…” Selena whispered before slowly closing the laptop once more, refusing to send it. “One more try…” she whispered, taking a deep breath. “One last match…to try and fix everything…”
Decided, Selena left the room, returning to her wife’s side to prepare themselves for the planned picnic.
Sincerely,
Selena Michelle Frost
The Face of SCW…
______________________________________
![[Image: hffOaUZ.png]](https://i.imgur.com/hffOaUZ.png)
SCW Supreme Champion
6x SCW World Champion
4x SCW World Tag-Team Champion
2x SCW United States Champion
3x SCW Adrenaline Champion
SCW Television Champion
Longest Reigning SCW World Champion (234 days)
Winner of Shot of Adrenaline Tournament (2016)
Winner of Best of the Best Tournament (2016)
Winner of Trios Tournament (2018)
Winner of U.S. Championship Tournament (2020)
Winner of World Championship Tournament (2023)
Winner of Tactical Warfare (2014, 2019)
Winner of Elimination Chamber (2015, 2024)
Winner of Roofed Cage Match (2019)
Winner of Last Person Standing Match (2019)
The Unbelievable Main Event (2021-2025)
Winner of Double Jeopardy Match (2022)
Winner of EOTY Invitational (2023)
Winner of EOTY Invitational (2023)
Winner of Ironman Match (2024)
Wrestler of the Year (2016, 2021, 2022, 2024)
Tag-Team of the Year (2020 - w/ Regan Street)
Match of the Year (2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024)
Feud of the Year (2014, 2019)
Shocking Moment of the Year (2024)
![[Image: 34zetxl.png]](https://i.ibb.co/SnpvD5T/34zetxl.png)