"5 years to the date. I won't let this continue to take control of me. I'll stop it. I'll get over it. I'll learn to live without fear anymore.
Well.. at least when I feel like it."
Serena shut her diary and chucked it onto the floor. "Writing's not going to do anything.." She exhaled softly as she turned over onto her stomach. "October 1st already. Maybe they'll have some skating highlights.." She grabbed a small remote and flipped her TV on. "Drama.. Cooking.. Something that has to do with tv talk show hosts.. Ah! Finally."
"So, what can we expect from this year's men's skating? Any new faces?"
"As far was we are concerned, there will be no newer competitors in the men's division, however, the women's division is mostly made up of newer competitors except for two, you would know them as the Russian beauty and the Italian queen of the ice!"
"Whoa, no way!" Serena shot up and ran out into the hallway. "Dmitri! Channel 5! Hurry!"
"I know, I know. I'm watching it. Jeez, you'd think we were twins or something." Dmitri walked to his door and propped himself against the frame. "I thought you'd be more surprised to know that Yuri Katsuki is going to compete another year."
"Ah! So Viktor's going to be his coach, yeah?!"
"Duh. They're married. I don't think Viktor would let anyone else coach his husband. You're missing out on hearing Otabek speak-"
"What?!" Serena raced back into her room and turned her TV up. "Oh my god! He's so gorgeous!" She screeched into her pillow.
"Heh, you really like him, huh?"
"Duh. Do you not see the many posters I have of him and Yuri on my wall?"
"I see them." Dmitri sat down next to Serena and stared at her. "You know.. it's October 1st."
"Yeah? And?"
"Just wondering if you were ready to move on and pick back up."
"It was a thought. Ohhh shh! There's breaking news? Whoa, what happened?"
"Switzerland's sweetheart seems to be retiring at the young age of 27. The decision came to him after the death of his coach of 23 years on Monday afternoon. Christophe Giacometti talked to our reporters briefly after a 3 days hiatus."
"I'm crushed. I can't even begin to tell you how empty I feel."
"Do you have any motivation left, Christophe?"
"I don't know. It doesn't feel like it."
"Will you continue to skate?"
"I don't know right now."
"Will you move back to Switzerland?"
"Please, no more questions.."
"Wow. That's rough. 23 years?"
Serena frowned and looked over at her night stand. "Well our coach was mom.. We can't say much since she's still alive."
"True. So, can we talk about something?"
"I guess. What are we talking about, again?" Serena glued her eyes to the TV.
"Are you ever going to get back into skating? You used to love to skate so much, and you were really good at it."
"We were both good at it, Dmitri. If you want to skate again, you can pick it back up. I'm not stopping you."
"No. I promised you that I wouldn't skate unless you were skating, too. We started together, and we promised that we would follow each other, no matter what."
"I know. I've just been focused on the future. What's going to happen when we both have to move out and split up?"
"Split up?"
"You and I have always been together, Dmitri. We're twins. That's what twins do. I mean, you've seen how Mickey and Sara act around each other."
"Yeah, but we aren't like that. We're close, but not like that."
"Yeah, you're a little bit more protective over me."
"And I have every right to be. Just think about it, okay? I think you and I could make something great out of skating. We could win gold and travel the world as the skating twins."
"But that only goes so far. It's only cute when kids do it. We're not kids anymore. We are expected to grow up, get married and raise families."
"Gross. I haven't even thought about that yet."
"Me either. But you know it's going to come up soon."
"Alright. Just think about it, okay? You and I practice quite a bit, and I just hate to see your talent go to waste." Dmitri stood up and walked over to the door frame. "I'm gonna go grab something to drink. Want something?"
"I'm okay. Thanks." Serena stared back at the TV. Her pupils dilated and she buried her face into her pillow. "AHH! IT'S JEAN JACQUES!"
"Heh, he just broke up with his fiancé.. just days before their wedding."
"Whoa, what?! Why didn't you say something? You know I like dirt like that."
"Chill. I just found out today. I follow him on Instagram."
"You too? Everyone has one of those things."
"Yeah well, we can set one up for you when I get back upstairs."
"No thanks." She looked back towards the TV and could feel her heart race. "Why are all of the good looking guys so far away? And why do I have to be surrounded by an overprotective brother.." She turned the TV off and stood up from her bed. As she turned towards her full-length mirror, she began to examine herself. "Oh. Yeah. It's because I inherited good looks."
"Yo. Mom and dad are about to leave for the weekend and they want to talk to us. I'm supposed to come up here and retrieve your or something like that. Also, we're leaving as soon as they do to meet up with Mickey and Sara." Dmitri leaned against the door frame. "You look fine, quit worrying so much about your appearance."
"Yeah, yeah. I know."
Dmitri smirked. "Emil's coming this time. He says he can't wait to see you. How long has it been for you two?"
"Ah! He is? Good! It's been almost 2 years. He hasn't been able to travel the past couple of years due to training. Oh, do you know if it's cold outside?"
"Uh, yeah. And it will be for the next 3 months. We're 45 minutes from the border of Switzerland. It's always cold."
"Ah, right. I've been inside for the past couple of days, I just-"
"Forgot what it's like to be a part of the outside world? It's awesome. By the way, you and I are throwing a party tonight."
"Dmitri.."
"Whaaat? Our friends are coming in, and I figured that we could have the band over and just celebrate a little. Come on, you're my baby sister, I want to raise you right."
"Raise me right?" Serena scoffed and threw on a black knitted sweater and buttoned the extra-large purple buttons on the front. "You're 5 minutes older than me. Besides, if anyone is the baby, it's you." She stuck her tongue out and then began to laugh. "You make stupid decisions."
"And so do you. Remember 5 years ago?"
Serena grabbed Dmitri's wrist and squeezed tight. "We don't talk about that. You know better." Her attitude went south as she began to twist her hand.
"A-Ah! Okay okay! Jeez.. You can dish it, but you can't take it?"
"There's a difference between playfully insulting someone and bringing up a very bad moment of my life. And if I'm not mistaken, it fucked you over, too."
"Yeah. Okay. Drop it. Come on, mom and dad are probably getting pissed." Dmitri laced his fingers with Serena's and tugged her down the hall and downstairs to the family dining room.
"Ai, you two! We are going to be late for our flight!" Their mother pulled out chairs for them both as their father sat up straight in his chair.
"What she said. Come on, sit!"
Dmitri and Serena took their seats. They both looked at each other and then back at their parents.
"So, as you both know, we're getting older! And that means you both are, too. You have both been a huge blessing in our lives, and we have enjoyed watching you grow throughout the years."
"Thanks.." Serena said quietly.
"Go on…"
"Jesus, Dmitri. If you were any more like me, I would disappear from this earth. Your mother and I are going to retire."
"Wow! Way to go, you two! That means we can all be around more as a family!"
"Dmitri, sweetheart, what your father is trying to say is-"
"We're finally going to renovate the restaurant?! Yes! You both know how long I have been wanting to see it get a make-over-"
"Damn it, Dmitri! It's none of that."
"Huh? Then what could it be?" Serena blinked and sat up from her slouched positon.
"Your father and I are going to retire and move to France! We just signed our last 18 month lease for the restaurant, and once it's up, we're out of here!"
"F-France?! No, we can't move to France! We have a life here." Serena's voice cracked as she found the strength to speak.
"Who said you two were coming with us? You both are 23 years old. It's time to stop living with us and learn to live on your own."
"But, this is our home! We've grown up here our whole lives! The restaurant has been in our family for more than 3 generations!"
"Serena sweetheart, we know. But we're both getting older and it's hard to maintain and run-"
"What if Dmitri and I take over?"
"Uh, No." Dmitri chuckled and shook his head. "You honestly think 23 year old twins can take over a restaurant and make it successful again? You're jumping into things before you think about things."
"You shut up! Our restaurant IS successful!"
"Yeah, that's why people don't travel here anymore."
"Because traveling is expensive! If we renovate and make it better-"
"Come on you two, stop fighting. Your mother and I have put our heart and soul into this place, but when you get older, you lose passion."
"What if I take over? By myself. I'll do it."
"Wow, that was a stupid thing to suggest. Come on, you went to school for 4 years and for what?"
"Did you notice that I wasn't happy when I was in school?" Serena glared over at Dmitri. He shrugged it off.
"Fine. You win that round."
"You two, that's enough!" Their father slammed his hands down on the table and everyone became still.
"Serena, darling, you can't possibly run this place by yourself! Even with two people, it's very difficult!"
"I can do it."
"With what money? We want a lot for this place." Her father shook his head and sighed. "Your mother's right. You can't take this place by yourself."
"Watch me."
"Oh? Okay then. With what money will you pay for the restaurant? I admire your determination, kiddo, but you're my daughter. Who do you think you get it from? Your mother and I have to go, we can't waste any more time."
"Wait!" Serena paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "I'll skate again. And I'll win gold in each competition I skate at. I'll win big bucks, just like Dmitri and I did when we were kids. That's how we paid for college."
"Huh?! Serena, when I talked to you earlier about picking back up on skating, I didn't mean in a situation like this! Come on, focus and think about what you're getting yourself into." Dmitri took her hand and Serena snapped it back.
"You were the one who told me to stick with one goal at a time. Well, this is my goal. And you're going to skate with me."
"Ohhh no. You're not getting me into this. I wanted to skate for a profession, not to earn money for something that isn't of use to us."
"You are both grown adults! And who's going to coach you both? Do you remember that I haven't coached you two in almost 10 years? And your Uncle isn't well enough to coach you again. He's facing the fact that he might have to sell the ice rink-"
"Not that, too! Jesus, are you two trying to ruin our lives?!" Serena slammed her palms on the table top and stood up from her chair.
"Young lady, you need to relax." Her father's voice was stern, but wasn't raised.
"Y-Yes daddy. Sorry." Serena sat down and sighed. "At least let me try.."
"You haven't competed in 5 years, sweetheart. What makes you think that you can just get back out there and do it?"
"Because Dmitri and I still practice. And with his help-"
"Uh, Excuse me? You DO realize that both of us are in a successful band? No one can replace your singing and my guitar skills."
"This wasn't supposed to be a long discussion. We will talk about this more when we return. We'll be back by Tuesday night, and you two better not destroy the place while we are gone. The restaurant is closed until we return, so don't even worry about that stress. Just enjoy being young for a chance, alright? This year will pass before your eyes." Their father stood up from the table and slipped his winter coat on.
"Please, daddy. Let me prove myself."
"Alright, fine. You have 18 months. Make me proud, or something." He slipped his scarf on and took their mother's hand. "Come on, sweetheart. We're going to miss our flight."
"Right, right. You two be safe! We love you!" Their mother looked back at both of them.
"Yeah, love you too.." Dmitri held the door open for them as they both ran out. He closed the door behind them, locked it and looked back at Serena. "Just what in the hell are you thinking?"
"Dmitri, we have to try-"
"We? No no, this is YOUR project."
"Come on! If we both enter, we have twice the chance of winning! Plus, men make more than women do. And, you're amazing at it! You used to win gold all the time in the junior's division!"
"What about you? You swore that you'd never skate after what happened a while ago."
"Yeah, well.. this restaurant is important to me. It's a part of our family. If you don't want to skate.. I'll do it on my own."
"Who will coach you?"
"I don't know. I'll find someone. They always have retired skaters coach others. Well, ever since Viktor decided to coach Yuri Katsuki. Everyone wants to have a piece of that life."
"If you say so." He scoffed and turned to walk up the staircase. "I guess I have no choice. I can't let my baby sister do this alone. What kind of brother would I be?"
"An awful one." Serena stuck her tongue out as Dmitri ran upstairs.
"We can talk about this more later.. but let's take mom and dad's advice and live for once. Get ready. They should be here within the next 30 minutes."
"I'm ready. The world's waiting on you."
The doorbell rang, and both of them looked at each other. "I'll get it!" They both said in unison as they raced back down the stairs and to the front door. Dmitri opened the door, and Mickey walked in.
"Hey you two! So glad to see you! Sorry to barge in so quickly. it's freezing out there!"
"Hey, no problem at all! So glad you all could make it. Hey! Emil! Wow.. you're taller now!"
"Haha, yeah. That's what 2 years did to me." Emil walked in and looked at Serena. "Hey! Come here!" Emil embraced Serena in a tight hug and pulled away.
"Ah! Dmitri's right! You're so much taller than me now!"
"It's been too long. How are you feeling?"
"I'm doing a lot better. Well, at least I feel a lot better."
"That's great. I'm glad to hear it." He grinned down at Serena and rubbed the back of his neck. "You've.. changed a little from the last time I saw you-"
"Alright alright, don't get all creepy with her." Mickey tugged him back from his hood.
"Easy! She knows I mean it as a friendly compliment."
"It better be a friendly compliment. Don't forget, she's my little sister."
"Easy you three. We're on holiday!" Sara peeked behind Mickey's shoulder and grinned at Serena. "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"
"Sara! I saw you on TV tonight!" Serena wrapped her arms around her.
"Haha, yeah, I don't think they caught my good side." She stuck her tongue out. "Your house is still super cute!"
"Yeah, well.. my parents want to sell it."
"Oh no! That's terrible!"
"I'll talk to you more about it, later.."
"Are you ladies coming with us? We're going to go by the store and pick up some alcohol for the party."
"Are we seriously going to do this?" Serena sighed and shook her head. "We can't have the house destroyed!"
"It won't, relax. It's just us 5, plus Anthony and Vincent. We're going to play a few songs because our friends want to hear us play."
"He's telling the truth. We can't throw a crazy party or Emil might end up begging people to play strip poker."
"H-Hey! I'm a master at Poker, I cannot lose!"
"Sure thing, bud." Mickey placed his hand on Emil's shoulder and smirked. "You're in the presence of great friends with Instagram. If you get too crazy, everyone might find out."
"You wouldn't! Mickey, how rude!"
"Haha, then don't do anything crazy! Right, Serena?" Sara nudged her and wrapped her arm around Serena's shoulders.
"I wouldn't know. I don't have an Instagram."
"Bless you, Serena. You're such an amazing friend."
"Thank you, Emil." She grinned and took Sara's hand. "Alright, well we're going to get ready for this so-called party."
"I thought you were already ready?" Dmitri grabbed his coat and slipped it on.
"I was before I found out we were drinking. I need to look a little bit better than I do now."
"I think that's girl talk for 'We're going to talk about serious stuff'. Come on, we should get going and get back before people start to show up." Dmitri led Mickey and Emil out the door, and Serena tugged Sara upstairs to her bedroom.
"Wow, you've changed your room a bit since I last saw it."
"A year ago." Serena laughed as she sat down on her bed. "So, I know we catch up all the time through Skype.. but you must fill me in on everything! How does it feel to skate with a bunch of new competition?"
"It's fun. Everyone skates beautifully, but some of the girls are catty. I think everyone is hungry for gold that they lost the meaning of what skating really is."
"That's awful. But, at least you enjoy yourself."
"I do."
"So, how about you and Mickey? Has he stopped being so clingy?"
"Hah! Mickey?! Never. He did for awhile, after I talked to him. I understand that it's hard for someone to part from their twin, especially since they have never been apart. But, if I wasn't mistaken, you deal with the same thing?"
"Yeah. Except, ours isn't as extreme."
"Didn't seem like it downstairs when Emil was gushing over you."
"Okay. He's still overly protective."
"Well, I would be too after what happened.. you know.."
"I wish people would stop bringing it up. I'm fine. It's no big deal."
"If you say so. It changed you and Dmitri both. But, I trust you." Sara took Serena's hands and smiled at her. "So, enough about that, have you met any guys?"
"What did we just talk about? Do you really think Dmitri would let me talk to anyone? You should know better than anyone else. Our brothers are pretty much the same."
"I snuck off with Seung while Emil and Mickey were in the middle of a discussion."
"No way! So, what did you do…?"
"We kissed. A lot. But that's it."
"Ohhh If Mickey were to ever find out-"
"I know! He'd kill me. You can't say anything to anyone. Not even your brother."
"I swear."
"Great! So, let's go back to you. You need to hook up with someone."
"Yeaaah. Dmitri will totally accept me dating."
"Honestly, I'm surprised that you haven't gone behind Dmitri's back. You're stunning! Your platinum blonde hair and those peridot eyes."
"That's the French in me. Dmitri got lucky, too."
"Still. Point is, you need to at some point! Don't you want to get married and have your own family?"
"Of course. But right now, my mind is on other things."
"Having a boyfriend will take away all of your stress."
"No need. I have my own goal in mind."
"Goal..? You still haven't gotten out of that habit yet, have you? What's got your mind occupied now, huh?"
"I'm going to compete again and win gold at each competition."
"Huh?! Serena, that's great! What encouraged you?"
"I told you that mom and dad are selling the restaurant. Well, they told me I have 18 months until the lease is up to earn money to buy the restaurant and house from them."
"You go girl! But, why do you want to make it your burden? Don't you want to make skating your life again?"
"It's not going to consume me any longer. I'll enjoy it, but the only thing on my mind is to win enough money to keep this place."
"Why is it so important to you?"
"This is my home, Sara. Dmitri and I were raised here, and we were always involved in the family restaurant some way or another. It's been in our family for 3 generations, and it's upsetting enough to think that it could get into the wrong hands. It's been my escape for the past 5 years."
"But, what if you want to keep skating?"
"I'll make that decision later on. Why keep skating if I don't accomplish my main goal?"
"Alright. Just don't lose your love of skating because of stress."
"I love skating. I miss it. I can't believe I'm coming back, to be honest. But, if I don't do something, Dmitri and I could lose everything. We aren't prepared to leave. He told me that he's going to help me. Together, we have a better chance of winning. Just don't say anything to anyone yet, okay? This all happened 30 minutes before you all showed up."
"Serena, that's very sweet of you. No matter what, you will always have our support."
"That means everything to me. Thanks."
"Anytime. I haven't heard
So, does your uncle still have the rink?"
"He's close to selling it."
"No way!"
"Tell me about it." Serena sighed. "I can't afford both places or I would buy them both. I don't even know if I can buy the restaurant off of them. I don't even know if I can run the restaurant and keep it open! What did I get myself into?!" She grabbed a pillow and groaned into it. "I'm in trouble."
"Relax. It will all work out. Oh, speaking of, the guys just got back! I can hear them downstairs."
"Perfect. Something to take my mind off my bad decisions."
"You can't drink yet, you haven't even sang for us!"
"I can still sing after one drink. I'm not weak.." Serena blushed and looked away. "I'm not like I was 5 years ago. I can handle my liquor."
"Good girl." Sara took her hand and led her downstairs. "I wonder what they got?"
"Knowing Emil, Probably Jägermeister and Vodka." Serena stuck her tongue out and shook her head.
"I thought your drink of choice was Vodka?"
"It is. But Jägermeister, not so much."
"Get down here, you two! It's time to take shots."
"Chill, Dmitri. We're right here. Do you think it's such a good idea to take straight shots of liquor before we perform?"
"Sure, why not? Relaaaaax.." Dmitri threw his head back and let the liquor slide down his throat. "Live a little. I give you permission."
"Oh ha ha. Give me a shot of vodka."
"Gotcha right here! Shots for the ladies.." Emil slid two shot glasses full of vodka towards Sara and Serena.
"And who said you could pour my little sister alcohol?" Mickey sneered at Emil as he began to pour three shots of Jägermeister.
"Relax, Mickey.. I'm a big girl. I can handle my liquor."
"Yeah, Mickey! Relax! Here, a shot for you, another shot for Dmitri and a shot for me!"
"I can already tell this isn't going to end well." Dmitri sighed and took another shot. "Alright, that's enough for me. I need to be able to play. Speaking of, they should be here any minute."
"Oh? You're actually going to play?" Mickey smirked and nudged Dmitri in the arm.
"Yeah, we're going to play. You all get to hear us, finally."
"Perfect! So, what are you all going to play?" Sara took her shot and slammed her shot glass on the table top.
"We're going to just wing it."
"Wait, what?! Dmitri, you didn't pick out any songs?! You were the one who decided to throw this party, how could you not think of a song list!"
"Come on, we'll think of something. Come upstairs with me while I grab my guitar. We can decide some songs then. Besides, you and I need to talk."
"Great. What did I do this time?"
"It's what you haven't done. If you're going to be serious about what we talked about earlier, then you need to think about this really hard, alright?"
"Dmitri. I know." Serena followed him up the steps and to his room.
"I'll help you."
"I know you will. You wouldn't let me do this by myself."
"It's because you can't do this by yourself." He smirked and grabbed his guitar case. "Come on. The party is waiting for us."