Ice In My Veins

Chapter One

Hazel, Thea and I were cuddled on my couch as we binge-watched NCIS. We were geeks and we are proud of it. As the commercials hit, Thea rushes downstairs for more food, Hazel goes to the bathroom. While I wait and go through my phone of old pictures and videos. Though I stop my boredom when the home phone starts to ring.

I run over to the phone answering it. "Hello?" I ask, not recognizing the number.

"Is this Faith Karma?"

"Yes, who is speaking?"

"My name is Laura Schuler, I'm Canada's national women's hockey team coach. I've watched you at our games and your videos and I must say you are quite an incredible hockey player. Especially since you play on a guys hockey team. You are amazing with the range of your skills."

"Thank you so much, but may I ask why you are telling me this? I greatly appreciate it and all but why? I'm just another girl who loves playing hockey in Montreal."

"Well, as you might already know, next year Vancouver is the host city for the Winter Olympics. When I was notified that there was an opening, I went through everything to call you and hopefully make you come on the team. And I'm sure you have plenty of questions to ask? So what do you want to know?"

"Aren't I too young to be in the Olympics? Don't I have to be sixteen to compete in them? I just turned fifteen today."

"Actually, the minimum age is fifteen. When we apply everyone, you'll still be fifteen by the end of the year, but sixteen when the games begin. You'll be one of the youngest in the Olympics entirely. And I believe you can prove them wrong, age doesn't matter. You've got the skill of some of my girls here that have played in the Olympics a couple of times."

I cover my mouth in shock but pull it away when another question pops into my head. "Why would you want me, a rookie? Instead of someone who is more experienced than me?"

"As I said, age doesn't matter to me, but the skill does. You have the skill of expert hockey players. If you had your hair up and played on an NHL team, I wouldn't be able to tell you apart. So are you going to take up my offer and join the team?"

"I would love too, I don't know who would pass this kind of opportunity up, to play with the national team."

"Perfect, do you have a specific number you would like? I'll send you details on schedules coming up. Most of the players play in Calgary. A couple of them play in Toronto, let me know when I can fly you to either and do a little practice with the team before playing in the Olympics."

"If nobody has taken the number, I would really like the number 13. It somehow brings me luck, even if means unlucky to everybody else."

"Well, I wouldn't want to break your lucky charm. I'll see you shortly, have some fun! Bye Faith!" she says.

"Bye, and thank you!" I say, hanging up. Hazel and Thea finally enter the room again, carrying in more snacks, as NCIS comes back on. Totally ignoring them, I jump up and down and screaming my head off. The two look at me like I'm a crazy person. Which at times I could be.

"What happened in the five minutes that we were gone for?" Thea asks.

"I'm on team Canada! I'm on team Canada!" I scream and keep repeating. How could I stop? I'm a fifteen-year-old, who just got a national hockey team.

"What?" they both scream.

"The coach for Canada's women's ice hockey team called me and asked if I would want to be on the team."

"Your kidding right?" Hazel asks, half shouting.

"Do you think I would be kidding about this? This is the start of my career! What the heck just happened!"