✰┊  𝐈𝐅  𝐈  𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐘 ┊ ✰

✰ ┊   𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 ~ LOSING HOPE⠀┊ ✰

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7:09 A.M.

 
        PRINCESS HOPE SYRENA LOKIODDIR awoke to a thin layer of white covering all of her godparents front yawn. It isn't even a mere inch of the white frozen fluff, but in her godparents part of Virginia the slightest of dusting brings everything to a complete standstill as the one snow plow in the country gets busy cleaning the roads of frozen white fluff. It is wet water that drops from the sky-and drops and drops and drops- not the frozen kind. Hope loved snow. It's kinda impossible for her to hate it given her quite unique genealogy; she's a quarter frost giant, which she gets from her mum side of her rather complex family tree. And well, it's impossible for a creature such as a frost giant to not love the natural element they were born and raised in; it was the hot smoldering summer heat that Hope had a bittersweet relationship with.

    There was enough snow to cancel all the schools, even the private one which she was currently in rolled in; her fathers thought it be important to live on as Midgard for a while to better understand them before she took on the throne in Asgard and woulda ended to managed Asgardians relationship with the mortals. Her godparents son, her little cousin, Teddy, let's out what Hope could only describe as some sort of war whoop when his mother's AM radio announces the schools closures.

       " Snow day!" Teddy bellows out. " Dad, let's go make a snowman."

     Her godfather merely smiles, and taps on his pipe. He started smoking one when he started his whole 1950s, Father knows best campaign. Hope was never quite sure on weather all of it was sartorial or sardonic. She figured it was her uncle's sort of way of announcing to the world that he used to be a punker, but is now a plain middle school teacher, or if becoming a teacher has actually turned her uncle into a sort of genuine throwback. She not sure which. And, she doubts she'll ever knew which of the two it is. Hope surprisingly likes the smell of the pipe tobacco. It smells sweet and smoky, and reminds her of a harsh winter storm, and wood stoves.

       " You can make a valiant try." Her uncle remarks to Teddy.  " But, it's hardly even sticking to the roads. Maybe you should consider a snow amoeba. Now if your cousin Kat was here it would be different story."  

    Hope smiled after the mention of her older sister. Katerina was somewhere deep in space fighting in some big intergalactic war with her fiancée, Carol Danvers.  She hasn't seen her older sister in a while, but trust that she is doing alright. Hope could tell that her uncle was happy. There was barley an inch of snow meaning that all schools in their area are close, which means that the middle school that he teaches at is closed. Meaning that he gets a nice unexpected day of from work. Hope's aunt, who works for a traveling agent in town, clicks off the radio and pours herself a second cup of steaming hot black coffee.

" Well, if you lot are playing hooky today, no way I'm going to work. It simply not right." Hope's godmother states as she picks up her phone before she calls in. When she's does, she looks at them. She smiles rather playfully at them with an all too familiar look of mischief in her light blue eyes. After she done with the call, she questions what they all should eat for breakfast. Hope's uncle, and herself guffaw at the same exact time. Her aunt, Austin Hill, was only known for making cereal, and maybe toast. Which was usually burnt crisp. Her uncle, Alaric Hill, was the real good cook out of the small household. Pretending not hear them, she reaches into the old wooden cabinet for some Bisquick. Their was a collective groan from the duo.

" Please. How hard can it be? Who wants pancakes?"

" I do! I do!" Teddy yelps, weaving his arm in the air quite frantically.

     " You have far too much energy for this early in the morning," Hope teased her little cousin. She then turned towards the direction of her aunt.  " Maybe you shouldn't have let Teddy drink so much coffee."

   " I've switched him to decaf." Her aunt vollys back with a smile.

" As long as you're not switching me."

" That would be child abuse." Her uncle remarks teasingly. Hope's aunt hands her a hot steaming cup full of coffee. Which is filled with more sugar then actual coffee; Her godmother swears it practically genetic as all of her godchildren like an absurd amount of sugar in their coffee just like their dear old dad. Just like the man who saved Austin life all those years ago when she was just a mere bartender.

  " Saw your dad's team was on the news last night after you and Teddy had went to bed. It seems that they finished up their case in New Orleans." Alaric remarks which earns a hum of agreement from her aunt.

"We haven't see him in awhile. Let alone those wayward mothers of yours." Hope's aunt states with a raised eyebrow. Her uncle gives her a sidelong glance with one of his eyebrows arched, his personal dramatized version of a soul searching stare. His wife just simply rolls her eyes in loving annoyance.

     " He's been busy with cases, I'm sure. Plus, he's more focused on the children rather then us. Like he should be dear." Her aunt quickly added.

  
" So, what are you going to do tell he gets back?" He uncle questioned with fond smile.

     " Well, I was planning on possibly having dad take the long drive up to New York to see Raven, and those annoying little bothers of mine. Maybe even the team. But, it all really depends on if they shut down the whole state on account of the snow."

    " It is a approaching blizzard," her uncle says, pointing to a single snowflake floating it's way to the soft earth. She sighs.

      " I'm pondering just going back to bed," she said simply with shrug. " My cello's is at the school, so I can't even practice."

     " No practice? For twenty-four hours? Be still, my broken heart?" Her aunt says melodramatically. She still wasn't a big fan of her nieces taste in class music, but she was never the last supportive of Hope's decision of playing the cello; Hope's godparents knew that Hope has been trying so hard to get into her dream college. Trying to get into Juilliard. She was waiting on her letter form them.

" Maybe we should go vistit Alexander and Willow." Austin suggested. Alex and Willow were close family friends of theirs. Alexander was a sort of free lance web designer, while Willow worked at one of their local hospitals. They had just had their first baby girl not too long ago.

      " We could stop by at the book store on way back," her aunt says with smile, as if to entice Hope. " Maybe we could pick your dad up from Quantico before we had up to Gramps and Grans for dinner." He uncle adds.

      " I'm in." Hope finally says after thinking it over.

        " Teddy," he calls. " Get dressed. We're going on an adventure." A moment later he's bounding back into the kitchen fully dressed for the occasion.

    " Eat up, family." Says her anut as she puts the plates down.

8:17 A.M.

      The four of them all piled into Hope's uncle's old navy blue 1967 Impala. Hope had somehow ended up smashed next to Teddy as she lost the front seat to her godmother. Once they all were in the car, they take off.

    As usual, there is a battle for stereo dominance. Hope's aunt wants NPR. Her uncle wants Frank Sinatra. Teddy wants SpongeBob SquarePants. Hope, of course, wants the classic music station. But, realizing that she's the only one who's a classic fan, she compromised with anything that is considered alternative rock; she has gotten used to alternative music given it's all her girlfriend listens too.

    " I believe that's ignoramuses-" her aunt says. Hope's uncle just rolled his eyes and claps his hand over her aunt's hand, and clears his throat in that schoolteacher way of his.  

    " As I was saying, NPR first, and then when the news is over, will switch to the classic station. Teddy, we will not torture you with that. You can use the disc-man." her uncle says, starting to disconnect the portable player he's rigged up to the car radio. " But, you are not allowed to play Alice Cooper in my car. I forbid it."  her uncle reaches into the glove box to examine what's inside.  " How about Jonathan Richman?"

     " I want SpongeBob. It's in the machine." Teddy shouts, bouncing up and down and pointing to the Discman. The chocolate chip pancakes dowsed in syrup had clearly only enhanced the hyper excitement in the boy.

    " Son, you break my heart." her uncle jokes dramatically. Hope just merely smiles and rolls her eyes.  Once the musical selection were made, they were off. The road has some patches of snow, but mostly it's just all wet. Her anut joked that it was when the road was dry that people ran into trouble.

     " They get cocky, throw caution to the wind, drive like assholes. The cops have field day doling out speeding tickets."  Hope leaned her head against the car's cold foggy  window, watching as all the scenery zip by, a tableau of dark green fur trees dotted with snow, wispy strands of white fog, and heavy storm clouds sitting above. When the news is over, they turn to the classic station. She heard the first few bars of Beethoven's Cello Sonata no.3, A piece that Hope was supposed to be working on.

     Hope concentrate on the notes, imagining herself playing, feeling grateful for the chance to practice, happy to be in a warm car with the sonata and my family. She closed her eyes for just a fleeting, mere moment before everything went silent....