Chapter 26 #2
And in a final burst of determination, Alisa accelerated across the ice once more and launched into another quadruple Lutz.
This time, she landed it cleanly.
The arena exploded.
And then, bursting with adrenaline and joy, Alisa threw herself into a butterfly jump, almost flying parallel to the ice before landing directly into a difficult step sequence.
Her blades cut deep arcs into the rink as she dropped into a hydroblade, spinning low in a circle, so close to the surface that it looked like she might kiss the ice itself. And she was smiling.
She had done it.
She hadn’t fallen on a single jump.
The realization hit her in waves as she exited the element through another intricate set of level-four steps, her exhausted body still forcing itself to move with precision despite the fire burning in her muscles.
Then came the final spin.
She entered a camel position, body stretched beautifully across the center of the ice before lowering into a sit variation, one leg bent tightly as she caught the blade with her hand.
From there she pulled herself upward into a Biellmann position, back bending painfully as the spin accelerated faster and faster before transitioning into a needle variation.
The audience applauded continuously now.
Alisa abruptly stopped the spin and struck her final pose, arms spread wide like dark wings, a fierce, almost warlike smile crossing her face beneath the arena lights.
But then—
The music surged one last time.
Alisa suddenly accelerated again for the final seconds of the program, emotion completely overtaking her.
Tears blurred her vision as she dropped to her knees and slid across the ice, arching her back and spreading her arms outward as though surrendering herself completely to the moment. Like a fallen angel.
She continued gliding on her knees until finally collapsing fully onto the ice, tears streaming freely down her face.
And then the music stopped.
Everything stopped.
It was over.
Her Olympic program.
Her performance.
Finished.
And underneath the exhaustion, beneath the adrenaline and emotion, her heart was racing with fear.
Slowly, Alisa pushed herself back to her feet, wiping tears from her cheeks before waving weakly toward the audience. She bowed deeply.
The applause didn’t end.
It rolled through the arena endlessly, echoing beneath the ceiling of the stadium, but somehow Alisa felt that it wasn’t entirely for her. It was for the moment itself. The final women’s skate of the Olympics. The end of something magical that the audience didn’t want to let go of yet.
Alisa skated one slow lap around the rink, waving to every section of the crowd, the upper stands, the middle rows, then finally the lower seats nearest the ice.
She carefully avoided looking toward Tora.
She passed that side of the rink quickly, refusing even a single glance.
As she approached the exit, plush toys began raining onto the ice, it was a long-standing tradition for skaters after emotional performances. Alisa bent down and picked up a small white cat plushie, clutching it tightly against her chest as though it might keep her from falling apart completely.
The moment she stepped off the ice, Arkadiy wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close.
“It was not that bad,” he said firmly, patting her back. “Not as planned with the quadruples fully… what happened?”
Alisa only shook her head faintly in disappointment.
Together they walked toward the Kiss & Cry area, Arkadiy’s hand squeezing her shoulders encouragingly the entire way. He draped a white team jacket over her shoulders to keep her warm.
“Nothing… it’s nothing…” Alisa whispered repeatedly under her breath. “I did it. I did it…”
She was trembling violently now.
She held the white plush cat tighter against her chest while Arkadiy kept her close beside him, trying to calm her down as the adrenaline finally crashed over her all at once.
The scores were announced, but Alisa already knew.
Unfortunately, she understood everything before the numbers even appeared.
She stared at the final scoreboard, barely breathing, already having calculated every point in her head during the performance. Tears streamed silently down her cheeks as the results flashed across the giant screen above the arena.
1 — Tora M?ller — 209.90
2 — Alisa Voronkova — 202.50
The world around her blurred instantly.
Her breathing slowed, turning heavy and painful, as though the air itself had become poisonous. A sharp ringing filled her ears, drowning out the arena around her, and suddenly she couldn’t hold herself together anymore.
Alisa broke into tears.
A sob escaped her chest so violently that her entire body shook with it. Arkadiy immediately placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to steady her, but she was trembling too hard.
She had lost.
Lost to Tora.
The gold medal she had dreamed about for years had slipped away right in front of her.
Alisa turned suddenly and buried her face against Arkadiy’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her immediately, stroking her back, trying to comfort her, but somehow it only made the pain feel worse.
Inside her, it felt as though a black hole had opened, swallowing everything whole from the inside out. The arena lights blurred together, voices became distorted and distant, and all she could hear was the buzzing in her ears mixed with fragments of people speaking around her.
Then Anfisa approached and hugged her too.
Anfisa had earned bronze—third place—and there was real happiness in her eyes. She hadn’t expected gold. For her, this was victory.
But Alisa had aimed only for first place.
And that was why second place felt unbearable.
Silver always hurt the most.
The arena erupted into applause and celebration around them, but Alisa barely heard it. Staff members and coaches were already preparing the podium ceremony, arranging the illuminated platforms for the medalists, while everyone around Alisa tried desperately to calm her before the awards began.
But she only shook harder.
Part of it was grief.
Part of it was rage.
And part of it was betrayal.
Tora had taken the gold from her. Torn it away at the very last moment.
It felt like everything Alisa had sacrificed had been for nothing.
And then the arena lights dimmed.
The pathways leading toward the podium illuminated softly across the ice, glowing beneath the stadium lights. Alisa stepped forward automatically with the others and then slowed.
Across the rink, at the opposite entrance, Tora stood waiting.
Their eyes met from a distance.
And strangely, Tora didn’t look happy either. There was no victorious smile on her face, no pride or celebration, there was only exhaustion and something painfully close to despair.
Tora stepped onto the pathway first and waited silently for Alisa to follow.
Alisa swallowed hard before stepping onto the specially covered ice herself.
For a moment, the entire world seemed to go silent.
They walked toward each other slowly across the illuminated rink, neither speaking, neither looking away. Then Anfisa emerged from the third entrance and moved between them, the bronze medalist unknowingly standing in the center of something much heavier than a competition.
The three girls stopped before the podium.
Silence.
Then Anfisa climbed up first onto the bronze platform, the lowest step. She turned and looked toward Alisa with careful sympathy.
Alisa tried to smile back, but the expression barely formed. Her jaw tightened so hard that pain shot through the right side of her face. She lifted a hand instinctively to her cheek, feeling the ache that had built there over days of clenching her teeth through stress and anger.
Then, avoiding Tora as if even brushing against her would hurt, Alisa stepped around her and climbed onto the silver platform.
Higher than Anfisa.
But nowhere near high enough to reach Tora.
Tora jumped onto the highest podium with both feet and bounced lightly on it once again, almost as if testing whether it was real. Then she raised her arms above her head while the arena roared around her.
The award presenters entered the rink.
A man in his fifties with gray hair approached the woman standing beside the podium, and she handed him the bronze medal first.
“The bronze medal is awarded to Anfisa Unbegaun!”
The arena applauded warmly.
The official turned slowly, presenting the medal to every side of the stadium before lifting it over Anfisa’s bowed head and placing it around her neck. Anfisa smiled brightly, visibly overwhelmed by the moment.
Then came the silver medal.
Alisa stared at it with a hollow, exhausted expression, as though the metal itself had personally offended her.
“The silver medal is awarded to… Alisa Voronkova!”
The applause rose again.
Alisa lowered her head automatically, not in gratitude but in defeat. A tear slipped free and landed silently on the ice beneath her skates. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice.
But then she felt it.
Tora’s hand against the small of her back, gentle, careful, trying to support her.
Alisa nearly shattered from it.
For one terrible second she wanted either to scream or to disappear straight beneath the ice forever.
Instead, she lifted her head proudly and brushed Tora’s hand away without even looking at her.
“And the gold medal goes to… Tora M?ller!”
The arena exploded.
Cheers thundered through the stadium as Tora smiled brightly and waved toward the audience, making the crowd even louder.
Meanwhile, Alisa stood completely still, staring somewhere far beyond the arena while Tora received her gold medal.
Inside her, everything felt dead.
“Congratulations to the champions of the women’s singles figure skating competition!”
The applause came again, louder than before, and immediately journalists flooded toward the podium pathways. Camera flashes exploded nonstop around them as photographers shouted for attention and angles.
The bright lights stung Alisa’s eyes until she had to blink repeatedly and partially close them against the endless flashing.