She’d been skating, flying over the ice. Only her mother was watching; there was not a frowning judge anywhere. As her dream self gathered speed for the double axel, she’d felt absolute confidence deep inside. The landing was magic. Her mother’s smile lit up the arena.Then the alarm’s shrill scream ruined everything, pushing her mother’s face back into the fog of sleep. It was 5:00 a.m.Alice burrowed a little deeper under the covers. Having to give up her warm bed for a cold arena made her want to cry. But her skating pro would be waiting. And the junior Canadian championships were just around the corner.Alice had to skate all the time. It wasn’t fun any more.Trouble was, everyone said she was a great figure skater. A real star. So she had to skate, and too bad if it took every waking moment. Her dad did his part. He had to work long hours because ice time and skating pros cost a lot of money. They both kept doing it because it would have made her mother happy. That should have made it worth the effort, but Alice knew she was unhappy.
