Chapter 23
Alisa had finally reached this point. She was at the Olympics, and today was the opening ceremony, a grand show in Milan. They would skate here; hockey and figure skating were the main sports of this arena.
All the athletes had access to specially reserved seats in the stands, but only the Russian team was gathered together in the athletes’ room today.
Once again, they were not allowed to compete under their own flag at the Olympics, and that, of course, wounded their honor and pride.
There were twelve of them in total, including Alisa. Three pairs and six singles.
Alisa was worried about her performance.
It was her Olympic debut, and almost no one knew her name.
As usual, the judges tended to favor already recognized athletes, those with established reputations.
Even though she had placed in the top three at previous championships, that did not guarantee approval here.
It unsettled her, but there was nothing she could do about it. That was simply the fate of debutantes.
She pressed her lips together and nervously bit them while looking at the large clock counting down to the start of the ceremony. Today’s show was expected to be one of the most spectacular in Olympic history.
Different emotions boiled inside her, but for some reason she felt an overwhelming urge to cry.
She would be performing alone here, without Lev, for the first time in many years. Officially without him, and now it truly felt official… And not just anywhere, but at the Olympics. He was supposed to be here too. It was one of the most significant moments of her entire career — and his as well.
She sniffed, trying to push away the tears that came with the realization of everything that had happened to her, but the emotions slowly began to consume her.
She crossed her arms over her chest, subtly hugging herself, hoping her teammates would not notice. They were all watching the clock as well.
Anfisa stood next to her, just as mesmerized, looking out over the entire arena below with a smile; she almost bounced on the spot with delight, while Alisa was trembling slightly with nervousness…
There was also a junior girl here, a sixteen-year-old brilliant figure skater - Diana; if anything, she performed only quads—her entire program was built from quadruple jumps, which was generally unrealistic even for adult figure skaters, although the boys in men’s singles also had full programs composed entirely of quads, so many athletes were aiming for medals at this Olympics, or at least that was the mindset everyone seemed to carry.
Among the everyone in the VIP box for athletes were Ivan, Slava, and Arseny; all of them watched the performance unfolding below with raised chins and serious expressions.
And there were also three pairs, all of them actively chatting about something.
10
9
8
7
The final seconds were whispered all around them, and then the stadium exploded with applause. Music flooded the massive arena from every direction. Lights, fireworks, waves of sound from the crowd — everything blended together.
Below them, a huge spiral circle illuminated the stage, decorated with sculptures and large picture frames.
In the distance, a spotlight captured a male dancer with wings.
He ran forward moving toward the center of the stage.
After a few elegant ballet steps, he reached a girl waiting for him, and they merged into an embrace.
“Oh, this is a piece about Psyche and Cupid!” her colleague Ivan nudged her.
He also competed in singles, in the men’s category, so they were not rivals.
Ivan was from Moscow, and thanks to his last program, in which he had successfully landed six quadruple axels and won gold, he had secured an additional quota spot for their country.
He smiled sincerely as he watched the dancers below.
Alisa nodded, thinking it was probably connected to the upcoming February 14th holiday. Valentine’s Day had always irritated her because of all that exaggerated romance, couples pretending their relationships were perfect. It usually stirred something sharp and unpleasant inside her.
And yet…
The tears that had gathered in her eyes did not disappear. The dancers moved with such beauty and tenderness that something deep in her chest ached. One tear slipped down her cheek, but fortunately, no one noticed, and she was quietly grateful for that.
It’s incredibly beautiful, her inner voice admitted.
The colors, the music, the artistry of the performance slowly carried her anxious thoughts away from the competition waiting for her the next day. They would perform on Tuesday and Thursday. In a few days.
Just a few days until her name would be called.
And the entire world would be watching.
Then there was a knock on the door of the athletes’ loggia, and Alisa’s heart skipped a beat. An attendant opened it, nodded to someone in the doorway, and stepped aside. After a moment he began walking toward Alisa, which immediately made her tense.
“Someone wants to talk to you,” the man said with a warm Italian accent and a polite smile, giving a small nod.
Alisa understood and headed toward the exit, casting one last glance at the show unfolding below. A famous Italian opera star was now performing on the stage, her powerful voice echoing through the stadium.
Under the sound of her singing, Alisa stepped out of the loggia.
Tora was waiting for her there.
She stood there in the uniform of her country, Norway.
Even in her warm outerwear, the flags and inscriptions were clearly visible.
When Alisa instinctively looked down at herself and noticed the absence of any national symbols on her own outfit, because she was competing for the neutral Olympic team (AIN), something inside her faltered.
It was as if she belonged nowhere.
As if she were no one.
The thought sent goosebumps down her legs, and she felt herself shrink slightly under its weight. But before it could fully consume her, Tora stepped forward and pulled her into a tight embrace.
Alisa inhaled the scent of cold mountain air and fresh herbs clinging to Tora’s clothes and almost burst into tears in her arms.
“I’m sorry…” Tora whispered breathlessly. She must have run here, disappearing from sight just to meet Alisa before the parade of nations, which traditionally took place at the very end of the ceremony.
“You have nothing to apologize for. I’m glad you came,” Alisa replied quietly, pulling back just enough to look at her. At least someone was all right tonight, she thought.
Then Tora cupped Alisa’s face in both hands and leaned in, brushing her lips gently against hers.
“Everything will work out,” she whispered between soft kisses before pulling back slightly.
Alisa nodded, though her jaw tightened as she glanced around, checking whether anyone had seen them. The bright lights were focused entirely on the main stage, leaving them in shadow.
Alisa leaned in for a second kiss, returning tenderness with tenderness, wrapping her arms around Tora’s waist, though it was difficult to find beneath the thick jacket.
Tora giggled softly and touched her forehead to Alisa’s.
“Good luck at the opening. Don’t slip on the ice out there.”
“Missed your pretty sarcastic face.” Tora smiled, gave a small wave, and disappeared behind the stands.
“Missed you too, baby…” She whispered almost to herself now. As soon as Tora was out of sight, the smile faded from Alisa’s face. She returned to the athletes’ box.
The others were no longer fully focused on the performance below. They were discussing their upcoming routines, analyzing rivals, and sipping drinks from the snack table.
The hours of the opening ceremony passed unbelievably fast. Alisa barely noticed how much time had gone by.
Soon the parade of nations began. Countries entered in alphabetical order, each delegation carrying its flag. Everyone was dressed beautifully, in winter outfits styled with unmistakable Italian elegance. After all, this was Italy, the capital of world fashion. Everything had to be perfect.
And it was.
The advantage of the parade was that it allowed the athletes to see the faces of their competitors clearly, to observe who would be skating in the coming days. Some faces were familiar from past championships, but this year there were many debutantes.
That realization eased something inside Alisa.
She was not the only one stepping into the unknown.
The parade had already reached the letter N in the alphabetical order, which meant Norway was about to enter the stadium.
As soon as the announcer’s voice echoed through the arena, a wave of athletes poured out onto the stage.
It felt like an entire army. Alisa tried to count—sixty, seventy…
maybe eighty—but her thoughts were too restless to keep track.
Anxiety distorted everything. Still, a quiet pride swelled inside her.
Somewhere in that sea of red, white, and blue was her girlfriend.
First came a woman in a futuristic silver down jacket, carrying a sign that looked as though it had been carved from a single block of ice: Norvegia.
The sign shimmered under the lights. Behind her marched the flag bearer, holding the Norwegian flag high, and then the rest of the delegation followed.
They were smiling broadly, waving at cameras from every direction. Some danced to the music blasting through the stadium. A DJ with neon-green hair was mixing upbeat tracks from a raised platform, and the entire arena seemed to pulse to the rhythm.
“There are so many of them…” Alisa murmured under her breath.
“Yeah,” Ivan muttered in agreement. “They say there are about a hundred of them here. That’s insane. Not fair.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, frowning at the spectacle.
“There’s definitely a whole hockey team in there—look!
” Alisa uttered to Anfisa specifically and pointed toward a group of large, broad-shouldered athletes bouncing and shouting with infectious enthusiasm.
Even from a distance, they radiated unmistakable hockey energy.
Their voices were swallowed by the roar of the crowd.
Anfisa just snorted with displeasure, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Of course they brought everyone,” Ivan said bitterly. “They can compete under their flag. Ours can’t. And no one’s going to show up here just to march without it.”
He shook his head, still watching the Norwegians.
Alisa, however, had already found Tora in the crowd. It took her only a second. Even among dozens of athletes, her eyes locked onto her immediately.
She smiled without realizing it.
Ivan noticed.
“Why are you grinning like that?” He raised an eyebrow. “Are you sleeping with someone from there?”
Alisa flushed instantly. Heat rushed to her cheeks, tiny prickles spreading across her skin.
“No! Of course not. Why would you even say that?” she protested too quickly.
Ivan narrowed his eyes. “You smiled like you just saw the love of your life.”
Anfisa coughed to defuse the situation, but Ivan did not let Alisa go that easily… and what did he need from her so badly? Why is he prying so much into my private life?
Alisa’s lips parted, but no explanation came.
“No, I just… it’s just…”
She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Ivan studied her for another second, then let it go, finally.
The parade continued below, but the excitement had dulled into routine. The ceremony had been going on for nearly three hours. It was already close to midnight, and exhaustion settled heavily over the athletes’ box.
Alisa rubbed her eyes.
“I’m going to sleep, guys. Thanks for the evening. See you tomorrow!”
She waved at all the skaters. They waved back distractedly as she slipped out of the box and headed toward the exit.
Anfisa followed Alisa to the exit, also waving everyone goodbye.
Outside, the air felt colder. She walked toward the hotel, her body aching with fatigue and her mind still buzzing and loud with thoughts.
Tomorrow would be another training.
And then in a few days her performance - on 17 and 19th of February. But before that she would have to witness Tora and her partner Loke perform too.
And she was very nervous about them too.
Performance, performance, performance.
After her training session, she could stay and watch the men’s short program at 19:45. The boys would skate. And later, at 22:05, the team event ice dance free dance.
Tora would probably be there watching too.
Maybe their schedules would align. Maybe they would pass each other somewhere in the athletes’ corridors, or exchange a glance from opposite sides of the loggia.
Alisa allowed herself a small, secret hope.
She wanted that.