Page 54 of Chasing Gold, Catching Her

The music ended. Alisa skated urgently toward Lev, her face a mask screaming of fear and disbelief. He remained on the ice, writhing in pain, eyes closed, the agony was there for everyone to see. Medics rushed forward, lifting Lev onto a stretcher and carrying him out of the arena. Alisa froze where she stood, her gaze locked on the empty space where he had fallen, unable to move. An escort guided her off the ice, but her mind seemed elsewhere.

In the Kiss & Cry Zone, she sat motionless. Her eyes were empty, lips pressed into a thin, emotionless line, blinking only when forced. She stared through space and time at the ice, the screen above showing the moment over and over. When the scores were announced, she didn’t even react. Only when the coach gently guided her away, shutting down the camera that had captured every expression for the world to see, did she move, the weight of the moment settling like stone in her chest.

* * *

Alisa sat in the arena’s medical center, clutching Lev’s hand as he waited for the painkillers to take effect. Silence wrapped around them like a heavy fog, broken only by Pike pacing nervously, phone pressed to her ear, speaking in hurried, measured tones to Lev’s parents.

“Yes… he has a knee injury. While they’re figuring out how serious it is, we’ll go to the hospital for X-rays and an ultrasound. Yes, we’re waiting for the car. I’ll go with him. Alisa will have to wait for the results and the end of the competition.”

Pike’s serious eyes met Alisa’s, but she only nodded, her gaze still distant and empty, as if her life had cracked open and all the color had drained away, which in a sense it had. If Lev’s injury was severe, he might not skate again for six months. The quotas, the culmination of all their efforts, could slip through their fingers despite the flawless execution of nearly every element.

That one disastrous final move had thrown everything into chaos.

Alisa squeezed Lev’s hand tighter.

“It’s going to be okay, Lev, do you hear me?” Alisa whispered, squeezing his hand as she looked at him and felt her heart break like ice beneath colliding skates. The shards seemed to scatter across the rink, just like her heart. Based on Lev’s condition, it did not seem like a simple sprain or minor injury — most likely, it was a meniscus injury… He had screamed so loudly, a scream of despair she would never forget.

Lev looked broken, both physically and mentally, slumped against the medical bed. The last lift had ended in disaster, yet he had managed to save her from a catastrophic fall. If he hadn’t reached out, she would have hit the ice hard, and the consequences could have been far worse for both of them. The thought sent fresh tears down her cheeks.

Lev, drowsy from the painkillers, blinked slowly at her.

““Why are you crying, you fool?” His voice was rough.

Alisa’s voice caught in her throat.

“We’ll show them more. We still have a chance to get a quota in China… if we didn’t pass today, even though we should have scored high. Do you remember the score they gave us?”

Alisa shook her head faintly, swallowing hard.

“Sorry… I don’t remember the end. I was… frozen in horror. You were curled up on the ice, moaning in pain… and then… the program ended. Someone helped me and lead me to the bench. And then… emptiness. And now… I’m here with you.”

Pike came up again, gently taking Lev’s other hand.

“We’re going to the local clinic for a proper diagnosis. The car is almost here. Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.” She stroked Lev’s cheek, and he closed his eyes for a long, slow moment.

Alisa lingered a heartbeat longer.

“Alisa… it’s time for you to go back to the stands. They should have finished and announced the scores for the group.”

She nodded silently, taking one last glance at Lev. He lay there, eyes closed, trying to rest or perhaps relive the moment inside himself. Alisa’s throat tightened; no words, no tears, could release the knot. She gently let go of his hand, her fingers lingering over his, and left the room, passing through the flurry of nurses and doctors rushing past her.

* * *

When all the results were finally posted, it was time for group meetings and press interviews, and Alisa had to gather every scrap of courage just to face the reporters. The noise buzzed in her ears, a chaotic static that mirrored the sorrow and despair gnawing at her soul.

They hadn’t taken the quota.

Ilya and Maria had claimed it, that was one out of possible three quotas per country. It was a crushing blow, a bitter failure for Alisa and Lev and other skaters from their country. Deep down, she had known, somehow, that this year, the Olympics would slip through their fingers. The premonition had been there all along, gnawing quietly at the edges of her mind.

All the skaters came out in pairs. Alisa sat alone, an empty chair beside her where Lev should have been. They had finished last in the group, a disappointment that felt like a physical weight pressing on her chest. And yet, it had all started so well…

Reporters immediately attacked Alisa with questions, not the gold medalists, Tora and Loke, who also looked worried. They seemed to take the situation personally because it could happen to any pair. All the skaters at the press conference that day looked gloomy despite the fact that they usually smiled, but everyone was shocked by the situation. Tora and Loke were sitting on the left side, while Alisa was sitting on the right, arranged according to the competition order.

And when the reporters literally bombarded Alisa with questions—

“What do you plan to do next?”

“Will you skate alone?”