Chapter 4 #5
And without waiting, without looking at anyone, without wanting to hear anything that could confirm what she already knew, Alisa turned and left the stands, walking out of the arena because staying there felt impossible, because arguing didn’t matter, because nothing would change the result anymore.
She already felt the loss settling inside her.
And now all that remained was to wait for the award ceremony, where everything would be said out loud.
* * *
At the award ceremony, they gathered all the skaters from every group, and the ice was filled with a huge number of athletes gliding under the music with bright smiles, throwing kisses to the audience as if everything that had just happened no longer mattered, as if the tension had dissolved into this bright, celebratory noise.
But the moment Alisa’s gaze crossed with the Norwegians, she already understood—they had won, they had clearly won—even though Alisa still didn’t know the final placements after all five performances, and she skated with her face lowered, feeling as if something heavy and humiliating had been thrown straight at her, mixed with that sharp, suffocating fear that she might leave without gold, because now anything less than first place felt like a disaster.
Tora caught her expression instantly, lifting her fingers to the corners of her lips and silently mouthing “smile”, and when Alisa read it, forcing nothing in response, Tora’s smile twisted into something sharper, almost predatory, baring her white teeth in a way that felt less like joy and more like victory claimed, and even through the noise of voices and music Alisa could pick out her ringing bright laughter, the kind that felt like it would echo in her memory for far too long.
They circled near the podium where the numbers stood—1, 2, 3—waiting, while the ceremony began the way it always did, awarding the rest first, a long line of skaters receiving participation medals that shone like gold but weren’t truly gold, along with heavy branded bags filled with something that didn’t matter, because none of it mattered now…
Alisa accepted hers with a silent nod, her face mirroring the tired seriousness of the man handing them out, both of them too drained for anything else.
Then the arena slowly quieted, anticipation tightening in the air, and a voice rang out:
“And now, our champions, our five winners!”
“Wait, what? Five?” Alisa muttered, glancing at Lev, who only shrugged, just as confused.
“Let’s begin with bronze.”
The Lithuanian pair was called first, and they jumped with excitement, clapping, stepping onto the podium, but before the applause could settle, the announcer continued:
“But that’s not all! Danes has the same score - 216, which means they also take bronze!”
Surprise flickered across the Danes pair’s faces as they joined them, the two couples squeezing onto the same level, laughing, hugging, medals already shining against their chests.
“And now — silver!”
Alisa’s teeth pressed into her lip as her thoughts spiraled, a desperate, irrational hope flashing through her mind, maybe something was miscounted, maybe—
The Finns stepped forward.
218.
The crowd erupted, and in that instant Alisa felt something inside her drop, heavy and final.
Then their names were called.
The same number.
218.
She moved forward automatically, stepping onto the podium as if her body no longer belonged to her, the silver medal placed around her neck, a soft toy pressed into her hands, it was a small white kitten in skates with a red scarf, and her fingers trembled around it as she tried to form a smile, but her vision blurred, her eyes filling despite every effort to hold it back.
They hadn’t taken gold.
And all that remained now was the question that pressed harder than anything else, what would the Pike say, would this be enough, would they still make it further, or was this where everything stopped?
“And gold—!”
The Norwegians.
219.
The arena exploded.
They skated forward and as they stepped onto the podium Alisa felt a hand brush her waist, then slide to her shoulder, and when she turned her head she saw Tora again, smiling, she was not at the crowd, not at the cameras, but at her, and for a second Alisa looked back through tears before Tora turned away, already waving the crowd and basking in the moment that was now entirely hers.
One fucking point.
Just one.
It echoed louder than the applause.
Still, maybe there was a chance, maybe this wasn’t the end, maybe they would still be taken further, Alisa clung to that thought as if it could keep her steady.
The ceremony continued, medals shining, cameras flashing, and when it was time for photos she wiped her tears quickly, lifting her chin, forcing herself into composure, her expression turning firm and almost cold as she stood there beside Lev, their hands clasped tightly, her body trembling but held together by his quiet support.
And when it was over, when the applause faded and they stepped down from the podium back onto the ice, the brightness of the moment dimmed into something heavier. It was not quite defeat, but something unresolved that followed them as they left the ice behind.