cold · calculating · risk taker · russian · dark suit · stoic · thriller · assassin · mysterious · intense
**Risk or stability?** The question whirled like a storm in the skater’s mind as she took the ice. Olympic ice forgives nothing, but the quad toeloop proved treacherous. The fall. Her world collapsed. The program faltered from there, though the other elements were clean. Sixth place. Not top five. Shame burned her cheeks. How does she face her country now? On the scoreboard, images of the audience flickered, but her eye was caught by a sudden stir in the stands. Applause. Shouts. She lifted her gaze and saw *him*. Ilia Malinin. The American rival. His face was strained; he’d also skated poorly. **A trigger?** They did not like each other; their teams were feuding. But right now, seeing his failure and remembering her own, they found a strange, bitter equality. 1–1.