GUARDIAN

[ C H A P T E R F I V E ]

Shirley screamed.

Her whole body shook as she stared at the frozen bed and walls. Her room looked like someone had shipped fifty ton worth of snow inside or rather scratch it, it felt like Jack Frost and Elsa had thrown an ice party.

Speaking of Elsa....

Shirley suddenly remembered her dreams and how some guy had called her Elsa and had said she was next.

“It prolly has somethin' to do with this snow Frost s**t, I'll bet it's either Ernie or Addy or both of em pull this prank on me" she mused as she also remembered she'd been watching a rerun of Frozen with both Ernie and Addy after Sloan had left.

Both had complained they weren't watching Frozen for the fifty eight time in two weeks but Shirley had paid no heed and they had promised retribution and eight hours later her room had been frozen solid. Deciding not to let them win, she switched on her heater turning it to the highest temperature then on wobbly legs she stepped into the bathroom and gasped.

The hair she had dyed black the previous night had turned white again, and her eyes were no longer silver but instead an icy blue that with her pupils a bright silver color.

Shirley backs away from her bathroom with fear in her eyes, what the hell was going on with her.

By God, she had no idea what to do, this was way past her jurisdiction and it wasn't something her glock could help with..

"Dang it what the f**k's wrong goin' on" Shirley cried, punching the wall in frustration.

A crack appears on the wall where she'd punched and she watches with stupefied as frost covers the walls from the point she had hit.

Shirley stares at her palm noting the tiny snow flakes forming and frowned. The snow flakes grew bigger then hardened to icicles and busted out of her palm to the tiled floors freezing the point it made contact with.

It then dawned on her she'd been responsible for the frost and the frozen beds and she sank on the floor like a rag doll, passing out from the shock.

—❄️—

Coming in terms with her new found powers although having no inclination of how it came about, Shirley wondered if maybe she had always had it or if it had been a result of always dying. She wasn't sure but this had all started after that drug ring bust when she'd had a nearly died. Or maybe it had something to do with her biological parents, that she didn't know and it was slowly driving her insane.

She was kind of glad that Addy had left before she had woken from sleep that morning or else it'd be hard to explain and the detective was in no hurry to explain that strange phenomenon even to supposed best friend.

And now she lay on her bed (surprisingly dry and not frozen) sulking, especially when the chief had given her the weekend off to recuperate. She had protested insisting that she was okay but Wilkinson's exact words were.

"Take it or leave it I don't care, I just don't wanna see your Whiteface in my station until Monday or I'd change my mind about considering giving you that private office Leroy"

And she had trudged back home downcast. Gosh she needed a distraction, any at all so she'd not think about her new situation that had to do with frozen beds and more.

An Idea struck immediately making her gasp. Picking up her smartphone she dialed a number she knew by heart.

Her Old man picked up at the first ring.

"Hey daddy" she grinned when she saw the familiar wrinkled dark face of Reverend Craig Leroy or rather a large portion of nose covering the screen.

"Hey baby girl, how you doin' muffin?"

"I'm okay" she started to say but her mama snatched off the phone from her dad. Shirley winced inwardly knowing what was coming.

"Young lady, I said hell no, I ain't gon you let ya be a damn cop but that stubborn nephew of mine went ahead to plant nasty thoughts into ya head of how you both can save the damn world" Martha's voice rang strong like a mother hen's causing Shirley to wince.

"Come on mama, it ain't that bad besides I.."

"Don't interrupt me Shirley Elisabeth Leroy! You done almost gotten ya ass killed girl, you know that ain't good for Craig's blood pressure, he almost died when he saw your ass on a stretcher and them damned press was sayin' how the supercop almost had croaked"

"Martha the doctors didn't say that, said I'm fit as a fiddle while you on the other hand have hypertension woman" Craig retorted.

"Shut up Craig or you sleepin' on the couch for a week" Martha hissed forgetting all about Shirley the desire to win the argument suffices.

"Jeez woman I ain't done nothin' wrong"

"Come on mama, ease up on dad you know he's an old man, we don't want the reverend to catch the flu and pass it to the congregation durin' service" Shirley teased feeling loads better than she did before. Gosh she missed her folks, wished she had more time to visit Redbridge but duty always called.

"Hey kiddo any reason you called?" Craig asked knowing Shirley had something on her mind.

"Nah daddy, heyo mama?" Martha raised one ash brow " don't go n be gittin' them hypertension a'ight, I gotta bounce"

Craig still not convinced Shirley was okay said "Shirls, anything you need just call remember I'm just one call away"

Shirley swallowed hard but gave him a fake smile she knew he could see through as he was her father "Sure Old man, you're my superman" she added.

"Nah I'm more like the Black lightning dude"

The both laughed.

"Thanks dad" Shirley said her eyes brimming with tears.

"Anytime kiddo, I love you"

"Love you too dad and you too mom" she added for the benefit of her jealous mama who'd call her back twenty more times that day if she didn't say she love her"

Ending the call amid her mama's ramblings about Shirley not caring about her mama that much, she felt much better and decided she'd tackle her ice problems another day but first she had to watch some movies and hopefully not Frozen this time or anything that had to do with snow and ice.

And then that's when she decided, she was going to watch The Woman king, mainly cos it had nothing to do with snow.

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