Icy Heat

Chapter Eleven: Stronghold vs. Stronghold

For the rest of our time together, Warren took me to the park and we just talked with a few kisses in between before he had to get ready for work. As we walked back to my house, I saw that kids from Sky High were fleeing it. Like it was on fire. "Warren I need to go check on that. I'll call you with an update later. I love you" I told him before running to the house. When I got through the front door, I saw that the entire place was trashed. "What the hell?" I breathed as I walked further in. When I got into the den, I saw Mom, Dad, and Will having a standoff. In the corner of my eye, I also see a white bag. I guess Mom had time to get me a dress. "What happened here?" I asked as I was approaching the trio.

My dad turned to me. "You mean to tell me that you didn't know about this?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you serious, dad?" He gave me the 'don't play with me' look. "Steve, You know she hates being in crowds. Besides she made a promise to me that she wouldn't throw a party. Even though it was a joke, Noel doesn't break her promises to me." Mom tells him as I walk beside her.

The older male nodded and mumbled. "I'm sorry." he then turned to Will. "Son, I'm only going to ask you this..."

"Dad, I swear I didn't plan this and Noel went out before it even started.," Will told our dad with a straight face but I knew something was off with him.

Dad looked at him and nodded. "Alright. That's good enough for me." He began to walk away when Mom stopped him.

"Steve," She scolded her husband. "I have got half a mind to not let him go to homecoming."

Will walked towards the stairs while saying "That's fine, I'm not going anyways"

This news shocked me since he was so excited to go with Little Miss Popular. I guess our parents were just as shocked at me because Dad turned to Will and said. "Woah, Woah, Woah, Woah" Will stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "Your mom said she had 'half a mind'. Will, you have to go to the Homecoming dance. We all do." I turned to my dad with my arms crossed. "Because we're introducing the world to STRONGHOLD FOUR, the greatest family of superheroes mankind has ever known." He and Mom began to pose proudly.

I scoffed at them and looked to see that my brother wasn't even looking amused and I guess mom saw it as well. "Did something happen, Will?" She asked the angry teen.

I got in front of him, blocking his view of Mom and Dad. "Something happened with Gwen didn't it?" I asked him gently.

He looked down before saying "I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, we're gonna talk about it" Dad announced aggressively. "Because we promised Gwen we'd go to the dance." He turned to Mom like a child throwing a tantrum before looking back at my brother than me. "And when a Stronghold makes a promise, son, that promise is kept." He pointed at the boy behind me.

I was about to snap at Dad when Will said. "I promise you, Dad, I'm not going" He turned and walked up the stairs while we watched him go.

I turned back to my parents and snapped. "Really dad? That was your excuse? The 'Stronghold Four?" I scoffed. "No one cares about it but you."

"That's enough, young lady." He says in a stern voice. " I will not have you disrespecting me right now."

"She wasn't disrespecting you, Steve." Mom said in a confused voice. "She was stating something that is honestly true. You are acting like you're more worried about Gwen than your son, who is angry about something and or someone." Dad looks guilty but tries to keep a strong face.

"No, I am worried about him but I also believe that he should keep his promise to her."

I scoffed "Even if she is the one who wronged him?" I chuckled sarcastically. "You really have your priorities messed up Dad."

"Hey, what did I say about disrespecting me"

"RESPECT IS EARNED DAD" I snapped. "And for the last couple of years, you have lost mine. You literally pulled me away from my friends who I have gone to school with for the last 8 years to ship me to a school that was meant for heroes with powers when I didn't have any. You constantly favor Will over me because one he's your son and two he has your powers. You try to live your life through him by trying to make him a carbon copy of you so the great Commander doesn't die. So that The Commander persona will live on even when you're old and retired." I confronted. Mom places a hand on my shoulder calming me down. "And when it comes to me, you want me to be more like mom. Even though I do take a lot after her, I'm not her. I don't want to date someone like you, I don't want to have that type of pressure."

"Well, what do you want, Noel?" Dad snapped at me. "Because from where I see it you're just throwing everything we ever gave you away."

Mom snapped at him. "NOW HOLD ON STEVE" I knew it was time for me to shut up and listen to her when she sounded like that. "Noel is a figure skating champion as well as a straight-A student. So please explain to me how is she throwing away what we gave her?"

"She's dating the son of a villain. Not just any villain, a man I put away for four life sentences."

I felt my jaw go slack. "Really? That's why you think I'm failing?" I chuckled evilily as I let my powers go and it began to freeze the ground around me as well as drop the temperature in the house. "Warren is so much more than just the son of the villain. HE is my equal. HE is my rock. HE has been the one to stand with me throughout everything this year has thrown my way." I could feel my control slip from me until my mom gripped my shoulder to ground me. "You don't get to speak bad about him when you don't even know him."

"I have met him, Steve." Mom confessed "He is respectful and he loves Noel very much. He has yet to make me question him."

I smiled and hugged Mom tight finally reeling back in my powers. "Thank you, mom," I whispered.

When we pulled apart, she brushed my hair out of my face before cupping it. "Why don't we go upstairs and try on this dress?" I nodded and grabbed the dress before heading up the stairs.

When I got to the top of the stairs, I noticed my bedroom door open. I could have sworn I closed it. "MOM" I yelled out dropping the dress and running to my room to see that it was plundered. "Grandma's bracelet." I realized and began to search for it. Luckily it was hidden in a false bottom drawer in my vanity. I sighed as I gripped onto it and sat on my bed feeling broken like the things in my room. My dresser was opened and my clothes were everywhere, they had destroyed my throw blankets, my make-up was completely ruined and on my mirror, it read 'ICE QUEEN' in the purple lipstick I use for my skating costumes. I know I'm not the most popular girl in school but this was a lot.

As the tears rolled down my face, my mom finally came in and just held me to her chest. I gripped her so tightly and balled my eyes out. "What's going on?" I hear my dad's voice. I didn't even lift my head, I just buried myself further into my mom's chest. "How?"

"I don't know Steve." Mom confessed. "Sweetheart, come on let's clean up and see if anyone took anything." Mom coaxed me off of her. I wiped my eyes and nodded before getting up and started to clean. It took about an hour to just throw away broken things. Things like my glass snowmen that I get every year from my aunt on my dad's side. She is going to be pissed. As I was cleaning up the clothes, I noticed that whoever was in here destroyed ALL of Warren's flannels he left here from sneaking into my room. I might not have known all of who was in my room but I had a good suspicion that one certain one was in here. Lash. He for some reason hated Warren being with me. But that made me even more worried. Warren's bracelet. "Mom, have you found my jewelry box?" She nodded and handed it to me. When I opened it, I saw one thing missing. Warren's leather bracelet. "I know who did this" I whispered.

For the rest of the evening, I cleaned the room and went to bed. Never seeing my dress. 

~Hello my little rabbits and mad hatters.

Another chapter is done and we are nearing the end. It's been fun but soon this story will come to an end. I do hope you will leave a comment about which story you want next. Hellboy or Underworld 

-XOXO 

The wonderland hacker