I barely made eye contact with Eydis as days passed. There had been very little words exchanged between us since I returned. I didn't want to hear anything she said. The fact of the matter was, she didn't even try to see me. She worked. If she knew she would do that, why even get my hopes up. 

In silence, I left the dorm room to get to the ice rink a few days later. The walk was short.  But even if it was long, I wouldn't have minded. It wasn't nearly as cold as it was in Hell. Plus it was warming slightly, melting what little snow we had. 

Spring was around the conner now. In Hell, spring was always marked with festivals and good food. Spring meant a new start, for the harvest to be good, for the days to be longer. People loved spring more than I ever did. Spring meant that my ice time was over, and I would have to wait months before I could skate again. But spring would be different here. There would be ice year round. I could skate year round. 

"I heard the ice is soft today," Ari said to me as I walked into the rink. 

My attention snapped to him. I heard that phrase said before, but I didn't know what it meant. Ice was always hard and cold to me. How could it be 'soft'? 

He chuckled as he shook his head. "I'm guessing you never skated on soft ice. Be ready to get wet. I heard the rink is having a hard time cooling itself. The pipes are old and broken or something. Warmer weather means softer ice." 

Poor infrastructure in the Motherwealth was something I never imagined. It was the Motherwealth for Walter's sake. If anything would have been flawless, it would have been here. I remembered the light up map Yuri had and how it refused to work when we arrived. Maybe the Motherwealth wasn't as flawless as I thought.

"Isla! Get over here," Irena shouted. 

I nearly jumped to her, bracing myself for anything she might say.

"We never had a chance to discuss your skating performance." 

I swallowed. There it went. The conversation that I hoped would never come. It was probably not up to her standards. It was probably terrible. She hated it. 

"It was a great show. Most of the officials there are already talking about having you come again." 

My mouth dropped only a centimeter before I regained my composure. Out of everything she could have said, I was not expecting that. Irena did not give complements. At least, never had I heard one before.

"You have massive talent. Something the Motherwealth has not seen in decades. You should be proud of the skill you have." 

I nodded. "Thank you." 

"When you have a chance, write to your parents. Thank them for giving you such talent." 

I would if I could. Neither would know how far I had come. My mother, the one that taught me everything I knew, she would be proud. That fact made my throat tighten just a little. 

"Any letter's that need mailing, I can deliver to the post office." 

It had been a few weeks since I left, and I had not heard anything from Kol. He said that he would write to me. Until now, I had been so busy, I forgot about that. But now that she mentioned it, I wanted to know why I hadn't received any messages.

"Where do we pick up letters?" 

Irena rose her eyebrows. "I'm surprised your roommate has never showed you the mail room. That's where all the letters come in." With that, she walked out of the lobby to get onto the ice. 

Anger towards Eydis rose in me like a clogged drain. I trusted her with so much and once again she let me down. Kol could have written to me for weeks already, but I never knew we had a mail room. If Irena never mentioned it, I might have never known.

"Are you going to get your skates on?" Ari asked, snapping me from my thoughts.

I nodded as I turned my attention towards him. "Coming." 

There was no more time to think about how Eydis let me down. Skating was to consume my thoughts. That was how I improved. 

___________________ 

The ice was soft like Ari told me. Every move I made, I felt my blades dig a little deeper into the ice. Every move was harder and when I fell, my black skating pants quickly became soaking wet. By time practice ended, I was frustrated, cold, and damp. I was in no mood to talk to anyone or be nice. So it was not a great moment when I heard Ezra's voice.

Ezra waved at me as he came closer. "Hey," he said with a smile.

I forced a smile at him, trying my hardest to be friendly. At least he didn't see the practice. "Hi," I replied as I took off my skates.

"You looked great out there." 

My smile slid off my face for a second before I tacked it back on. This time with pins. 

That practice was not my greatest. It was nothing like the show he saw and the fact he still thought I looked good was enough to make me feel warm and fuzzy. If he watched me today, had he seen me other times? Did he often like watching me skate? 

"You should join me out there some time." 

He nodded as his father walked up to us. Almost instantly his smile slid off his face and the conversation about skating died out. 

There was silence as I exchanged glances between his father and him. 

His farther looked so much like him. Same colored eyes, same golden curls. The only difference was that he was at least three fingers taller than Ezra.  

His father cleared his throat as if clueing Ezra for the next step. 

"Telvi, what are you going next Friday?" he asked as he scratched the back of his neck.

I shrugged as I put my skates in my bag. Friday was a training day. I would be here. "Nothing." 

His father smiled widely then clapped his son's back, causing him to stumble towards me. "Ezra would love to invite you to the Commonwealth charity event and gala."

"You don't have to..." Ezra started. 

"I would love to," I said quickly, not thinking further. It sounded lofty, like a fever dream. I lived in the Motherwealth but rarely did I interact with them. A deeper look into their personal affairs sounded too good not to miss.   

"Great." Ezra's dad smiled. "We will send a driver to pick you up at five." 

"Looking forward to it." 

Ezra gave one last smile, but there was something in his eyes, apologetic maybe. He turned back towards his dad and together they walked out of the rink. 

I put my skates in my bag as I tried to wrap my head around what happened. Why did they want to invite me? Why was Ezra trying to not get me to attend? Was he embarrassed of me?

"So, looks like one of the governmental families have taken a notice in you," Ari said as he sat down next to me. "Lucky girl."

"So what, that's nothing," Constance muttered as she limped towards a bench. Her whole right side was wet, much like my own. "Just because they're interested doesn't mean Slag." 

Ari rolled his eyes. 

"Constance, can I have a word with you?" Irena asked with a tone that made shivers go up my spine. I had only heard that tone from her a few times. It meant business. It meant disappointment. 

Constance nodded at her and with her head down, she walked towards Irena.

Once Constance was out of earshot, Ari turned back to me. "Constance has been battling a few injuries long before you arrived. I think they're getting worse," he said quickly and under his breath like it was forbidden. 

"Is Irena going to tell her to take a break?" 

Ari shook his head. "Constance has had enough breaks. I heard rumors that Irena wants to end her contract early and send her home."

For a moment I felt sorry for her. I knew how much being here meant to her. She loved skated and loved the Motherwealth. Every chance she had, try tried proving herself to Irena. But that wasn't enough. Poor girl just wanted to skate. Like we all did. Going home couldn't be that bad, after all, that was what I wanted to do. 

My head snapped her way when I heard wailing cries come from Constance. She dropped to her knees and Irena lightly patted her back.

If she wasn't so mean, I would feel even sadder for her. But I suppose this was a way of life. Not everyone could stay at the top. 

"Do you know when she will return to her Commonwealth?" 

Ari shook his head as he slung his bag over his shoulder. "Nope. I suppose it will be in a day or two. The Motherwealth likes to move quickly. Anyhow, great practice today. I know skating on soft ice is never ideal, but you skated like a champion. Just keep in mind that when summer comes, the ice will be even softer." 

Softer than this ice? Impossible.  

Ari smiled just as the lights flickered on and off again, leaving only the emergency dull lights to shine. "Looks like another energy shortage. I would recommend you get back to your dorm before you wouldn't be able to open the door." 

Sleeping in the hall without a bed or sheets sounded like a nightmare.  No thank you. 

I shot up from my seat and grabbed my skates. "See you tomorrow." 

He nodded. "See you then." 

When I walked into the dorm, Eydis was there waiting for me with a cake in her hands. "This is from my commonwealth. I had to ask someone to use their kitchen to make this. I know I messed up. I should have been at your show. Will you ever forgive me?" 

I looked at the light brown colored cake. It nearly matched Eydis' skin tone. It was slightly lopsided with white frosting oozing from the middle. Eydis was not a master baker that was certain, but the thought was there.

The sincerity in her eyes told me she meant every word. Staying mad at her was too hard. Too exhausting. She didn't set out to hurt me. There was too much good in her. I felt that.  

"Yeah, I'll forgive you," I said finally. 

She beamed at me then placed the cake on the desk, next to her textbooks just as the power shut off again. Wasting no time, Eydis lit a candle, holding the candle close, allowing the flames to dance across her face. 

"Son of a twister. You got to be kidding me. They say this place is flawless..." her voice trailed off before looking towards the door. Her eyes flickered back towards me. "I'm really sorry, Isla. Please know that you are so important to me. I never want to miss another one of your shows again." 

She was the most important person to me in the Motherwealth. I liked the confirmation that she thought the same.  

She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. I melted under her touch. "I'm so glad you forgave me. I couldn't stand the icy feelings in this dorm any longer." She pulled out of the embrace and turned back to the cake. "Alright, cake. Do you want a big piece or a small piece?" 

Sweets were on the top of the do not eat list that Irena gave me. She would not approve of this. But it had been so long since I had something sweet, and this was a special occasion. One slice of cake would not hurt anything. Would she even know? "A big piece."

"Good. That's the only way to eat it." She winked then pulled out a butter knife from a drawer. "Just don't tell anyone I have this. We aren't supposed to have weapons of any kind." 

A butter knife was hardly a weapon, but I wasn't about to correct it. "Your secret is safe with me."

She cut into the gooey cake. Frosting poured out of it like liquid. 

"I was my first time making this," she admitted. 

Clearly. "It looks good though." 

"I hope." She chuckled and handed me a piece on a plate that she probably stole from the dining hall. 

The mail flew back into my mind. I knew I probably should have waited, but I couldn't help it. I needed to know about the mail. Was Kol or anyone from Hell writing me?  

"Do you know about the mail system here?" I asked hesitantly, afraid I would rock the newly patched boat. 

She placed a piece of cake on a plate with a frown. "Yeah, I know it." 

"Why didn't you tell me?" 

"Because the mail system is not reliable. It comes and goes and pieces get lost. I've been checking for you, hoping you would get a letter and surprise you." 

My appetite for food vanished. Not even cake could cure it. "So I have received no letters yet?"

She shook her head. "Not one." She reached for my hand and gave a squeeze. "But that doesn't mean no one is writing you. Things get lost here, more often than not. It's probably that."