Prologue
I was born in the snow; literally. My mother explained how she and my father were coming home from the market and unexpectedly, my mother went into labor.
It was winter, one of the coldest. It was early in the afternoon, probably around one, my mother claims. The market was two miles from home and they were only halfway when I was arriving. She had no choice but to go into labor. She said it wasn't long, but the pain made it seem like it had taken forever. The minute I had entered the world, I started to cry from the cold, and my papa had taken off his coat, wrapped me in it, and then started for home.
That was 17 years ago.
My mother said that the minute that I stepped foot on our frozen pond, that I was going to be a professional skater. I received my first pair of Ice skates when I was 2 and a half years old. My father was the one who introduced me to the sport; he taught me everything I know.
"You're doing wonderful," he coached. I did my double axle and then skated over to him. He titled my chin up and I looked away.
"You're going to be a wonderful skater, Katarina. I can feel it in my bones."
Our family had come from a long line of skaters and were known world wide in skating, and I was to take the tradition.
But I might be the end of the line.