A/N-For any non-skaters/ people who are not familiar with figure skating, at the bottom is a little "key" for some of the terms."
"Next," the voice called. "Number three hundred forty seven."
"Good luck," Eren whispered to Mikasa. "Not like you'll need it."
Three Queens boarding school, an elite Academy with an imposing reputation for molding inspiring skaters into champions. The entries were overflowing, with a minuscule 8% acceptance rate for skaters of her level.
"Welcome entry three hundred forty seven," a man with large eyebrows greeted Mikasa as she entered the ice. She slid into a proper tea stop in front of the judges, bowing slightly as she did so.
"Mikasa Ackerman," he looked up from her papers. "Junior skating level, tenth grade, and decorated with three gold on the junior regionals, three gold on junior sectionals, three gold on the junior nationals and two gold, one silver at the international Junior World Figure Skating Championships. And that is just a portion of your accolades I hear. Thank you for applying."
She nodded her head once, a rare, faint smile on her lips so not to seem hostile to the judge.
"Erwin Smith," he introduced himself to her. "Administrator and teacher here at Three Queens." She knew of him, as he was infamous in the skating world."May I ask, Ms. Ackerman, why you have remained on the junior level since you were thirteen?"
"Sir," she replied, "My family is a very important aspect of my life. I felt that because I was clearly advanced for my age, I should remain a junior in order for my brother to catch up.
"Interesting," Erwin said. He wasn't sure how to feel about her less than stellar answer. Her answer seemed to him a lack of determination, but knew he needed to continue her trial. "We will play the track for the short program you selected, then please exit the ice."
A melody started to play in the background, signaling Mikasa to begin. She accelerated on the ice, gliding on it with a series of twists and turns. She never did show emotion, but when she was on the ice she felt something inside of her. It was warm, growing internally before finely trickling out onto the surface. If anybody studied her closely, they would notice the ardor in her. Even if the skill she was performing was rudimentary, she executed it flawlessly.
At her home town, she was known as a prodigy. By now, she could have easily made it into the senior level, but instead waited for her brother to qualify. They scorned her for devoting herself to him, tying her wings and waiting to take off until he could fly too.
Indentations coated the ice she skated, performing backwards crossovers to prepare for a double lutz. She soared through the air, spinning around with inexorable grace. She landed cleanly on her foot, holding her arched back position.
From the stands Levi stood, watching the black haired girl with great intent. He had never seen such flawless execution from a skater other than himself, not to mention she was a level below him. He grudgingly agreed with the judge's nods of approval, but kept his supercilious look plastered on his face.
The song ended, and Mikasa spun out of a scratch spin into her final position. As she held her pose, she locked eyes with a small man watching from the sidelines. His eyes were gray, dark grey, like that of steel. She felt instant distaste in her mouth, but kept her expression neutral so not to alert the judges of this exchange. Levi, she thought. I didn't know a skater like him would attend a school like this. She knew him because of his current record, the only male skater never to place below bronze in his whole career. Similar to my record, she thought, the only female skater whose never placed below bronze in her entire career. Turning away, she bowed before the judges again. They excused her, all the judges smiling slightly.
"I think its clear," Erwin said. "Definite pass."
:-:-:-:-:-:-
"Mikasa," Eren yelled after her sister. "Help me with the rest of my stuff!"
"Eren," she stated calmly, "You really didn't need to bring all of your video games with you. This is an intense school, and they'll won't hesitate to kick you out if you don't perform well."
When Mikasa's acceptance letter arrived in the mail, she had opened it calmly, hoping to see Eren receive one as well. She had fingered the smooth paper, reading it as she processed what was said in the note.
A boarding school, she thought as she stared at the imposing building, jarring her out of her thoughts.
It was surrounded by wrought iron gates, a large sign broadcasting that this school was the Three Queens Academy. Students milled about the lush grounds, some dressed in the team uniform, others simply in the dress code.
"So you're in the top class, huh?" he asked Mikasa. "I thought only senior level skaters could get in." Unlike formal schools, the classes for ice skating were divided by skill level as opposed to grade level. "A single junior in a senior's class. Sounds poetic, huh?"
"This is were were part," Mikasa interrupted him as they stood in front of her dorm. She held her final bag in her hand, internally smiling at the fact Eren most likely had three more trips to the car.
"Aw, you really should help me," he exclaimed.
She ignored him, walking away. "After you unpack Mom and Dad told us to meet them by the entrance before they leave."
""Okay," he called after her. "You're a big meanie though. You won't help me with my stuff!"
"Mature," she muttered back to him. "Fine, maybe I'll help you." She knew she really ought to cease helping him with every little thing, but how could she? Eren needed her and being there for him was the least she could do after...
After that happened
She opened the glass door to the dorm building, hauling her final duffel bag behind her. She walked up three flights of stairs before entering her room. Room 10C was written in gold lettering across the door, reminding her of how much money the school owned. She pushed open the metal doorknob, sighing in relief as she set it down.
Her roommate hadn't arrived yet, leaving Mikasa the choice of which bed she wanted. It was a simple room, with two beds on either side of the wall and two night stands on their sides. A small door on the left held their closet, while the door on the right lead to their bathroom. A long L shaped desk sat in the corner of the wall the door was on, with an ivory bookcase against the other. It suited their minimal needs comfortably, with a common area and kitchen on the first floor, giving the occupants more space to live.
The door clicked, alerting Mikasa of somebody entering her room. She spun around, greeted by a new face.
She was small, with a lithe body toned from skating. Her large nose filled most of her face, regal looking and unconventionally pretty. Her blond hair surrounded her large, heavily lidded crystal blue eyes.
"Annie Leonhardt," she said in a monotone voice.
"Mikasa Ackerman. I'm assuming you're my roommate?" she asked.
"Yes."
A tense silence followed, before Mikasa asked, "Annie, do you want the left or right bed?"
:-:-:-:-:-:-
Eren lounged in his dorm located on the other side of the large campus. Him and his roommate had already come into concordance, sharing skating tips and studying tricks. He learned that his roommate, Armin, was quite cerebral. His knowledge in skating was mainly on technique, and his grades were extremely high.
"I got a scholarship here because the school needs to make sure that its student's grades are high. I admit I'm not a remarkable skater, but I'm an example during open houses and such of how the students here achieve high grades," Armin said.
"Oh," Eren said. "What level do you skate on?"
"I'm only a juvenile skater," he admitted. "So I'm in the bottom class for skating."
"Do your best," Eren told him. He knew that to pass admissions you needed to be at least on juvenile level when you enter high school.
"I will," he pumped his fist, smiling slightly. "Its my second year, so I'll be prepared. At least I'm out of danger, because I'm only a juvenile."
"What?" Eren inquired, wondering what 'danger' Armin was speaking of.
"Do you know about Petra Ral?" Armin asked him.
Eren nodded. He was familiar with the senior level skater who was decorated with many international accomplishments. "What happened to her?"
"She was at the regional senior championships, and during her warm up she collided with a skater from Titan Academy. It fractured her spinal chord and she's been out for seven weeks now, although she was reaccepted into Three Queens this year despite not being able to skate. Some sources say it was intentional, while others say it wasn't. But of course there is always speculation."
"Oh," Eren replied. He heard of the cut throat school, Mikasa and he were thinking about going there instead. They were longtime rivals with the Three Queens school, with bitter history going far back."
"She used to practice pair skating with Levi."
"Levi?" Eren asked. "That guy is a legend. I really look up to him."
"He is," Armin agreed. "He's looking for a new pair partner because she's out." Armin glanced at the watch on his wrist. "Damn, its already five," he said. "The opening ceremony already started!" His eyes widened in sudden realization.
The two sprinted out of their dorm, noticing the stillness of the entire campus. Everybody is definitely already in the auditorium, Eren thought.
"We're here," Armin said, looking at his watch once again. "Good, only eight minutes late."
They tiptoed into the room, trying to be as discreet as possible. A blonde man stood at the front, flanked by a brunette man and a tall, bald man.
"The classes here," the blonde man, Erwin, the administrator, continued his speech. "Are from six in the morning to eight at night, running from Mondays to Fridays. You all have schedules, but I will go over it now as well. You will meet off ice with your ice skating class at six, and stretch for thirty minutes. After that you will have one hour of free ice time, so use it wisely. Official classes start at nine, giving you time to change out of your skating clothing into the mandatory dress code. Any questions so far?" He surveyed the room, judging to see if everybody understood.
"There's Mikasa," Eren whispered to Armin, pointing her out. She was sitting closer to the front, her dark scarf tied around her neck. "My sister." Armin nodded slightly, turning his attention back to Erwin
"From nine to three you will have ordinary classes, such as math and science, with a break for lunch. You will have an hour of free time before your ice classes. Beginning at four you have your practice with your class, which ends at eight o'clock. You may be practicing off ice or choreographing instead of skating. Then your day is finished, and you should begin your homework."
"Sounds packed," Eren whispered to Armin.
"It is."
"On Saturdays your schedules will change from student to student. If you are accepted into the competition team for any discipline, you will most likely have an all day practice. If you signed up for private sessions, you will take them then. Sundays are your free days, but we will also hold school events such as homecoming or field days then. Any questions?"
"The room was silent, most likely from being captivated by this man. His voice was loud but not booming, confident but not prideful. It would almost be fit to say he spoke in a mellifluous manner, if the term were not so gentle.
"As you all know Three Queens school is one of the only schools to not only support, but require their students to study at least two disciplines. There will be multiple competing teams, so if you do not get through in the first try outs, there is still another chance. Good luck with your year."
Mikasa sat quietly in the crowd, consuming all of the information he feed her. The schedule seemed easier than she had expected, but still vigorous enough to keep her engaged.
The assembly concluded quickly, much to her relief. She disliked sitting so close to so many people, preferring her own personal space. Striding out the room, the person in front of her stopped abruptly.
She collided with the small body, pushing him forward several steps.
"What are you doing brat?" the boy in front of her snipped. He turned around, facing Mikasa. "Tch, its you."
Grey eyes bored into her black ones, recalling their earlier encounter during her tryouts.
"Levi," she recognized him immediately. Whenever she would view the national senior champions he was always competing. She had praised him for his flawless execution, artistry, and lines, but upon meeting him her blood boiled.
"Another fan girl," he scoffed.
"As if," she retorted back, a calm edge in her voice.
"What's your problem?" he asked her.
"My problem?" she replied. "I never had one with you. It's you picking all of these fights! As soon as we locked eyes as at my try outs, which by the way, you weren't supposed to be at, you looked at me with that stuck-up face of yours."
"I'm allowed to be at your tryouts because I'm the captain of the school's competing team."
Crap, she thought, picking a fight with not only a record holder, but the captain of the team!
"By the way brat," he said before he walked away. "Your double lutz-triple toe pick combination was off. You left off of the inside edge when you took off of your lutz, and you under-rotated it too."
"I never asked you," she said. "I don't make mistakes in simple jumps like those. My performance was not bad."
"Simple?" he scoffed. "Your performance was fucking terrible."
"Levi!" a voice interrupted. "What did I tell you about your mouth." It was Erwin, striding up behind her.
"Tch," Levi scoffed.
A/N- I hope you enjoyed! Here is the little reference I was talking about. Reviews are always appreciated!
Inside edge - skating with more weight on the inside of blade blade (the left side on the right foot or the right of the left)
Outside edge - skating with more weight on the outside of the blade (o osite of above)
Balanced edge - when the weight is evenly distributed
The six jumps counted as "jump elements" listed in order of easiest to hardiest (All jumps land on back outside edge)
Toe Loop - a jump that takes off after skating backwards on an outside edge and digging the toe into the ice for power (also known as a toe jump)
Salchow - a jump that takes off going backwards on the back inside edge
Loop - same as a salchow, but taking off on the outside edge
Flip - a toe jump that takes off going backwards on an inside edge
Lutz - a toe jump that takes off going backwards on an outside edge
Axel - a jum that takes off going forward on an outside edge (most difficult because to perform a "single" turn, you actually need to spin 1 and 1/2 times around instead of just 1.)
Levels of Skating, from easiest to hardest, with whose on what level on each
Levels not accepted at Three Queens:
Pre-preliminary
Preliminary
Pre-juvenile
Levels that are accepted:
Juvenile (Armin, most middle schoolers)
Intermediate (most 8th and 9th graders)
Novice (Marco, Krista Historia, Connie, Sasha and most 9th and 10th graders)
Junior (Mikasa ((although on senior level)), Eren, Jean, Ymir ((although on senior level)) and most common level to be on in 11th and 12th grade)
Senior (All of the teachers, Levi, etra, Annie, Reiner, Bertholdt, rest of the senior members of the Survery Corps)
There will be more "terms" in the next chapter! Please review, it would be extremely helpful.