"Nicholas Walker - Ice Princess" - читать интересную книгу автора (Walker Nicholas)

Ice Princess-Walker, Nicholas.
1.
Skating on the Edge?
Alex Barnes and Samantha Stephens sat on the r just inside the tunnel that led out onto the huge expanse of ice. This was where they always sat so they could see the other skaters but the crowd couldn't see them. Alex was watching with reluctant admiration as Carla Jeffrey and Wayne Jennings went smoothly into the last part of their free dance.
Samantha was leaning back against the wall, her eyes closed. She hugged herself and shivered. "I wish they'd get a move on," she said.
"Any minute now," said Alex. Both of them knew they had no chance of winning this competition, not against Carla and Wayne. They were years ahead of Alex and Samantha and had already qualified for the British Championships. Samantha shivered again.
"You all right?" Alex said, noticing for the first time.
"Of course!" she snapped. Her very vehemence
made Alex study her more closely. He leaned forward and felt her forehead.
"Hey, you're burning up," he said. She knocked his hand away.
"I said I'm all right! It's just this waiting."
"You're not all right," said Alex, getting to his feet. "Look, I'd better fetch Liz."
"You won't! We're on in a sec," she said. "It's just a bit of a chill, that's all."
"You know what your parents made me promise," said Alex. "Look, if you're not up to it we have to withdraw."
"Don't be such a wimp! I haven't come all this way to drop out at the last minute."
"Sam," Alex said, looking concerned, "there's plenty of other competitions."
"Samantha, not Sam!" she said crossly. Then the PA system in the rink broke into voice. "That's us-you can stay here if you want, I'm going." She scrambled to her feet and shot off to the ice. Frantically Alex dashed after her, only catching up halfway towards their starting positions.
A great bellow from the sidelines told them that Toby, Alex's best friend, was in rare form. Then the MC was reading out their names again.
They were both dressed in Indian costumes for their free dance: Apache. Alex as a chief, Samantha as a squaw. They had been aiming for
second place but now all Alex was thinking was, "Could they hold the dance together?" Because there was definitely something wrong with Samantha.
The drumbeats for their music started and immediately Samantha's ten years of dance training took over, her tremendous self-discipline pushing her protesting body into keeping up with the music. A preoccupied Alex was half a step behind but by the time they had gone around the ice they were reasonably together.
The music hurried past and Alex settled down, but even so their performance lacked their usual oomph. They failed to grip the audience. When at last they sank to their knees in the dramatic ending where they entreated the sun to return, Alex was feeling disgusted with himself.
He took Samantha's arm and steered her over to the barriers. She leaned against them until their marks came up.
"We'll be lucky to hold on to third," Alex gasped quietly to Samantha. She wasn't even watching.
"What?" she said vaguely.
"Samantha, you look awful," he said. "I'll get Liz."
"No, I just need to sit down for a minute," she said.
"Your parents are over there, you go and sit with them."
"No! That's the last thing I can do-they mustn't see me like this," she said. "Get me back to the anteroom."
Alex half carried her up the tunnel and the minute she was in the anteroom she lay down on the bench and closed her eyes.
"I really think I ought to fetch someone," he said in a worried voice.
"Fine! You just go and get them-let them see me like this and guess how long my dad will let me go on skating," she said. "Oh, it's just a cold, Alex, you know how they affect me. If I can get through the award ceremony and into some warm clothes I'll be all right. I can pretend to sleep in the car so they won't notice."
Alex knew what she said was true. Samantha was the fittest person he had ever met but colds hit her like a sledgehammer. Only two years ago her parents had taken her out of dance college after a near fatal attack of rheumatic fever. He covered her with his anorak and fetched some hot chocolate from the machine in the corridor, but she didn't want it, just lay there shivering. At last, urged on by the PA system, they made their way back onto the ice.
A small podium had been set up on the ice with places for first, second, and third. Nobody seemed sure who had come second and third and they were taking a long time getting around to announcing
it. At long last the MC came forward trailing a microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said. Then again, "Ladies and gentlemen," until the crowd quietened down. "In third place are Alex Barnes and Samantha Stephens."
Alex swore and reached for Samantha's hand. She leaned against the tunnel wall, her eyes closed. "Samantha?" he said.
"Uh? Oh yes, right." She took his arm and he almost had to drag her across the ice.
To Samantha the whole rink was an enormous echoing hole, the only reality was the familiar feel of Alex's hand on her arm. Dimly, as though from a very great distance away, she could see the empty podium. Empty? That meant they were in third place. What had happened? Surely they had planned on coming in second?
Alex halted her by the lowest position.
"Just there, kids," said the MC, his kind voice taking the sting out of their disappointment.
"Eh?" Samantha looked at him vaguely.
"Up there, my dear."
"Oh, yes," Samantha gave him a beautiful smile and collapsed onto the ice as if all the bones had been suddenly removed from her body.
Alex was left there alone, staring down at her.
2. Black Ice
Alex sat in the hospital waiting area reading the posters on the wall. The door swung open and Toby came back from the cafeteria carrying a tray. He sat down beside Alex and handed him a plastic cup of hot chocolate.
"Are you sure that's all you want?" Toby asked, starting on a huge slice of lemon meringue pie.
"Yes, thanks," said Alex. He nodded towards one of the posters. "Have you seen that one about the dangers of cholesterol?"
"Cholesterol?" said Toby. "I thought that was an island in the Mediterranean."