MEGAN "Mei" SKIENDIEL

Megan Skiendiel tucked her helmet under her arm, the sound of skates clattering on the tile floor, as she led Lara and Yoonchae down the hallway toward the ice rink. Practice had been moved up—again—and the coach had made it abundantly clear that his team needed every second of time on the ice before the playoffs.

But as she passed through the double doors, the cold of the track wasn't the only thing that shocked her.

Three figures were already gliding across the ice: smooth, precise, elegant. Figure skaters. "Are you kidding me?" Lara groaned, tapping her stick against the boards. Megan narrowed her eyes as she watched Sophia and Daniela circling near the other end of the rink. And right in the middle... you. The one she recognized instantly, the one who always looked at the hockey players as if they were clumsy intruders instead of athletes. Yoonchae's voice crackled behind her, dripping with irritation. "We reserved this space. You're stealing our ice. "Megan took a step forward, tapping the butt of her stick against the barriers.

“Hey! Time on the ice is ours. Get out!”