Chapter 6
"Welcome to the 2790 ice skating competition!"
Kelly's family was in the stands with the rest of the team.
"So…" Sarah tried to make conversation. "How was your New Year's?"
"You were there with us," said Ryan, "How do you think it was?"
"I'm just trying to come up with something to pass the time before Kelly comes out," Sarah objected, crossing her arms, "I can't wait to get home and make a pie just to get all this nervousness and frustration out."
"By then, it may already be out," said Lucy, "Who knows how long we'll be out here?"
* * *
"Amy Crooks wowed the whole regional competition. She knocked off the old record for presentation points in a regional competition, rivaled only by an anthro skater who she beat by 1.6 points."
Amy made a back-flip on the ice and a very powerful windmill spin, adding style in beat to the music. She obviously would live up to her word that she would constantly beat Kelly.
* * *
"Ingrid Shrina made third place at the regional competition. She was proved to be a very skilled spinner and an adequate jumper, but couldn't make it to second without another 3.4 points. She still proves to show some promise in this sport and may make, at least, 5th."
Shrina tucked in her arms and put her right foot to her left knee as she began an improved cross foot spin. She attempted a serpentine step sequence and ended it with a double flip-jump (or whatever you call those). She wasn't going to let Amy stand in her way.
* * *
"Kelly Coyote is the first anthro skater to come along in a while and has certainly proved that her jump is worse than her bite."
Kelly knew that she was reaching the wall, skating backwards, and used it as a backboard for a somersault. She landed perfectly and couldn't even see that she was near the ground when she did it. For the first anthro skater in a while, she was certainly going to prove that anything was possible.
* * *
Now that the open part of the competition was over, free skating started. Amy up first. She did such a fantastic combination of jumps and spins, Kelly was glad that she couldn't see it.
Ingrid Shrina. She spun and jumped and danced and…fell twice. She still made it back up and completed her routine very well. Kelly was OK with not seeing that, but she wouldn't have minded if she could.
Kelly's turn. She made it to the center of the rink and waited for the music to start.
(Selena Gomez's "More" plays)
Friday night and
We're just talking,
Stars are in crashing in the sky,
Burning just for you and I,
We don't need to
Over-think this,
Nothing's going bring us down
(Let's) show them what we're all about
"Double axel." Kelly bounced off the ice and executed the jump. "Perfect landing."
All the way, 101%, touchdown
We gonna kill it, lead the pack
Gonna take this town
Kelly danced to the beat on the ice, letting the music move her as she continued the routine.
Let's go
What'cha wanna wait for?
Let's take
Everything we ask for
Come on and turn it up,
Let's tell them what we want
More, more, more
(I want more)
"Triple Lutz…Another perfect landing! What else does she have in store for us?"
"I can tell you," said Michael, "A lot."
Let's go
Take over the dance floor,
You be
Mine and I will be yours,
Come on and let it play,
And let me hear you say,
"More, more, more"
(I want more)
Kelly attempted her next double axel. She fell in the landing and bumped her head on the ice.
Take my hand and
Pull me closer,
Whisper nothings in my ear
'Til the walls just disappear
Kelly got back on her feet and saw her sight coming back. The first thing she saw, her dad smiling at her, was all she needed to regain her confidence.
Feel the music
Take you higher
Feel me heart beat like a drum,
Baby, you're the only one
Kelly jumped again.
"No way! She just through in that triple Lutz! What's she doing now?"
All the way, 101%, touchdown
We gonna kill it, lead the pack,
Gonna take this town
Before the chorus could start up again, Kelly added in that triple axel she had done at the regional competition. She let the music move her as her routine continued, starting with a lay-back-spin.
Let's go,
What'cha wanna wait for?
Let's take
Everything we ask for
Come on and turn it up,
Let's tell them what we want,
More, more, more
(I want more)
"What is she doing out there?" asked Ryan, "She making moves I've never seen her do before!"
"I know what happened," said Tech, "That fall turned her brain cells back on."
"She can see us?" Sarah asked, excitedly. Tech nodded. They turned back to Kelly.
Let's go
Take over the dance floor,
You be
Mine and I will be yours,
Come on and let it play,
And let me hear you say,
"More, more, more"
(I want more)
Kelly wasn't going to stop to catch her breath. She even sang the song in her head to keep the beat with her.
Come on, everybody,
Let's go party 'til they kick us out now
(I don't care)
Once we get it started,
We won't stop until we get it all out
(Take me there)
She did a spin combination. First, the spin Shrina had done in the open acts, then, a donut spin (holding one of your legs up behind your back with your arms if you didn't know that), and, finally, another lay-back-spin.
(Take me…)
More, more, more
More, more, more
"Rev, are you sure you don't notice anything or anyone suspicious?" Ace asked again.
"Not-besides-those-incredible-moves-Kelly's-doing-who-knew-she-was-so-good?"
"Rev!" Ace shot him a look.
"Sorry-Ace." Rev examined the audience, peeking back at Kelly every few seconds.
Let's go,
What'cha wanna wait for?
Let's take
Everything we ask for
Come on and turn it up,
Let's tell them what we want
More, more, more
(I want more)
She did a final double axel and triple Lutz while she waited for the end of the chorus to conclude with her lay-back-spin (I know, she's doing a lot of those, but they're good for presentation points, even if the judges do want some variety, and they're very hard, anyway).
Let's go
Take over the dance floor
You be
Mine and I will be yours,
Come on and let it play,
And let me hear say,
"More, more, more"
(I want more)
The song, finally, ended, but Kelly kept on spinning. She let her foot get in the way after she had been free-spinning for 3 seconds, and ended the routine.
"Nice work," Benny commented when Kelly came back.
"Thanks," Kelly said, "I know."
"Your sight came back, didn't it?" asked Robert.
"You got it." Kelly swung her feet over the ledge and sat next to her parents.
"And here's the score for skater 3."
"Skater 3" was Kelly. They waited to see. 4.5, 3.7, 4.8, 5.2, and so on.
"Yes!" Kelly whispered.
"Amazing! They're almost dead even with Amy Crooks' scores!"
Amy Crooks was shocked. No one had come so close to her before, and she had been competing in these competitions for 5 years!
"And here's the presentation points…"
5.1, 4.6, 3.9, 4.8, 5.2, and so on.
"They're almost dead even, too!"
Kelly and Sarah almost screamed with excitement again.
Amy fainted.
"She made second place again, but that was even closer than her last competition. She just went from 1.6 to 0.7 difference!"
"Nice job, sis!" Ryan high-fived his older sister.
The next skater came on. Somewhere in the middle of the routine, Amy came over to Kelly's place in the stands.
"Hey…" Kelly said, not paying attention to her.
"How did you do that?" asked Amy.
"What do you mean?" asked Kelly, turning to face her.
"How did you add in all those extra jumps? I mean…" Amy stopped when she noticed that Kelly's eyes had changed from colorless to hazel.
"What?" Kelly asked, snapping her back into the conversation.
"Uh…nothing…just, stay away from my spotlight next time. You don't want fall through the ice again and kill yourself." Amy went back to her original seat.
"Was that a threat or was she lamely insulting me?" asked Kelly.
"Don't ask me, I wasn't listening," Jack said.
At that moment, Benny and Lucy felt the sensation that Nadine and Robert had felt the day Kelly had fallen. A few seconds afterwards, it looked like something tripped the current skater while the routine ended. But, there was nothing there. The skater looked petrified. The sensation Benny and Lucy felt passed to Jack and someone went to investigate the skater to find that her feet were petrified…but the rest of her was fine. Something strange was going on…