Checkmate Step-brother

Elyra’s POV

I sat in the auditorium with my spine straight and my hands on my lap, conscious of the gap between my shoulder and Kaelen's. Since we were seated, neither of us had spoken. We both wouldn't.

Mr. Halden was at the podium, making adjustments to his glasses as he prepared to address the packed room of students, coaches and both hockey teams. “As most of you are aware, it's the annual mating season,” he started. “ but before that there is inter-gender hickejy championship, and after it the academy will officially start its holiday period.”

The crowd was filled with excitement. There was someone behind me who whistled.

“But we are all gathered here not to teach you the importance of mates, or reading your books during the holidays," Mr. Halden continued, "the academy expects both hockey teams to remember, failure and losing are not accepted in this academy’s vocabulary.”

I looked up at the banner above the stage, ACADEMIES CHAMPIONSHIP, HOSTED HERE and my heart raced.

Mr. Halden smiled. “I’m pleased to announce, once again, that our academy has been selected to host the opening match. Which will result in our own male and female team playing against one another as the first match in the tournament in just a few hours.”

Cheers broke out in the room. I indulged myself in a smile, small and contented.

Kaelen didn't move next to me. His eyes were forward and his jaw was set, as if the announcement hurt his feelings.

"Play fair, represent this academy well," Mr. Halden said, "and most importantly — bring that trophy home!”

More cheering. Mr. Halden waved me up to the podium. “Elyra, some words from our lady captain?”

I stood up, I smoothed down my blazer and walked up.

“Greetings ladies and the other gender.” I joked, and the whole room burst into laughter. “ I won’t waste your time with long boring speeches, so I’ll just say it…may the best team bring home the Trophy!”

Applause. I smiled and caught Kaelen's glance for one second before he turned his gaze elsewhere.

At the end of the assembly I followed Wren and Talia, my teammates, making my way through the crowd to the dormitories.

Wren hooked her arm in mine, "Okay but can we talk about the mating ceremony. Not emotionally ready.”

Talia said, "You're never emotionally ready.”

"I'm serious! What if my boyfriend or girlfriend is, like, my enemy for 3 years?“ Talia whined. “What’s on your mind Cap?”

“I am just interested in winning this championship first, you know , I’m sure a mate is around the corner," I said with a smile, "Trophy in one hand, mate in the other. Is it too much to ask?

"Greedy," Talia teased.

"I am big enough for the two of them.” I joked.

At that moment, I heard footsteps approaching quietly and slowly behind us. I didn't have to look around to see who it was. The girls immediately scurried away like scared rats.

“If I were you I wouldn't get too excited," Kaelen said.

“Oh look, it’s Mr KillJoy," I said without taking my eyes off him.

He said. “ I am not Mr KillJoy, I am a prophet who can see the future. You will lose the game.”

I scoffed. “Seems like you need glasses to see the future very well.”

"Funny." He smirked. “But don't despair, even if you do not win the trophy,and can’t find a mate… I’m sure you can just snatch someone else’sz.”

The words fell right where He wanted them to fall.

I took a deep breathe and my eyes locked on Kaelen. "Say that again."

"You heard me."

“Don't play with my mother's name, it's not for fun.” I warned.

“Your mother,” Kaelen said, coming closer, “wrecked my family; she stole my dad away from my mom; my mom died as a result—so forgive me if I don't feel like being gentle about it.”

I said, “I had no part in what they did.” My voice was rising. “I had nothing to do with what they did. I was a child, Kaelen, we both were.”

“Does not deny the facts of the matter… that your mom is a homewrecker.”

“Well, no," I snapped, "but it doesn't bring your mother back either.”

There was something on his face, it was anger perhaps, grief, I couldn't tell anymore, they had begun to look the same years ago. “Don't," he said quietly, "talk about my mother.

“Does it hurt?” I asked.

There we were, staring at one another, years of the same battle piling up between us, a wall neither of us could break down. I felt a hand on my arm, soft, solid. Talia was back.

"Elyra," she murmured. “It's a few hours till game time.”

I exhaled. She was right. I wasn't going to be spending any more of my energy than I needed to be arguing with him in a hallway.

I walked away, but at the last moment I glanced over my shoulder at him.

I said, "Good Luck step brother.”

I didn't wait for a reply.

---

The locker room was filled with my chatty teammates. I took a seat on the floor, and began to take off my boots, my hands moving too quickly, my anger still buzzing.

"You okay?" Talia lowered herself next to me, asking me.

"Fine."

“You appear to be in the mood to bite someone.” She teased.

"I said I'm fine."

Wren was crouching in front of me, looking into my eyes. “Hey, forget him, he's just mad because his dad is an idiot and he didn't know how to deal with it, and he's taking it out on you, since you can’t beat him in a fight, make his ass kiss the ice.”

I covered my head with my jersey, took a deep breath and it landed on my shoulders. She was right. I couldn't let Kaelen's voice go away in my head for the next hour. Not today.

I tied my hair back, "You're right," I said. "Let's just win."

Wren grinned. “Now that's the captain I know.”

I buttoned up my skates again, checked my pads, and went through the starting lineup again in my mind. When Coach Iris called us in for the pre-game huddle my hands weren't shaking anymore.

Coach Iris looked at each of us and said, “This is the first game of the entire championship. Play smart, play together and bring it home, every academy is watching.”

We shouted back, "Bring it home!" with our sticks raised.

The stadium wasn't as quiet as I remembered. The ice shimmered under the lights, and the stands were packed with fans, waving their banners in excitement. I skated out to my spot and felt the cold hit my cheeks and the roars of the crowd settle in my chest like fuel.

All around the rink, Kaelen was in position as well.

The referee skated to centre ice. Kaelen and I advanced for the face-off.

“Good luck,” I said, rather flippantly than encouragingly.

“You’ll need it more than I’d need it.” he said.

The whistle blew.

The puck fell and all else vanished.

From the first period, my team went out hard and fast, keeping the puck moving through the neutral zone, maintaining possession and not allowing Kaelen's team to get a free shot. When he would press his players, I'd be there to cut the play off, take the puck at the blue line and get it back down the ice.

"Left! Left!" I called out to Wren and she threw the puck right where I needed it.

With each failure Kaelen's frustration was becoming apparent. He shouted to his wingers, he tried to change his defense, but we had observed his pattern for weeks. We knew his move before he made it.

"Keep the pressure!" I cut through the ice, shouting, "low, eyes on the puck, Talia passed it to me. I took the shot.

It went over their goalie's glove and into the goal.

The horn blared. My group went crazy, as sticks were slamming into the ice and gloves were flying into the air. I skated toward the boards and my teammates were all yelling and laughing when they crashed into me.

It wasn't long after that goal , the final whistle was blown.

We had won.

Our academy was cheered on by the crowd, who were chanting our name and sending confetti down from above the stands. I allowed myself to become caught up in it: all the noise, all the happiness, the ache in my legs that made me know I had earned every minute of this.

Then I saw over the ice.

Kaelen was alone, next to his bench, gloves at his sides, chest still rising and falling with the game, his face somewhere between angry and amazed.

I skated up to him slowly and deliberately, leaving the celebration behind as I got closer to him. I stood there in front of him.

I smiled at him. Confident. Unapologetic.

"1-0," I said.