Below Zero

Chapter 1

Elle

December

I sit up in bed and look into the mirror across the room. My eyes are swollen and dark circles are formed under them.

It's been a week and seven hours since my parents were in an accident. Both of them died, without suffering and I feel disgusted with myself for wanting them to suffer. I don't even know why I bothered to cry for them, it's not like they have brought me any good in this world.

Maybe I'm being unfair right now because it was them who got me into figure skating, but I'm still doubting if I actually like figure skating or if it's just my parents who beat me until I said I loved it. Ofcourse I must've liked the sport some way otherwise I woudn't gotten as far as I got.

If the fate haven't decided to kill my parents I would've probably right now been trying out for the olympics. I was practically already offered a place for representing Great Britain because I'm one of the best figure skaters in the country, but rules are rules. I'm not going to complain though because I've never been able to rest for a whole week since I was three.

Both of my parents have won a goldmedal in the olympics. My mum did gymnastics and my dad were a swimmer. The media went crazy when they married each other and especially when they had me "The golden child", how ironic. Everyone thought it was a given thing that I will win a goldmedal, it didn't matter what I liked because I was going to be an athlete.

My parents may have been good in their sport elements, but using the few brain cells they had weren't something for them. They thought a toddler would be able to swim like a fish or do ten backhandsprings in a row. They were desperate to show the media how talented I were in a sport, but I weren't really cooperating and that scared the shit out of them.

They made me try all these sports, but they started to be impatient. The first time I tried figure skating I seemed to have fun, or that's what my parents have told me and the media my whole life, how they could see my eyes sparkle of joy, bullshit if you ask me.

I realized quite early that my parents just cared about their apperance. They made our life seem as perfect as it could be, but that's also bullshit.

My parents beat me, abused me verbally and made me go through several eating disorders just to "disciplin" me. It was impossible for others to see the ugly truth, but I can't blame them because little me still wanted to impress my parents and tried to ignore the fact that I got a new bruise or scar on my body every day. They only beat me on the places that will be later covered by some clothes.

I snap back into reality when the doorbell rings. I make my way down the stairs while limping and open the door seeing my coach standing infront of me.

"Good morning sunshine," she says, I give her a weak smile letting her inside."how's you're ankle?"

"It's pretty bad" I say, I limp inside the big living room and sit down on the couch and Mrs. Moore does the same. I look down at my foot being wrapped in bandage and I place my hand on the left side of my stomach. I feel an instant pain from the big bruise I got when my mum pushed down the stairs the night before the accident. 

"You need to rest more," her voice is soft and it makes me smile. Mrs. Moore is like a mum to me, more than my real mum could ever been. She have always treated me like her own kid and I love her for that. "you remember I have a husband right?" she says, I nod silently. I've met him a few time when he came to visit Ms. Morre, he's really nice and he's coaching Boston Bruins ice hoockey team. "I'm moving to Boston and I want you to come with me." her voice is tender.

I turn to look at her feeling a bit uneasy "What?" I ask.

"You need to leave this hell Elle, you need to excperience a normal life," she pauses, waiting for a reaction but I feel numb. She knows that my parents were treating me bad and that they had a lot of pressure on me, but she doesn't know about the beating part or about the eating disorders.  "We can look for an apartment in the city and then you can choose to stidy or do something else." she says, she has really tried this time.

"What will happen if I just dissapear suddenly?" I say, my voice is shaking. The articles are going crazy already about me not going to the olympics and of course there's a lot about the sudden death of my parents.

"You can do whatever you want Elle, you got a ton of money and freedom now" she says, her voice is almost impatient or she just really wants her words to sink in "you are inteligent, beautiful and you can still figure skate and I will be your coach if you want that, but please you need to leave this place!" she bursts out almost breaking down in tears but I'm first to do that. I hear myself sobbing while tears are falling creating dark dots on my grey pyjama pants.

Mrs. Moore embraces me and the only thing I can do is to cry.

"I just want the best for you and you need to go to meet normal people. and have a normal life" she says, I know she's crying and she's right, I need to meet other human beings. I've been homeschooled my whole life and I've never had a friend in my life. "A friend equals distraction" that's what my parents told me.

We both calm down and I sit straight up "Let's move." I say blankly before standing up. I don't want to keep living a miserable life and if Ms. Moore is moving then I'm also moving.