Page 137 of Chasing Gold, Catching Her

Alisa sat in the dressing room, watching the live feed on the screen. Tora was next to skate, and Alisa would be the last in the group. She could only hope the ice would still hold up after five skaters before her.

She bounced slightly on her feet in front of the screen as Tora appeared, already in her striking Lara Croft-inspired costume. The arena announced her, and she skated out waving to the audience before gliding to center of the ice, where her program would begin.

The music started Survivor by 2WEI — a cinematic track that filled the arena like a film score. The concept was clear: Tomb Raider.

Tora lowered herself to her knees at center ice, hands covering her face. Then, as the music built, she slowly revealed herself with a confident smile. She pushed forward on her knees, rose smoothly onto one blade, and flowed backward with controlled arm movements that looked almost choreographed like combat precision and dance combined.

She quickly drew pistols from her thighs and aimed at invisible targets across the arena, and the crowd immediately erupted into loud cheers.

Then the rhythm shifted.

She transitioned into a butterfly jump parallel to the ice, landing softly into flow. The pistols were holstered with a sharp gesture, as she continued seamlessly into footwork that carved precise patterns across the ice. The audience applauded after nearly every transition.

She lifted her foot as if to kick it, then slowly sliced through the air with her sharp blade before accelerating into her jumps just as the music, on the contrary, softened.

And then, when the song finally rose into the chorus, she performed her first jump — the triple axel. Perfect. It was perfect! Dammit! People clapped and shouted from their seats in support of Tora, and almost immediately after the twizzle sequence that felt like one hundred rotations, she launched into a triple lutz with triple flip cascade, landing both perfectly. Alisa’s heart beat faster with every flawlessly executed element, but she could not take her eyes off her rival on the ice…

Tora lifted her arms above her head, smiling as if acknowledging both the crowd and the moment itself, then accelerated into a Spread Eagle position, gliding across the ice with her arms open and chest lifted toward the judges.

It was effortless. She was so confident…

And then, without losing speed, Tora launched into a triple loop with another clean landing.

The crowd erupted again.

Almost immediately she transitioned into another jump, a triple flip, landing softly before flowing straight into a twizzle sequence. Her blades barely seemed to touch the ice as she accelerated through intricate footwork, changing edges rapidly through Mohawks, turns, and quick transitions.

The step sequence stretched across nearly the entire rink, fast and difficult, before she opened once again into a sweeping Spread Eagle, arms extended as the music surged around her.

Then she dropped dramatically onto one knee, sliding across the ice. The arena applauded instantly at the sheer theatricality of it.

Without pause, she built speed again and entered another jump pass.

Her spins followed—first a Biellmann spin, then a spiral position flowing into a fast sit spin, rotating rapidly with one leg bent beneath her. The speed of the rotation blurred the details of her costume beneath the lights.

Another jump. Then another. Then a final solo jump, all executed with the same impossible calmness that had defined her entire performance.

She transitioned back into a camel variation, then lowered into a difficult catch-foot sit position, holding the blade with both hands before rising smoothly out of it.

Then came the Ina Bauer.

Her body arched deeply backward, one knee bent in front while the other leg stretched elegantly behind her, the position creating a dramatic curve through her entire body as she glided across the ice under the spotlight.

The audience roared again.

She entered another complex step sequence—threes, choctaws, brackets—executed cleanly at high speed before transitioning into a split jump across the ice.

And then came the Charlotte spiral.

Tora folded herself down toward the supporting leg while the free leg extended vertically upward into a near-perfect split line, creating a position that looked almost unreal in motion. The arena reacted immediately, applause spreading through the stands again.

Finally, she returned to center ice, entering one last camel spin.

The rotation slowed gradually as she lifted her leg higher and higher, perfectly centered beneath the lights, until suddenly she stopped sharply in her final pose, smiling brightly as the music ended.

The arena exploded with applause.

And through all of it, Alisa watched every element.