I did leg-ups in the locker room and calmly stretched as Amantha’s music played on inside the rink, but I heard a lot ofoohsfrom the crowd that didn’t sound good.
I knew well enough not to watch other competitors before I had my turn, but I just had to know. I headed to the doors of the rink and peeked my head out, to see what Amantha was doing.
It wasn’t good. She attempted a triple toe-loop, and fell. Then she popped her triple axel and fell again. She’d plastered on a smile, but looked near tears.
I closed the door and drew my attention back onto myself, though this time, my gut felt heavier than before— like it had a rock in it, weighing me down.
The competitors skated one by one. I did my best to block out their music, and the sound of the announcers giving their scores. The wait stretched into eons. This was always the worst part.
I wasn’t stupid enough to watch Gabby. I turned my music up to block out the sound of her short program, but when it was done, I noticed the thunderous applause. The entire arena nearly quaked. She must’ve done well.
Lady Magdalina poked her head into the locker room. “You’re up, Emmaline.”
A shiver passed over my skin, but I let it flow before I followed her. The rink was so quiet. The ice looked so big, white and flat, larger than it had ever appeared before. I could hardly believe all these people had shown up to see me skate.
I waited at the boards until the announcer had called my name. “Representing the Arcanea University Skating Club, Emmaline Sosna!”
I gracefully skated to the center of the ice to begin my program. There were cheers from my friends, but mere polite applause from everyone else. I wasn’t a fan favorite. Most were rooting for Gabby to win.
Didn’t matter. I was going to pull this off. I had to.
I was frozen like a statue in time as I took my starting position. The music began. I felt the adrenaline flow through me as I opened with my footstep sequence. My short program was inspired by the beautiful ballet, and had only been enhanced by watching Odette dance. I did backward crossovers in a circle, and began my entry into my triple flip. This was my easiest jump. I always landed this one, every time.
Except this time, I could tell I stuck my toe pick in at the wrong moment. I launched myself into the air at a difficult angle. I tried to save the jump, but my attempt was wobbly, and I went crashing into the ice. I crashed onto my right hip. I was going so fast I went sliding. There was a loud slamming noise as my body hit the boards, and my back jolted.
The crowd gasped. It was rare to see such a violent fall. I knew the cameras were focused on my face, which was twisted in pain. The music played on, though my body remained motionless. Gods, this hurt like a bitch.
Get up.I gritted my teeth and forced myself upward, although it was painful. Though my legs felt weak beneath me, and my hip and back throbbed, I forced myself past the pain and painted a big smile across my face. Figure skating was all about faking it, and I wanted to give the impression I felt nothing but perfection. The crowd applauded in support as I rose upright.
Shit! I’d already fallen, and on my first jump, too!
But it didn’t matter now. It was like now that I’d fucked up, I felt weightless. I was free to do my other jumps with ease. I had to skate fast in order to catch up to my music. I danced to the other side of the rink, where I performed my triple lutz triple toe flawlessly.
The crowd cheered. I twirled into a flying spin, and nailed it before I flew into a triple axel. I landed it without wobbling and immediately followed it up with a triple loop, triple toe-loop combination.
The audience loved that. The sound of their applause grew louder as I spiraled from jump to spin to jump again. I did my best to play the part of the beautiful princess, cursed to be a swan as my blades twirled from one element to another. The ice spun around me, but try as I might, I just couldn’t fall into an easy rhythm. The rock was still in my core, weighing me down. I finished off my program with a layback spin, my signature move, and ended on time with the music, striking my final pose on time.
My chest felt like knives were running through it as I struggled to regain my breath. I performed a few curtsies to the crowd, which was applauding loudly, before I stepped off the ice and walked to the kiss-and-cry area.
“Well done, Emmaline,” Lady Magdalina praised. “Let’s try to keep that triple flip a little tighter next time.”
That was what she considered a complement. We sat down. My hands twisted nervously together as I waited for the judges to deliver their scores.
I heard screams as my score came on the megascreen above the ice. 80.45. That was a personal best, and a high score. I was in second place, right behind Gabby. She was only ahead by a few points. Which meant I had a chance to catch her in the long program!
I screamed and hugged Lady Magdalina. She laughed and embraced me, though her joy was short-lived. “Don’t get too excited. We still have to focus.”
I kept it together, but only at the expense of almost jumping out of my skates. My short program was over, thank the gods. Now I just needed to stay calm until tomorrow night, when the long program would be held at seven o’clock. But with my performance, I definitely had a shot at the podium.
“Emma!” Odette flung herself at me the moment I left the locker room. She and the others were waiting for me in the main lobby. “You did so well!”
“Thanks.” I gave a laugh. “Though it would’ve been better if I hadn’t taken that fall.”
“Hey, you almost had first place,” Stefan said. “Gabby wobbled on one of her jumps. I was sure she was going to go down.”
“She did look nervous,” Delmare added.
That eased my mind. If Gabby was worried about me being her competition, and I’d placed second today, it might get to her that I had a chance for gold tomorrow.
