"Finally." Sophie breathed. She had pushed through the never-ending day and was finally here. Her eyes roamed over the enormous building that encased the ice rink she knew and loved.

The main building was round and tall, an almost magical feeling surrounding it that made Sophie's skin tingle with nervous excitement. She looked up to read the silver words engraved into the polished ebony of the structure above the golden double doors as she always did before entering the sacred place that both haunted her memories and made her life whole.

Black Swan Ice Rink.

A black swan, holding its head high with a graceful curve of its neck, was next to the name, the logo a bold and bright reminder of what Sophie wished to embody on the ice someday. The symbol had always spoken to Sophie, and now she could relate more than ever. She was a black swan, trying to hold her head high but stained dark with past memories that both held her close and trapped her.

Sophie wrapped her hands around the handles of the doors and pulled, cold air rushing over her and calming the sudden frantic pace of her thoughts as they opened like gates to her own personal paradise.

This was why she came back here every single time. This was why she found herself here over and over again no matter how much it hurt. This feeling.

A loud bang came from the little shop that sold snacks, souvenirs, and shirts suddenly, jolting Sophie from her peaceful state of mine.

She hurried over to the left side of the entrance area where the store was located. When she entered, she noticed that the hot cocoa machine was still on, brown liquid trickling into a cup. She walked around the side of the counter where the machine was slowly, reaching a hand to turn it off, and nearly tripped over someone's foot. An irritated groan sounded from underneath her, directing her attention down to the floor.

"Mr. Forkle?" Her eyes widened in surprise as she took sight of her elderly, bloated boss, staring at the ceiling stubbornly like it held the answers to the universe. "What are you doing on the floor?"

"I wouldn't have been on the floor if you weren't late." He said, somehow managing to sound serious even in his position. "I was attempting to restock the candy bars, but the shelf was rather high..." he trailed off. "In any case, would you mind helping me?" He finished, making Sophie jump.

"Oh! Yes, of course!" She said in a rush, quickly helping the man stand upright. He brushed himself off and grabbed the hot chocolate while muttering his signature, "you kids." He moved to leave the store, but Sophie stepped in front of him, blocking his path. He looked down at her, slight irritation clouding his features.

"Yes, Sophie?" He said impatiently.

"Um, sir, since school started, I won't be able to come work shifts during school hours. I know that you let me skate for free in exchange for my work so—" Mr. Forkle waved her away before she could finish.

"Yes, I'm aware. Don't worry, as long as you come two hours, five days a week, my offer still stands." He muttered. "And don't forget, you're working in the skate rental today. Less time means harder jobs."

Sophie smiled as she watched him lumber away. He often acted aloof, but Sophie knew he cared, though he never showed it. After all, he allowed her to skate here free of charge, so long as she worked for him in return.

She walked back across from the store to the rental, where another boy who looked to be around her age was already working, a crumpled ice rink employee shirt draped over his frame. He tugged black bangs tipped with silver that seemed to glitter over his eyes as he put away another set of skates.

Sophie didn't recognize the boy, though he seemed comfortable, or at least familiar with the skates. She approached him, expecting him to at least look up, but he didn't even glance at her.

"Hi, I'm Sophie." She started when he stayed silent. His eyes flicked to hers, a shade of blue so light they almost looked silvery, before looking away again. Sophie shifted her feet awkwardly.

"Uh, I've never seen you around her before. Are you new?" She tried again. This time, the boy stopped his task and fully looked up, eyeing her warily.

Before Sophie could make another attempt at conversation, a girl popped her head from the shelves of skates. Her hair, just as dark as the boy's, fell from behind her shoulder, revealing tips dyed the same as the boy's bangs. They looked similar, like siblings, or twins, even.

"Hi! My name is Linh!" The girl said happily, taking a pair of skates from the boy, who had been staring at them confusedly. "This pair goes here, Tam."

The boy, Tam, shrugged and grabbed the next pair. Linh shook her head before looking back at Sophie.

"Sorry about my brother. This is Tam." Tam offered a nod of acknowledgement and nothing more. "And yes, we are new!"

"Wow, Mr. Forkle's never hired people my age before. Welcome!" Sophie said, trying to be as friendly as possible. She kept getting distracted by the people on the ice, very visible through the windows that blocked off the rink from the rest of the building. Sophie forced herself to turn her attention back to the newcomers. "Do you like to skate?" She gestured to the rink. Linh's shook her head, eyes lighting up with a thought.

"I'm more of a water person. I love swimming, but I couldn't get a job at the pool, so I went for the next best thing." She looked over at her brother, who disappeared into the shelves. "And Tam..."

"Just needed money." He supplied, voice muffled. It was the first time he had spoken, and something about his deadpan tone made Sophie giggle. He reappeared and offered her the smallest of smirks, barely noticeable. Linh rolled her eyes, but her cheeks were pink with happiness.

"We mostly know how to do stuff, but care to show us the ropes anyway?" Linh asked. Sophie nodded, and the three of them set to the task of putting away the rest of the skates. Sophie grew familiar with Tam's dry nature and Linh's enthusiasm and even began to enjoy their company, their jokes and laughter making the work less of a chore.

Pretty soon afterward, the free skate began, and people started drifting in. Parents with small children, groups of giggling kids, and couples came in, all clamoring for skates. With Linh and Tam, it was much easier to find and distribute the skates in their respective sizes, and Sophie finished with the brunt of the visitors much faster than she would have alone. 

Sophie had just given skates to a group of people from her school, one of which she knew from her classes named Jensi. She was waving at him as they left when another person appeared, stepping right into her line or vision.

It was a boy, his blonde hair tousled in a way that looked both artfully messy and effortlessly cool. He kept his gaze down, not meeting her eyes. She tilted her head curiously, glancing at Tam, who stood beside her. He shrugged.

"Do you... need skates?" She asked. The boy finally lifted his head to look at her, and if the boy gave an answer, she didn't hear it as she met a pair of the most stunning blue eyes she'd ever seen. They reminded her so much of the ice that was practically a part of her, the irises a pale sky blue, but shot through with swirls of pure white blending in with the color that looked like icicles, or fractals of a snowflake. Snowflake. That's what they reminded her of. A glittering, delicate snowflake.

Snowflake Boy's eyes bored into hers for a moment before glancing away.

"Uh, never mind." He muttered, putting his hands in his pockets and turning away. Something about the hunch of his shoulders looked defeated, and Sophie couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him, despite not having ever met him before. Sophie watched as he walked away, and he turned around one more time, ice blue eyes meeting golden brown, before pulling the door open and walking into the ice rink.

"Sophie?" She snapped her eyes away from Snowflake Boy's retreating back quickly.

"Sorry, what?" She mumbled. Tam gave her an appraising look.

"Do you know him?"

"Uh... no. I've never seen him before." She answered. Tam's brows furrowed as he stared at her.

"He looked like he recognized you. You sure you've never met?"

"Yes..." Sophie said, trying to recall  if she'd ever seen him before. She shook her head. She didn't recognize him at all.

Tam shrugged again, before turning back to help Linh with a particularly stubborn pair of skates that wouldn't fit in the shelf. Sophie turned her head back slowly, eyes searching among the skaters and people standing by in the ice rink, but he was nowhere to be found.

Snowflake Boy had disappeared.

A/N: Lol I like how I keep posting these at 1 am—
Apparently I only get motivation late at night when my last brain cell is barely functioning :D good to know

Also, not to pick favorites, but this is lowkey my favorite chapter
My writing here is something I'm actually genuinely proud of :0

(please excuse any typos or spelling errors you might find, and feel free to point them out—I'm way too sleep deprived to thoroughly edit this hhhh)