Page 74 of Blade

Ana watched as Indy turned bright red.

“Why would she do that?” Ana asked. Her grudge against Patrice couldn’t be so strong she would sabotage herself—Indy was her ticket to having a skater in the next Olympic cycle.

“Nothing Dawn does makes sense,” Mio said. “She uses the jumps—and her ridiculous training methods—to make all of you worship her, and only her. Isn’t that what she says in that dumb book? She is crazy.”

Indy shook her head defiantly. “Well, I don’t worship her.”

“And that’s why she’s been hurting you.”

Indy stood up, straight as a giant tree.

“I don’t care about Dawn Sumner—show me how to land the Axel.”

The rink was locked, but Mio knew a way in through a bathroom window off the lobby.

“I leave it open so I can come here alone,” she said. “I only train in Echo to see my competition. Not for Dawn.”

Ana looked at Indy, surprised, though now so many things made sense. The way Mio always brought her own coach. And why she never stayed for more than a couple of months at a time.

They followed her past the ticket counter to the rink, using their phones to light the way. Then around the boards to the back corner where the Zamboni sat idle, smelling of gasoline and oil. On the wall was a panel of switches.

Mio flipped three of them, bringing light to the empty arena.

Ana stared up at the rafters. “It’s so quiet,” she whispered.

Mio smiled. “Yes. Exactly.”

They put on their skates, opened the boards, and stepped onto the rink, taking the first strokes.

“It sounds different,” Indy said.

“It feels different,” Ana said.

“Without Dawn, it’s just ice,” Mio said. “Magical ice.”

Like baby ducks, Ana and Indy followed Mio, building speed, strokes and crossovers, front and then back, until she eased them all into the center and came to a stop.

Except for their breath, in and out, and a soft buzz from the lights far above their heads, the rink was suffused with a profound sense of ease.

“These are the problem,” Mio said, taking Indy’s arms by each wrist. Swinging them back by her hips, then up into the air.

“The takeoff?” Indy asked.

Mio shook her head, up and down. “I told Dawn. And she knows. She is a good coach. But not to you, Indy. She is not good to you.”

Indy held a hand to her mouth. “So she’s been letting me fall all this time? Knowing how to make it stop?”

“I don’t know what is in that woman’s heart,” Mio said. “But let’s make her not matter to you anymore.”

“Show me,” Indy said. “What am I doing wrong with my arms?”

Mio let go of her, then took off, stroking around the edge again, building speed, cutting into the center, making a three turn onto her back-right outside edge.

“Watch my right arm,” she called out, then stepped forward onto her left blade, both arms swinging behind her, right leg extended parallel beneath them. She shot up into the air, arms and free leg now in front, then tucking in. Two and a half rotations, then the release onto the right toe pick, then the back outside edge. A perfect double Axel.

“Did you see it?” Mio asked when she skated back to Indy and Ana.

They were still confused, until Mio went again with the same instructions—to watch her right arm. She took off—the same double Axel, only this one higher.