The Search For Shattered Pieces *Complete*

Chapter Forty-One: Definition and the Divinty of Ice

Chapter Forty-One: Definition and the Divinity of Ice

Lyra:

    I'm sweating hard and loving it. Coach Rancic has really pushed me this past week and I'm taking to it all like a fish in water. Nationals are in a little over two weeks and I HAVE to win.

"You're taking too long coming out of that last spin, Lyra."

"Yes Coach."

"Let's work on that again, okay. It has to be as perfect as possible."

"It'll be perfect."

"Lyra," Coach Rancic says kindly. "Nothing is perfect."

I steel my shoulders. "This will be." She sighs.

"Okay, do it again, this time straighten your shoulders a little more."

I follow her advice and find myself coming out of the spin perfectly.

"I take back my words." Coach Rancic laughs. "That was perfect."

"I have to be. I have to be perfect." I tell her.

Lyra, Coach Rancic skates over to me, and puts her hand on my shoulder. "As long as you skate to the best of your ability than I will be so proud of you, and you should be as well. Just skate because it is something you were born to to, something the world needs to see from you. Don't worry about perfection, worry only about the skate."

    Her words confuse me. None of my other coaches had said anything like what she had just said to me. They always demanded perfection. And they always said that only perfect would do. Winners were perfect. Losers lost sight of their perfection and failed.

I nod, but I'm still a little confused. "Do you not want me to be perfect?"

"I want you to be you, Lyra. I want you to skate as I know you can and then, if you do, I don't see anything stopping you."

                                  *****

Tallis:

Our house is a bustle of activity.  Mom is supervising the workmen as they get everything ready.  Thanksgiving isn't a big deal in our house we always have it at the club.  But Christmas...Christmas is a big deal.  Mom always has our house lit up like the showpiece that it is.  And brings in the largest Christmas Tree that she can possibly order to fit into the large foyer.  Of course we don't decorate we never have.  She has people do everything.  Which is what they seem to be doing now.

   "Mom this is crazy" I say grabbing her as she rushes down the hall.

   "What? Oh Tallis, isn't it wonderful? It's going to be so wonderful.  The best Christmas we've ever had.  And we have Lyra here this year so we really have to make it our best showing."

   Oh well, she did sorta have a point there.  I wonder if Lyra liked Christmas.  Then again, who didn't like Christmas?

   "What is going on?" Lyra's sweet voice floats over to me and I look at her once again struck dumb by how beautiful she is.  "This is Christmas."

   "But it isn't Christmas yet?"

   "Will be in less than a week."

   "But this..." Lyra looks at the massive tree that has just gone up and her mouth gapes open.

   "That's the largest tree I've ever seen."

   "Surely you had a Christmas tree in Canada."