“Not a word to anyone, do you understand? Not even your best friends. We don’t want word to get around.”
Alayne nodded numbly. The Chairman opened his office door, smiling at her as she passed through it and hurried by Tarry’s desk.
----
A layne jogged from her room down the hallway, entered the stairwell, and grabbed the rails. She jumped down each of the eighteen flights of stairs to the common room. It wasn’t crowded at this time of day. Most people still had classes.
Alayne glanced down at her loose t-shirt and stretch pants. She wasn’t sure what dress code was required for her hockey class, but she hoped she wouldn’t stand out too much. Since she was late, she would draw enough attention as it was.
She hit the chute running and dropped to the gymnasium. When the door slid open, she stepped into the huge structure. It was so large she couldn’t see the back of it. She bypassed the basketball courts, two Olympic-sized swimming pools, some tennis courts, a bowling alley, and a couple of weight rooms. She finally reached the ice-hockey rinks. She checked her schedule again and headed to the second rink, jogging down the steps to the entrance. A group of students stood center ice, decked out in skates, sticks, and helmets. Alayne swallowed hard. She hated being late.
She stepped through the doorway, appreciating the current that tingled through her the moment she touched the ice. Thinking of what Chairman Dorner had told her, she wondered how long it would take to feel the same when she took a deep breath of air or came near flames.
“Hey, Alayne, welcome!” Blond, freckled Kyle skated over, sliding to a stop, and sent a spray of shaved ice to the side.
“I put some skates over here for you, and a hockey stick and helmet.” He skated to the team bench and reached over the wall. Bringing out the equipment, he tossed all but the helmet on the ground and then set the headpiece carefully over Alayne’s hair. He brushed her bangs out of the way. “Now that is downright cute.” He grinned. “Put your skates on and let’s get started with some warm-ups.”
Alayne dropped her bag over the side and fumbled with the straps on her skates. She repositioned her helmet and picked up her stick.
Pushing her feet to the side, she skated toward the middle, where Kyle calmly oversaw the rest of the team as they weaved through a line of cones.
“Have you played hockey before?” Kyle asked as Alayne readjusted her skates.
“Just for fun and nothing really competitive.” When my mother let me out of the house and into Skyden. She stood upright and took a deep breath. “Okay, where you do you want me, Captain?”
“Do some weaving through the cones; I want to see your form.” A half grin covered his face, and Alayne got the feeling that he didn’t necessarily mean her athletic prowess. Heat spread through her cheeks, and she skated to the cones, falling in behind a teammate and crouching into a weave.
After a few minutes, Kyle blew his whistle. “Okay, guys, let’s start out with a scrimmage.” He divided them into two teams. As the players spread out, Alayne enjoyed the way the ice melded with her skates, almost as if the two separate things had become one element; the more she concentrated on the ice, the more comfortable she became. As the scrimmage took off in intensity, Alayne’s skates seemed to gain a mind of their own. One second, she was heading full-tilt toward the puck, and the next, as the puck flashed by her to another person on the other team, her skates did a one hundred and eighty degree rotation, and she was off again.
Alayne found that the less she focused on the ice under her skates, the more confused and wobbly she became. By the end of the scrimmage, she’d pretty well caught on to how it worked.
Kyle blew his whistle to end it. “Great scrimmage, guys. That’s it for now, but next time, we’ll start some strategy plays. Equipment in the box, please.”
The students left
Alayne nodded numbly. The Chairman opened his office door, smiling at her as she passed through it and hurried by Tarry’s desk.
----
A layne jogged from her room down the hallway, entered the stairwell, and grabbed the rails. She jumped down each of the eighteen flights of stairs to the common room. It wasn’t crowded at this time of day. Most people still had classes.
Alayne glanced down at her loose t-shirt and stretch pants. She wasn’t sure what dress code was required for her hockey class, but she hoped she wouldn’t stand out too much. Since she was late, she would draw enough attention as it was.
She hit the chute running and dropped to the gymnasium. When the door slid open, she stepped into the huge structure. It was so large she couldn’t see the back of it. She bypassed the basketball courts, two Olympic-sized swimming pools, some tennis courts, a bowling alley, and a couple of weight rooms. She finally reached the ice-hockey rinks. She checked her schedule again and headed to the second rink, jogging down the steps to the entrance. A group of students stood center ice, decked out in skates, sticks, and helmets. Alayne swallowed hard. She hated being late.
She stepped through the doorway, appreciating the current that tingled through her the moment she touched the ice. Thinking of what Chairman Dorner had told her, she wondered how long it would take to feel the same when she took a deep breath of air or came near flames.
“Hey, Alayne, welcome!” Blond, freckled Kyle skated over, sliding to a stop, and sent a spray of shaved ice to the side.
“I put some skates over here for you, and a hockey stick and helmet.” He skated to the team bench and reached over the wall. Bringing out the equipment, he tossed all but the helmet on the ground and then set the headpiece carefully over Alayne’s hair. He brushed her bangs out of the way. “Now that is downright cute.” He grinned. “Put your skates on and let’s get started with some warm-ups.”
Alayne dropped her bag over the side and fumbled with the straps on her skates. She repositioned her helmet and picked up her stick.
Pushing her feet to the side, she skated toward the middle, where Kyle calmly oversaw the rest of the team as they weaved through a line of cones.
“Have you played hockey before?” Kyle asked as Alayne readjusted her skates.
“Just for fun and nothing really competitive.” When my mother let me out of the house and into Skyden. She stood upright and took a deep breath. “Okay, where you do you want me, Captain?”
“Do some weaving through the cones; I want to see your form.” A half grin covered his face, and Alayne got the feeling that he didn’t necessarily mean her athletic prowess. Heat spread through her cheeks, and she skated to the cones, falling in behind a teammate and crouching into a weave.
After a few minutes, Kyle blew his whistle. “Okay, guys, let’s start out with a scrimmage.” He divided them into two teams. As the players spread out, Alayne enjoyed the way the ice melded with her skates, almost as if the two separate things had become one element; the more she concentrated on the ice, the more comfortable she became. As the scrimmage took off in intensity, Alayne’s skates seemed to gain a mind of their own. One second, she was heading full-tilt toward the puck, and the next, as the puck flashed by her to another person on the other team, her skates did a one hundred and eighty degree rotation, and she was off again.
Alayne found that the less she focused on the ice under her skates, the more confused and wobbly she became. By the end of the scrimmage, she’d pretty well caught on to how it worked.
Kyle blew his whistle to end it. “Great scrimmage, guys. That’s it for now, but next time, we’ll start some strategy plays. Equipment in the box, please.”
The students left
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