The Dark Side of the Sun
”Sense Out of Chaos”
Schonburg Castle
Oberwessel, Germany
February 13th, 2021
1:43pm
Perhaps the hardest thing to accept was that life went on despite her wishes it go back.
Her sister was still bedridden when all that was wished was that time go backward, rather than forward, to before that dreaded match that put her in a hospital. Life went on.
Her wife remained in prison, making her wish that every second with the redhead in her arms was frozen in place – never ending so she wouldn’t have to suffer the inevitable force of having to let her go. Life went on.
The Tag League was finished. She had failed. Without Regan, she had not even lasted a match – being the one that was pinned. She had wanted to cry there in that ring, that damned word that had followed her throughout 2020 when part of Frozen Hell ringing in her brain.
Failure… Glory had apologized like the amazing woman she was becoming, but there was no way the platinum-blonde would hear it. Glory was not the one to blame. She was not the one that had failed or not ‘been enough’ after making so many promises to represent Regan and have her there with there. Selena had…
And life went on.
Selena sighed as she walked through the paths that etched their way around and within the garden grounds of the castle’s gardens, the cold, crisp winter air Oberwessel was offering lancing through her thin coat, maroon scarp, dark green sweater to her pale skin, and offering the kind of cold she reveled in. She felt the wind whip her hair – in its iconic braid – back, lifting it up as if it wanted to carry it away, leaving Selena without it.
She hadn’t spared much of a glance or thought after Breakdown. She knew that she couldn’t go back to Regan. Couldn’t look her sister in her green eyes. She was ashamed – which she felt along with the cold in her bones. She was ashamed and scared.
How could she face the woman that was bedridden, their dream ending not with a BANG! Like Regan’s husband would say, but rather, like so much of Selena’s current existence. A mere blip on the radar. Lost in the sea of ‘greater happenings’ on in SCW. For the Snow Queen, it was a cold and brutal truth that she could no longer hide from herself as her boots crunched the snow beneath them as she walked.
Regan had been the focus of Frozen Hell, her dream of becoming a Supreme Champion in SCW like Selena and Helms being seen as the bigger ‘story’. And if Selena had needed any proof about that, the months of hell that lead to Taking Hold of the Flame – were she was, seemingly, being phased out/considered for replacement by David was proof of that – though she could not blame the Hellcat for that. But everyone knew – Twitter had exploded with so many people vying for Regan to replace Selena – when Selena was STILL an active wrestler. In fact, if Selena stood there and looked through the last thirteen-fourteen years of her career, as a woman wanting to be something of worth in SCW – she had to be honest with herself.
She had not been ‘The Face of SCW’.
She had not been ‘The Best of the Best’.
Hell, she wasn’t even sure she could qualify herself as ‘The Snow Queen’ anymore.
She had merely been a part of the ‘act’. Part of ‘Regan’s dream’, easily replaceable. And without Regan… without her sister with her… she was nothing.
She, who had broken Xander and knocked him out twice, had been little more than a rag doll in the Executioner’s arms.
She, who had survived nights of ‘two-matches’ in tournament, had not even managed to last through one.
She, who was a former World Champion… hadn’t even been considered for the title in over four years.
She felt her boot kick at the snow on the ground before she realized what she had done, seeing the wisps and bundles of the white powder travel a few inches before settling back on the blanket of snow that covered the earth. She released a huff of breath, which quickly condensed into vapour, which lifted in the air before dispersing.
As the weeks had gone by following Last Grasp of Reality – where she had been nothing more than a spectator that night (again furthering the current assessment of her ‘worth’ in SCW) – It had gotten easier and easier to enjoy rushing out of the arenas and harder and harder to bring herself to them. She had barely spoken to the fans outside of the show unless they directly stopped her, asking for photos and autographs (never refusing but no longer lingering around like she use to, ashamed to face them as she was ashamed now to face Regan). Hell, she hadn’t even updated her Twitter at all so far in this new year – communicating with fans or anything.
Even now, with her supposedly being part of this ‘invitation-only’ World title gauntlet match coming up on Breakdown – anyone with a brain (aside from Bree Lancaster, of course), would have looked at it with excitement and jubilation! The chance of a lifetime – for any career – again, except Bree’s.
Yet, Selena wasn’t excited to leave Germany. Wasn’t excited to arrive in Cleveland or get into the ring or… any of it. Rather, she was anticipating the same. She could fight, fight over and over again, fight with all she had and, yet… the second she failed again, it wouldn’t matter. She’d be forgotten. Cast back to the back and whatever efforts she had made would be… same as last week. Same as 2020…
And she hated feeling this way. She didn’t WANT to feel this way. She wanted to be proud of being part of SCW. She wanted to be proud of where she was and what she could do in the ring. Sher wanted to be proud of so many things…
Yet all she felt was dread. Dread at the match and the knowledge that Sasha had two more years out of her within SCW…
Selena stopped in her tracks as that last thought crossed her mind.
Two more years out of my contract…
A few years ago, when Selena had met with the SCW operator, Sasha D., the Snow Queen had been stunned about at Sasha’s offer to her. Not only was it a lot more money, but it had been a much thicker contract than the yearlys Selena had signed in the past with Mr. D.. A quick perusal of it had explained way. Sasha – the clever woman – had wanted to expand on Selena being “The Face of SCW” with merchandising ideas and, the most glaring feature, a multi-year contract, the first Selena had ever signed in her life. Even in the years travelling and working with other federations like IWC, UWA, and ULW (while she worked at SCW), she had never signed a multi-year deal till then. But Sasha had wanted guarantees. She had wanted to keep Selena with SCW so such an investment could be possible and agreed upon by the board.
Why bother investing so heavily in an wrestler that could leave after one year?
It had made sense then, but now? It was merely another regret Selena was feeling – her career now more of an obligation, having to go see her contract through.
But that was insane, wasn’t it? Why would she ever think like that?
Still, she remained standing in that snow, seeing the thick snowflakes falling from the clouds above. Was… did she want to…
Reaching up, her pale fingers grasped the thick braid that continued to blow in the wind, bringing it around to her front so she could grasp it with both hands, twisting it every which way as she explored those thoughts.
Did she want to go back to SCW right now?
The answer, to her shock, was no. Not in that moment, anyway. She had been little more than a stepping stone for so many people in the past year and even to this past week – the tag division pushing by her and leaving her alone. Glory was going back on the track to regain the Adrenaline title from Shilo Valiant.
No cared that Selena had been abandoned. No one had cared that Selena was alone with no where to go in SCW. And if the show’s runsheets she saw every time she stepped into the arena were any indication, SCW’s Board (including Sasha) seemed to care less and less anyway.
So…was that enough of a reason? Was that enough reason for her to want to just…just…
She forced her eyes shut, concentrating on the cold of the wind, which had, seemingly picked up a little, creating a fusion of invigoration and sharp, cold pain that hit her. “Conceal…” she whispered, trying to quell her thoughts. “Don’t feel…”. She repeated it again as she stood there.
It was useless to think like this. She was obligated to finish her contract and what else could she do now besides being a wrestler? Go back to being a waitress at her Uncle Liam’s bar and grill? Living as a social pariah again? “The Crazy Miner’s Daughter”? Draining the resources she needed to keep herself a presence in her wife’s imprisoned life?
For a moment, Selena looked around. No… she would NEVER return to that part of her life – being entrapped within Nome – again. She would die before she allowed herself to sink that far.
Never again… a growl came from her throat, escaping into the air to become part of the winter chill. Yet, as she gazed up at the castle nearby, seeing the exquisite shapes and designs of it… a thought came to her…
What if she worked here? She was already beloved by the owners, Gunther and Margarette, staying there out of their kindness, and though Selena was often contributing to their costs for the castle with her own income, they had repeatedly insisted that she would never be required to do so. In their eyes, Selena, Deanna, and their children were family.
She turned her head, taking in more of the beautiful rooftops that were covered in snow, creating a winter castle that, she would have to admit, she wished she could use in a promo as “The Snow Queen” in that moment. But what if she did leave all of that behind? Quit SCW and take whatever fees and punishments Sasha would have to invoke due to Selena’s cancelling her contract… No, she couldn’t go back to live in Nome, but… what if she lived her? With her children? An hour or so away from Deanna and the Frankfurt prison?
Despite herself, the pros of such a decision hit Selena one after the other, like bricks being hurled at a window. She could get a job either in town or, she thought, maybe help Gunther with the castle upkeep as part of them staying there. She would sell the million-dollar ‘forever-house’ she and Deanna had taken in Manhattan and her private plane and limo-bus - maybe to other superstars that deserved more than she did now – and invest those and her savings from her income as an SCW main-event superstar and invest to create a stable source of income for her children…
Her children… her Elsianna, her David, her Amiliah…
She could spend every day with her children, never having to leave them in the care of Gerda or Gunther or Margarette. She could help them more with their homework rather than have to do so through Skype meeting calls when she was out-of-town. She would never miss another parent-teacher conference or birthday or ‘special moment’ in their children’s lives because ‘SCW had called’.
In short… she could be the mother that she, herself, had never had.
It had been the solemn vow she had made the moment she had been told she was pregnant with Elsianna – that she would never be what her step-mother, Anastasia DeCarlo, had been to her. That she would love her child with all her heart and be the best provider… the best parent… the child could ever ask for. Didn’t Elsianna deserve that now? Didn’t all her children deserve that, rather than having their mother being pulled away across the world to a job that…that…
Selena shook her head. She did not believe herself to be in a position to judge her ‘motherly grade’ at this point – and, to be honest, she was too afraid that she’d just see herself as a failure as she currently did as a wrestler – any memory of what had happened with Elsianna when she was born… or even her arms… were enough proof of that.
But still… what did she have to prove in SCW in comparison? She had already won every title, won so many top tournaments, highlighted so many historic matches and shows… Maybe it wasn’t enough to be a ‘Hall of Fame worthy’ career like Regan’s was, but still, there was little left for her to prove or even achieve… and compared to what was left for her to achieve as a parent…
Her children growing up.
Getting their driver’s licenses.
Dating – that part Selena was dreading.
Going to college or university (where she had only finished high school)
Changing the world and finding their own places within it.
Wasn’t ‘her place’ in their world more important than simply going to SCW to ‘solidify her legacy’ like Regan had wanted to? That wasn’t what Selena wanted. As much as she adored her sister, to see Regan’s life depend so much on SCW and the ups and downs of that career, being haunted by ‘what-ifs’ and ‘haven’t done’ of some bucket-list… Selena never wanted that. Her legacy was her children. That’s what she cared about. SCW could hate her and shove her into dark matches till her contract expired, could expunge her from the SCW’s history. She didn’t need a Hall of Fame ring. She didn’t need to overstay her welcome like Syren and Ravyn had. She didn’t need to ‘pretend’ to be something like several of the ‘gimmick’ superstars. She had just wanted to be herself. Be genuine.
It was why she was being forced to be ‘real’ right now.
And, being ‘real’? Selena was asking herself if being SCW was still worth what she was sacrificing in terms of being a ‘wife’ and ‘mother’? Before? Easily – she knew it was. She was changing the world in SCW, for the better, she hoped. Fighting for those that couldn’t fight for themselves. Fighting against those deemed ‘too tough’ or ‘too scary’. Being a role model for her children and providing for them the life she had never had – the life she knew they deserved!
But, being ‘real’ in the cold of the winter in that garden? Selena felt none of that in that moment. She didn’t feel like a ‘role model’ or a ‘hero’ or anything like that. She wasn’t proud of her last slew of matches. Hell, she had even started asking her children not to watch her on television anymore – ever since she had been soundly beaten by Xander Valentine months ago…
Much like with Regan, she just couldn’t face the guilt or the questions about why she had failed. Why did she come up short? “I thought good guys always won…”… that.
Casting her gaze up towards another section of the castle, Selena spotted one of the windows, supported by thin cast-iron bearings criss-crossing each other in a sort of distorted glass pattern. Still, she was close enough to that part of the castle to see the woman staring down at her, the black hair evident by a mile.
Selena sighed as she realized Talia was watching her, no doubt still from the bedroom Gunther had supplied her (‘far away from the children’ as he had declared – he didn’t trust Talia anymore than Selena did). It was the only place Talia could be, the lawyer still recovering from the car accident several weeks back.
“She must be recovering…” Selena said to no one offhandedly, “if she’s walking around her room and whatever.”
She didn’t turn her gaze away from Talia right away, the clear part of the window’s glass allowing her to see the dark-haired women’s eyes. Since the accident, Selena had not pressured Talia for anything. Not for answers or some kind of explanation or if the meeting with her associate before that had yielded anything of importance for Deanna’s case.
Talia wasn’t like Selena. Her life hadn’t been endangered multiple times in the past. While Selena had longed to leave the small town of Nome and live a life fuller and more…just more… Talia had never desired such things – content to grow her way into becoming a ‘queen’ or part of the ‘noble’ family that made up the Scythes in Nome, Alaska. Big fish in a small pond.
Still, as she watched Talia finally turn away from the window, withdrawing further back into the room and out of sight, Selena found her eyes locked on the window, unable to pull herself away.
Why had Talia not spoken to her about any of what happened?
It was an odd question that snuck up on her in that moment, but she welcomed it as a distraction from her current realm of self-deprecation as a wrestler and mother. Talia had locked herself away from the world after her accident… but why? Yes, there had been that threatening phone call Talia had shown Selena months and months ago, but her former friend had seen it as a challenge. Something she would face head on because it was proof she was headed in the right direction – hell, it was something that gave Selena hope despite the implications.
And yet… this car accident had shut her up for weeks.
In fact, the more Selena thought about it, the more this seemed so unlike the woman that had made Selena’s private life miserable. Talia Scythe had learned from the best – Malcolm Scythe – to manipulate and conquer enemies, not hide from them. Hell, the only way Selena had beaten them had been because of her family’s help – and it had just been by a bare amount.
“And another thing!” she suddenly breathed into the cold air inadvertently, not meaning to vocalize her thoughts.
Why would she stall here? Wouldn’t she want to act on the information her informant gave her, if any?
Again, that was the logical thing to do! Talia was trapped very much in the same way Selena had been trapped in Nome during her childhood. At the mercy of someone else. The only way for Talia to return to the life she coveted was to get Deanna out of prison, yet she had done nothing for weeks – even in discussion. Simply stayed in her room.
It didn’t make sense, unless two possibilities – Selena surmised. First, her informant had nothing and she was just recovering (the likely answer) or…or…
Something spooked her enough to stay away… Selena thought, suddenly fighting the will to move her legs again, hearing the crunching sound of snow under her boots as she marched across the garden, only this time, it was not aimless wandering. No, this travel had a direction, one Selena took with long strides as she reached one of the entryway’s into the castle interior, immediately stomping the snow off her feet and smacking the buildup of snow on her shoulders and head.
Nothing was making sense in those moments – not just in SCW (as she had been in mental war over previously) but also now. And she was tired of not having answers. She knew, as sure as her name was Selena Michelle Frost that Deanna Frost was innocent of the charges brought upon her. Her wife was not a pedophile! If anything, Selena would have been closer to that (having dated Deanna when she had been 17 while Selena had been closer to 25)! Which meant that Fredric Castle, her accuser, had lied or twisted the facts or SOMETHING! And what ate away at Selena was… why?
To say that the Snow Queen had tried to get the young man to drop the charges had been an understatement. In the beginning, she had tried time and time again to offer something – anything! A fortune in money, her own house in Manhattan, for Odin’s sake, she had even tried to play to her ‘celebrity status’ and offered her custom limo-bus and plane.
All were rejected – the boy refusing to do anything but see her wife ‘tried for her crimes’.
But if Deanna was innocent… and money wasn’t the goal… was it her destruction? Was that it? Was the goal to keep Deanna away from Selena as a form of torture? Well, that was working for sure, if Selena’s mental war back in the garden was any indication – the woman contemplating leaving SCW for the love of Baldur! But, if that was the case, then it made even less sense to Selena as she marched up the stairs and through the halls of the castle towards her intended destination. She didn’t know the boy known as Fredric Castle, or his family and Talia had found nothing beyond the immediate that linked him to Selena or Deanna or their families. There was no reason for the boy to hate them or target them!
And yet, everything pointed to the fact that this was a target. If Deanna was innocent, then Fredric had lied. If Fredric had lied but NOT simply wanted money, then this was something personal. Meaning he had targeted Deanna… but THAT didn’t make sense either!
Deanna had gone to Oberwessel to run away from from the Scythes, taking Elsianna with her to protect her while Selena fought tooth and nail to bring them down. No one knew she had left! Selena had told no one and it wasn’t like Deanna had been on Twitter telling the world where she was or shouting in the town-square of the town “I’M THE WIFE OF SELENA FROST!”.
So how would Fredric have known? But he had to of known! Otherwise, how could he have been there? How could he have recognized Deanna?! How could he-
“AAAHHH!” Selena’s pale hand slammed against the wallpapered wall near her, the red and gold colors contrasting with the paleness of her fist. Was this what Talia had to deal with? This web of BS when all that was wanted was an answer? Selena found herself craving it as she stood in that hallway. An answer – a reason. Even if it meant there was no saving Deanna from her remaining years in the prison, Selena would deal with that! They would survive that together, like they had planned. But she couldn’t stand not knowing ‘why’ this had happened, and she could only imagine, deep down, how it was even worse for Deanna – never knowing why this happened to someone as good as her red-haired mate.
As she reached the door with the number “211” on it, Selena knocked briskly on the off-yellowish door, feeling the knock’s sharp sound. At first, there was no response or sound of movement.
“Come on, Talia.” Selena sighed, knocking again. “Open up. We need to talk.”
Once more, there was no sound for a reply.
“Talia.” Selena barked, knocking a bit more forcefully. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but you can’t be cooped up in there. We’ve got to get back to this.” She tried. “I know you want to get home… and lying around isn’t helping either of us…”
To Selena’s surprise, the door suddenly swung open, revealing a red-eyed, robe-wearing Talia. “You think I don’t fucking know that?!” she barked, which allowed Selena to get a good look at her. To say that the lawyer was a wreck would have been insulting to wrecks everywhere. Now that she was up-close to the woman, Selena could how tattered Talia’s hair was, a mess of black with no pattern of direction that the follicles all followed. Her face was devoid of makeup, which meant the bags under her eyes were on full display – a lack of sleep evident. Her skin was paler than… well, not as pale as Selena’s but that was genetic, not poor health!
Simply lost at the sight before her, Selena almost missed Talia wince in pain, a sharp hiss escaping her as she stood there, her grip on the door changing from simply opening it to relying on it for support as she stood there. It was enough to snap Selena out of her lost thoughts and, immediately, she was holding Talia up on the other side, arm over Selena’s shoulders as Selena slowly moved her back into the room to sit on the bed.
“Okay…maybe we not be angry, okay?” she tried, mentally cursing herself. “Sorry to get you wound up like that. You’re recovering.”
Talia said nothing, simply sitting on the bed as Selena stood back up. She was, at that point, able to take stock of the room around her, sapphire eyes widening at the sight. There were paper-piles in several parts of the room. There were pictures tacked to the wall with strings wrapping around the tacks and linking to others like some ‘conspiracy movie’. There were dirty dishes by the door (a late lunch, perhaps?). One thing that Selena was grateful for was that Talia, at least smelled clean, so perhaps all was not lost.
“So what do you want?” Talia huffed her hand still on her injured ribs, causing a phantom pain to shoot through Selena – her own ribs long sufferers of her SCW careers and risks (foolish and otherwise).
“I…” Without thinking, Selena ran her hands through her hair to rest against the back of her head for a moment. “I just want to know what is going on, Talia.” She sighed, only now realizing how tired she must have sounded. “I mean… none of it is making sense.”
Quietly, as she spoke, Selena removed her coat and scarf, hanging them up on hooks that were nailed on the wall near the door. “Not one aspect.” She continued, turning back to her friend-turned enemy- turned ally. “How long as it been? How many months? A year? And I…” pale fingers reached up to massage her own temples, trying to grasp everything she wanted to say – to keep it focused and calm. “I… I never expected a miracle from you. I still don’t-“
“Really?” huffed Talia. “Cause it sounds like you-“
“Talia, just let me finish-“ there was a hitch in her voice as Selena begged, which stunned the older woman sitting on the bed. Despite herself, Talia’s jaw clenched and she remained silent, allowing the platinum-blonde to continue.
“I never expected a miracle, okay? And I don’t blame you for how things have gone to this point… but I felt… All this time, nothing about this has made sense to me. Why Deanna? What did she do to that boy that he would target her like this? Why would he refuse a buy-out if this was just a scam? None of this – none of it has made sense… With you? Yes! I understood! I saw where you and the Scythes were coming from, whether it was right or wrong. Target me? Fine! It made sense to me! But this didn’t…still doesn’t…”
Out of the corner of her eyes as she paced around the room (avoiding the piles of papers and files), Selena saw Talia look away, brown eyes locked on one of the walls.
“But, at the very least… I felt like I could make sense of you.” That statement regained Talia’s focus, for she turned her head to eye Selena. “I mean… good or bad, trusting or not, I felt like I could understand everything you did here. It was to get home to Nome. I could relate to that, because I just wanted to get Deanna home to me.” Pale hands placed themselves over Selena’s heart, the young woman now just standing in the middle of the room. “So… I can’t understand why you’ve been locked away like this. Why you haven’t talked to me. I know we’re not friends anymore, but I thought, at least, you’d want to be done with this and not just hide away…”
Selena’s accented voice faded into silence, though she kept her eyes on Talia the entire time. There were sounds that filled the room for several minutes, Selena unable to get a read on the woman sitting before her, though neither woman looked away.
“I’ve…” the voice came from Talia, breaking the silence. “I haven’t…” she tried to find the words until she just huffed. “I’m sorry, Selena.”
That was a statement that the wrestler had ever expected to hear from her Talia – not in a million years! Still, Talia kept going, even as Selena stood there, dumbstruck. “I’m sorry but I can’t go any further. There is no point to continue.” She sighed.
There is no point to continue… The statement was followed, in Selena’s mind, by the sound of glass shattering as the platinum-blonde felt her heart shattering into the smallest of pieces.
“Wha…what?” She asked, shaking her head. “What do you- What are you talking about?”
“I mean it’s over. Deanna is stuck there, which means I’m stuck here!” Talia cried back. “For the next six or more years, I. AM. STUCK. HERE!”
To Selena, Talia seemed ready to punch the pillow next to the bed, much as Selena had the wall, but due to the former woman’s ribs, she simply clenched her jaw and tightened her hands into fists.
“No, that can’t be.” Selena stated firmly. “There has to be something-“
“There IS something!” Talia laughed. “And that’s why I know I’m fucking screwed!”
“Talia – I’m begging you-“ Selena’s voice suddenly was more of a crying plea as she stood there. “Please – make sense. I need… I need something in my
fucking life to make sense or I’ll…” she bit her lower lip – she was already contemplated quitting SCW due to it no longer making sense to her… and her life…
Talia’s eyes widened as the implication of Selena’s words dawned on her. Perhaps the lawyer was over-thinking it, but she recognized a plea for help when she saw one – and while suicide didn’t seem right, Selena clearly feared her own actions if this insanity of events continued to weigh upon her mind without any sign of change.
Taking a deep breath, the Scythe wife rested her hands in her lap before she spoke. “There’s…” she started, though she was hesitant. “My accident wasn’t an accident.”
Selena’s eyes widened. “As in…” she gestured with her hands, though the movement held no true meaning.
“As in someone was trying to get rid of me.” Talia sighed. “And lately, I’ve been trying to find my own place here and stop bothering Gunther and Magarette-“
The surprised look on Selena’s face at those words caused Talia’s own eyes to narrow. “You may think I’m a bitch, Selena.” She spat. “But I’m not. They have been very kind to me when they didn’t have a reason to be. I didn’t… I didn’t want to inconvenience them more than I already had when I realized that I was stuck here.”
“But you think that’s impossible because someone is out to kill you?”
“No. It’s impossible because I have no money to get my own place.” Talia sighed. “And I knew asking you would just have you insisting I stay here and then you’d want to know why and-“
“Wait…” Selena held up her hands. “You were trying to run away? To leave?”
“Just to somewhere in town.” Talia shrugged. “Get used to my new prison.”
“So… your accident? That wasn’t the reason?”
Talia laughed. “Please! She…They could have killed me when they crashed my car – no. They just wanted what I had.”
“Which was?” Selena asked, choosing then to lower herself to the floor, sitting with her legs tucked to the side. “Talia, I still don’t understand.”
Again, Talia sighed. “I’m trying to tell you but- fuck, it’s harder than I thought.”
“Why?”
“Because, despite how much I hate you-“ she stated emphatically. “I don’t think Deanna deserved what happened to her. Why do you think Malcolm is forcing me to be here? He thinks the same thing.”
“So why doesn’t he help?”
“Just because he doesn’t agree doesn’t mean he’s going to do something for nothing! Far as he is concerned, the only reason this is happening –“ Talia motioned between Selena and herself with her hand. “Is because I gave my word to you. Something he believes strongly in… old fool.”
“Okay…” Selena nodded slowly.
“Do you remember that day?” Talia asked. “The day of my accident? I was meeting an informant?”
“Yes.” Selena nodded. She had been with Regan, helping her sister get some ‘Christmas-cooking’ done ahead of time, their big handicap match with Xander on the horizon. A stern conversation over video-chat had basically gone nowhere between Talia and the Frost-woman.
“Well, I did… and he gave me some information…”
“What kind of-“ Selena tried, but Talia cut her off.
“I don’t know!” she barked. “It was some encrypted file I couldn’t break. He sent it over his Bluetooth and said once he was ‘out of town’ with his payment, he’d send the decryption key.”
“Well, can’t he resend it?!” Selena asked. “Can’t we-“
“Selena.” Talia sharply halted the Snow Queen’s incoming rant. “Do you not think I’ve tried EVERY possible scenario?”
“So…do you have it? The encrypted files?”
The defeated look in Talia’s eyes at the question squashed whatever hope Selena had suddenly felt.
“No.” Talia answered. “Before sending it, part of the bargain was I not expose it to online sources. But I had my accident and had no choice. I backed it up seconds before I crashed, they took my phone and since I broke my promise to my contact – the key never arrived.”
“So…” Selena sighed. “Is there nothing? Can’t we retrieve it from your backup? Hire a hacker to break it? I mean… I don’t know much about computers, but-“
“Selena.” Talia silenced the woman. “I had ten seconds to back up the file. Not even. I sent it to the first place I had access to…” her voice trailed away, leaving an expression of utter guilt on her face.
“Talia…” Selena slowly stood back on her feet. “Who did you send it to?” she asked. “Who has access to that account?”
A grim look appeared over the lawyer’s face. “You know exactly who.” She whispered, repeating words she had previously spoken. “Just because he doesn’t agree doesn’t mean he’s going to do something for nothing”.
And it was then that Selena finally understood why Talia had surrendered to the fate placed on her by a more powerful being.
Because that powerful being now held all the cards…
_______________________________________________________________
The Royal Letter
Dear Ace Marshall,
I suppose this is the kind of reaction that you were hoping for. For the attention of fourteen other wrestlers to be on you? For some kind of ‘reaction’ from some of the best and most dominant forces in SCW’s history – and no. I don’t consider myself as part of that list.
But allow me to do something that quite a few will hesitate on doing. Thanking you.
Thank you, Ace.
That is what you wanted, isn’t it? For people to thank you for your ‘generosity’? It’s an honest request. So, thank you.
Because after last week, the last place Selena Frost belongs is in a match for the SCW World Championship. Hell, after the last year of singles shortcomings, the last place I belong is in this gauntlet. I mean, how long has it been since the SCW Board chose me to go for the World title? When was the last time they held a number one contender’s match and thought “Let’s get Selena Frost in on that! She deserves it!”? Three and a half years?
And let’s face it, Ace, there is a reason for that. There’s a reason behind why I’ve mostly needed Trios for any kind of singles push in that time. There’s a reason why people have been laughing more and more at the nickname I was given - “The Face of SCW” – more and more, regardless at whatever moments where I managed to grab success. It’s all for a reason and the fault is mine.
I don’t know where, and I don’t know when, but something has changed for me. In a time where I could do so much in that ring, achieve so much and defy odds and expectations all over again, now I can’t seem to. I can’t seem to defy those same odds. I can’t seem to achieve those same highs like I use to. And I’ve had to ask myself after each and every time:
Is it me?
Have I hit my wall?
Have I reached my limit?
Is it time…
So, yes, I will admit it because it is the honest truth. Without you, Ace, I would not be in this match at Breakdown. I would probably not even be competing, possibly at all that night – another night with Selena Frost as a spectator, much like at Last Grasp of Reality.
So, thank you, Ace, for allowing me to be… something… on such a night.
At least you deserve that. For those of us that wouldn’t be considered in the immediate future – greats like Glory or Kimberly or Jordan or Cannon – or people that just are ‘here out of nowhere’, we can all thank you. SCW and its fans can thank you. Because this will easily be a Breakdown where everyone wants to tune in and watch – but I’ll get to that.
So thank you, Ace. You have my thanks.
But our praise? Love? Down on one knee and worship you?
Heh… you always were too greedy for your own good, Ace. Always wanted your cake and eat it too, right? I mean, here you are, acting like some generous saint, talking about SCW and entertainment and ‘shaking things up’. You want to know what I think?
I think if you wanted to be Shilo Valiant, you’d have been better spending your Trios getting a match with him. Hell, put his gimmick on the line so you don’t have to worry about possibly getting sued for copyright – I don’t know, the guy is unstable. The stories Glory told me… I hope, whether she wins or loses this, she gets that clown back and takes back the title that she respected.
And since we’re on that subject, Ace, let’s be honest. This isn’t about ‘shaking things up’. This isn’t about ‘entertainment’. If it was, why the hell would you simply just repackage the same idea you did last time you had Trios?
Remember? You had Giovanni Aries put his adrenaline title on the line against a mass of people at the end of the year battle royale. I remember because I was there, just like I was there when the same thing happened over a year ago when Kellen Jeffries cashed in and did the same thing with the World title. So tell me, Ace. The thing you want praise for? The thing you’re ‘shaking up SCW over’? Just a repackaged idea. No different than the people that added themselves to the Rise to Greatness main-event. Wrap it in a different wrapper, it’s still going to be the same crap.
And what I can’t really stand is that you think the SCW Universe isn’t aware of it. That they don’t see the ‘same stunt’ trick you’re pulling, Ace. Of course they do! Of course they see it! These people have sat through all the ‘stagnant’, ‘status-quo’, as you put it, far more than you. Unlike you, who’s come and gone on and off since you lost the World title, theses people have stayed through it all. Seeing it all – so when you do that same exact thing and say ‘it’s new! Trust me!’, they see it!
For Odin’s sake, I’ve experienced it with you! You said that this match was about some of your best matches in your career, which is why I got invited, right? Let me run you through that, Ace. If you’re referring to the last time I fought you for the World title, rather than the countless times I beat you and Cassidy Carter in that ring afterwards, I’ll be happy to discuss it.
Taking Hold of the Flame
Breakdown after Rise to Greatness
Apocalypse
Under Attack
Four times I faced you with the stakes so damn high, well… that’s what Breakdown is as well, so… and all four times, Ace, you needed Cassidy, or Alistaire, or both. Not once, Ace, NOT ONCE, in that entire time where you and I traded the world title back and forth did you give me or the SCW universe the one-on-one match that they craved.
And the reason is that you didn’t care about them. You didn’t care about the SCW Universe or what they wanted. You didn’t care what I wanted. All that mattered to you, Ace, has been the same throughout your entire career, just as true today as it was then.
Ace Marshall only cares about Ace Marshall.
As you claimed – this night is about you, which is the only thing you said that I actually believed was an honest declaration. Because that’s what it’s about, deep down, isn’t it? It’s about you finding a way to take the World title and then say you beat fourteen other superstars – fourteen of the best.
Be a hell of an accomplishment right? “I beat the past in Syren, Ravyn, Katie and Giovanni! I beat the present in Chris Cannon and Glory, and Jordan! I beat the future in Asher and Datura and Holly to become World Champion!”. It’s about you trying to do what some of the most amazing world champions like David Helms, Shaun Cruze, CHBK, Jason Zero, and even Syren, took years to accomplish and ‘get it all done’ in one night.
Because that’s always been your style, Ace. Always the easy path. Always the short cut. Make a real effort when it’s worth your while and screw the rest. That’s the real reason why you’re doing this. Because if you could beat Bree one on one? You would. You’d shake things up by beating her and then defend the title against every person in this match! THAT would shake up SCW. That would truly define you as a worthwhile champion – I’d give anything for a chance to pull that off! But you know you can’t. So, you’re doing what you do best.
Chaos. Pure chaos to keep everyone off you so you can sneak in and steal the world title – like you stole the Taking Hold of the Flame Royale from me all those years ago, needing Cassidy to do it.
Let’s face it, Ace, your ‘choices’ are as selfish as any past trios winner and that includes me. Difference is? We chose singles matches not to ‘better our odds’, but to prove we could compete at that level. Prove we could beat a superstar or win a title.
I fought Bree in a roofed cage, not to handicap her, but to give SCW the match she had refused to give us. One on one, fighter vs fighter, to truly determine who deserved the right to be the United States Champion and carry that belt forward, shaking things up within the division.
That’s something you’ve never understood, Ace. That the trial? The ‘shaking things up’? It doesn’t happen in one night just because a belt changes hands. You think that when I say “SCW deserves better than Bree Lancaster” that I think it’s just ‘getting the belt off her’?
No, Ace. Something like that is merely the beginning. Merely the first step in a journey that is long and hard, redefining the standard Bree Lancaster has set for that title. Redefining the definition of being a ‘world champion’.
And let me be clear, Ace. I know that isn’t you. Last time you were World Champion? You showed up drunk, holding the world title, at the Punk Hazard Festival. Remember? Your first showing as the world champion and you showed up on live television smashed out of your mind. THAT’S what people remember when we think of you, Ace, and that is the truth behind your supposed ‘care’ for SCW, the show, and whatever else you try and BS us with.
But you want to know why, despite this, they are excited for this match? Why they want this match to happen, Ace? It’s not because of you. It’s not because of me. It’s not because of Glory or Syren or Cannon or Jordan or any of us…
They’re excited because there’s a 14/15 chance that the SCW World title will change hands – meaning Bree Lancaster will no longer be champion.
THAT, Ace, THAT is worth the price of admission, not getting your ‘rocks off’. That is what they will pay to see. And you know what? That says more about Bree Lancaster than it does about you. That so many people will tune in and settle for someone like Syren or Ravyn or Holly as the World Champion over that woman?
I won’t lie… I’m one of them. Are you kidding? After hearing her mouth off at Regan and David, who only wanted to respect SCW and make it worthy of the name “Supreme Championship Wrestling”? Seriously? I hope I get drawn first with her with me so that there are no excuses when I beat her and eliminate her from this damn thing in round 1. I don’t care if I have to then fight until I don’t know which way is up and which way is down, Ace. If you’re talking about getting ‘rocks off’? I want to be the one that truly ‘shakes up SCW’ as it should, by ensuring that the World title goes to someone that, even if it’s not by much, will be better for SCW than Bree Lancaster!
But do I want to see it in the hands of you? Just so you can show up hammered on Breakdown?
Do I want to see it work by Syren again? A declaration that she is ‘the greatest’ after how many months of failing to prove that?
Ravyn? Holly? Katie? Giovanni?
Make no mistake, Ace, I’d rather it be any of them, including you, over Bree, but that doesn’t mean that I can stand by and just let it be one of you.
It’s the reason I didn’t decline the invitation like Cookie did. Cookie didn’t feel like she was ready for this. That she needed more time before such an opportunity. I’ve been there. It took awhile for me to believe in myself enough to see myself at that level. A long time…
And the truth is? Right now? I’m not there anymore. I’m not. Do I believe I can beat Bree Lancaster? Absolutely. Do I believe I can beat any of the others in this match one-on-one? I think I’d have a fair chance.
But do I believe that I still possess the ability to overcome fifteen other people in a gauntlet match and emerge as the SCW World Champion for the first time in over three years?
No. I don’t.
If losing to Xander, and Jordan/Cookie last week, has proven anything to me, it’s that I am not at the same level I was at when I became the World Champion. I’m not at the same level I was at when I overcame the odds time and time again, beating such unstoppable people like Kelcey Wallace or Kennedy Street or Ravyn Taylor or Syren or Chris Cannon or Katie Steward.
I don’t know when or how, but I’ve lost something while I was busy being a good tag partner to Regan Street. Something I haven’t managed to get back yet – to the point where I don’t feel I can be “The Face of SCW”. Where I don’t feel confident entering this kind of match, thinking I’ll emerge as its winner.
Don’t get me wrong, Ace. While Bree may be crying or rolling her eyes or others are praying for a ‘lucky draw’, there is a part of me – a part of me – that is thrilled to run this gauntlet. Who’s hoping to start and finish it! An almost childlike giddiness at trying… like when I first tried to win the World title.
Even if I don’t believe I can do that anymore.
Because, deep down – you take away the accolades and the spotlight and the flashy entrances – and… what’s underneath?
For you, Ace? Are you truly a saint? A giver? A carer of SCW? Or are you a manipulator – begging for relevancy like Syren has, planning shortcuts like Ravyn has because, deep down, you’re all too afraid to truly carve your way through and become superstars, icons, and legends once more? Because I can see it in your eyes, Ace. The doubt. The fear. The nagging notion in the back of your head that maybe… just maybe… you’re only good for these short spurts in SCW and that, when it comes to it, you can’t hang long term like so many others have proven they can like Jordan and Glory.
I know that, Ace, because I’ve faced that look every time I’ve looked in the mirror for the past year. But recently, I had to dig deeper to find the person underneath all of that. It’s something that I’m having to come to terms with…
That I’m not “The Face of SCW”.
That I’m not “The Best of the Best”.
That I’m not… I’m not “The Snow Queen”.
Deep down, take all of that away… and I’m Selena Michelle Frost. A young girl from Nome, Alaska, that came into this world with no direction and somehow…found it.
That’s what this match is for me, Ace. It’s about finding my place within SCW once more. Finding my spot in the world where once I was so sure. And, once more, carving my spot into the SCW Universe!
It’s about proving everyone… maybe even myself… wrong time and time again.
It’s about believing in SCW – believing it deserves so much better than a drunk on the throne, a prima donna wearing its ‘crown’, or ‘Blonde-whiner’ Ver. 1 through 6 spouting similar ‘nicknames’.
So… thank you, Ace. Thank you for reminding me who I have always been. Who I always need to be… and what I have to do next for myself and for this company. See you in a few days.
Sincerely,
Selena Michelle Frost
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