Victor's sister

"Victor!" Victor steps off the ice to be greeted by a little girl in pigtails, who tackles him.

"Ani, you've gotten so big," he smiles at her, returning the gesture, "did you like it?"

She nods, looking at him with wide blue eyes, "you're so amazing!" She squeals, "and you're my brother."

Victor laughs, picking the little girl up, "Ani, I heard you've taken up skating."

She nods again, "mommy said I'm really good. It's really fun," she wraps her arms around his neck, "Victor, I want to be just like you!"

Victor smiles at her, "Ani, I'm pretty sure you'll always be my number one fan."

"I am your number one fan!" She pouts, "because I'm your little sister that's always been there." Ani then gives him a wide smile, "I always be your number one fan."

"And I'll always be yours."

Ayoung girl laces up her skates while smiling to herself, "number one fan huh?"

"Ani did you say something?" Victor asks, walking over, "you mumble a lot."

"Nothing victor," she replies.

"Anika! Get your butt on the ice!" Yakov screams from the rink, "you have to practice!"

"I'm coming!" She yells back, "see you later Victor," she walks past him, her hair flowing behind her.

"Oi victor?" He turns to see Yuri standing behind him, nodding towards Ani, "who's that?"

"Anika," he replies.

"She looks a lot like you," he comments. "She also seems to be following you."

"She isn't," Victor chuckles. "Ani is and always will be a trailblazer." He watches her skate, "I've been with her since the beginning. The way she skates is different from me."

"Mm," Yuri replies. "Which division is she in this year?"

"Senior," he answers. "It's her second year." Victor watches, Ani entranced. He can see the determination in her eyes while she skates with grace.

She ends with a spin and her hand outstretched towards the sky, her cheeks flushed, panting. "Anika are you okay?" Yakov asks, "you don't get tired this easily. Get some water."

Ani skates towards the railing, and Victor hands her the water, "Ani let me feel your forehead." He places his hand on her forehead, "you're burning up!"

She grips the railing tightly, looking pale, "Victor, I don't feel good. My head hurts."

"Yakov, Ani has a fever," Victor calls out, holding Ani. "I'm going to take her home."

"Mm, Ani get better," Yakov replies. "Yuri you're up."

Ani sits on the bench, "did you like it?"

Victor kneels down to take off her skates, "your routine? Of course, I did."

He frowns slightly, "is something wrong?" She asks, not used to seeing him down.

"It's nothing," Victor replies. "It's just that you can still surprise me with the way you skate."

"And you can't," Ani concludes. "I know you're a five time champion, so surprising your audience is difficult."

Victor stands up and extends her hand to her, "I know, now come one let's go home."

Ani takes it smiling, "sure." She stands up, "too bad I wound up only practicing half the time today."

Victor leans down kissing the top of her head, "my little sister's health means more."

The walks out of the rink, "Victor, Ms. Powell said I'm on route to graduation," Ani says. "I got my acceptance letter yesterday from Princeton."

"That's amazing!" Victor exclaims, "but what about your skating?"

"There's a really amazing coach over there," Ani explains. "She's not too far from the campus."

"So does this mean I can't see my darling little sister every day?" He asks, giving her puppy eyes.

"But I have a full scholarship," Ani tells him. "I can't pass this opportunity up."

"You're graduating after the Grand Prix, correct?" She nods, "i'll make sure to attend your graduation."

"I need to score high on my finals if I want to keep my scholarship," Ani says.

"Don't you need to leave periodically for the tournaments?" Victor asks.

"I'm competing in France and China," Ani says. "I already talked to my teachers."

"You only have to miss a couple of days," Victor concludes. He opens the door to the apartment, "don't you ever get stressed? You have so much on your plate."

"During senior year, you only have to take 5 classes," she replies. "They're pretty easy to be honest."

"Aw, my little overachiever," Victor smiles, hugging her and rubbing up against her with affection.

"I'm going to go sleep," Ani yawns, heading to her room. "School's so tiring."

"Sleep well," he calls out to her, before hearing the sound of her door closing. Victor smiles to himself, "she's going places," he whispers to himself. Then he falls back onto the sofa, looking up at the ceiling, "but what about me?"