Page 1 of Ice Mechanic

CHAPTER

ONE

CHANCE

My veins buzz the moment I step into the rundown stadium. One-by-one, the lights thud on. Some of them flicker a few times in silent protest, reluctant to shine on me.

That’s a metaphor for my life if I’ve ever seen one.

I take a big sniff, the scents both foreign and familiar. Nothing beats the dry, crisp air in the stadium. The perfect circumference of the rink. The way the lights bounce against the ice. The way the seats smell like varnish and W-D40…

I wrinkle my nose.

Actually, that smell is new.

“Ack!” A thin black man wearing a jumper streaked in oil explodes into my line of vision. Sharp brown eyes land on me, narrow slightly and then widen. “Well I’ll be.”

“Hey.” I slip right into my people-greeting persona, tucking away my fidget spinner and reaching out for a handshake.

“Oh, I…” He swipes his hands on the sides of his pants and then hesitates. “I’m Bobby Hewitt. I’m a huge fan and I really want to shake that hand, but you mind saving it for later?”

“I’ll save it with interest.”

His smile widens a tad. “Wow.” His eyes gleam. “Chance McLanely. The Clairvoyant in the flesh.”

I rub the back of my neck. “The Clairvoyant. Haven’t heard that name in a while.”

Bobby laughs and mimics the movement of a skater on the ice. “Man, you knew where the puck was going ten years before it got there. You were on a roll before the…” His eyes shift away. “Uh, before everything.”

Something sharp pierces my heart.

Before you got suspended…

Before…

It’s agony to know that my plummet from the top is the marker of my life.

Before the league.

After the league.

But my chapter isn’t done. I’ll walk through hot stones in flowing lava to reclaim what’s mine.

Joining The Lucky Strikers is my first lava-soaked step.

“Uh,” Bobby’s eyes dart to the ground and he chuckles awkwardly, “Look at me yapping. You must be here to see Max.”

I nod and notice his oil-stained hands. “Were you fixing something?”

“No, no. Well, kinda. I’m the Zamboni driver, but the stupid machine’s been breaking down left and right and the mechanics haven’t been able to find the problem so I’m here reading up on engines like I know anything about, oh… here I go talking too much again. Let me show you to the office.”

“I know where it is,” I assure him.

His eyebrows hike. “Then why’d you come this way?”

I glance at the rink.

“Ah.” He lifts an oil-stained finger. “Gotta make your introduction to the lady.”

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