epiphany || bucky barnes

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

1976

18.

The blade of my skate landed perfectly embedded into the thick ice beneath me. The once clear ice had become foggy with skate marks and trails from my repeated routines.

"Again!" I heard my father call from the other end of the stadium.

I lowered my other skate onto the ice and slid to the other side of the stadium. My short skirt was shifted slightly due to the breeze in the already cold ice rink.

I cleared my throat and rolled my shoulders back. "Which trick next?"

"The entire routine, do it over. You're nowhere near close to perfect. Peggy will kick you out of the park this way!" He barked from the stands.

My shoulders rose in slight anxiety when he spoke. I loved my father, I really did. But all this berating and degrading talk were making me nauseous. I pushed my left foot behind me, taking off from the side of the rink into the center.

I slid my two feet beside each other, launching myself into the air and stretching my arms to the sides. My fingers were placed delicately as my skates left the ice. I tried visualizing myself in competition. Flashes of blinding cameras against the shimmer of my outfit. The cheers of everyone around me muffled by concentration. It was blissful. Soon, this feeling of warmth was reduced to nothing as the blades hit the ice again. My thighs burned from the muscle strain I was putting on them.

I skated backward for a moment, some baby hairs whipping at my face as I propelled myself forward again. This time, I balanced myself on my right skate and lifted the other in the air, my back flattening out as I kept my head held high.

My eyes caught those of a man standing behind the stadium doors, arms crossed and dressed in an all-black uniform. He stood behind my father, simply staring right back at me. I pressed my left skate back into the ice as I turned away from him. I still felt his gaze burning into my back as my chin tilted down slightly.

"Head up!" My father demanded.

My head immediately shot back up at his words. My skates moved in a circular motion as I glided across the ice, turning my body slowly like one of those display mannequins you'd see at the mall.

I locked my hands in front of my body, letting the spins slowly get quicker as my hair was drawn back by the wind. My arms fought against the force of gravity as I rose them above my head, tilting it back to look at the ceiling.

I parted my legs slightly to slow my pace, skating from the small circle of chewed-up ice. A breath left my lips as I gazed up at my father for approval.

There he was, speaking with his girlfriend. He seemed to have a new one every week. I knew it was to fill the void in his heart mom left him with when she died but... I was still here. Yet all he wanted for me was to get scholarships and opportunities that would get me out of his hair.

My gaze defaulted back to the mysterious man standing beside my father. His blue eyes could've matched the ice in just the right light. Once I looked closer, I could see the various artillery lining his belt. It didn't scare me, though. He wouldn't hurt me. My father wouldn't let him.

While my father was too busy speaking with the woman beside him, I motioned the man down to my break area. I stepped off of the ice, wincing at the cramps in my thighs and calves as I fell to the bench beside me.

My feet were aching as I slid off my skate, rubbing my heel and wincing. Soon, I found the man sitting beside me, scanning me over for injuries.

"Are you okay?" He whispered.