It didn't snow in Los Angeles, but Penelope stood on an ice rink of the huge stadium. She took a deep breath, put her focus mask on, and off she went. Sabrina silently watched from a far corner. She was fascinated at how her best friend glided gracefully on the ice. Penelope was about to do a toe loop jump, while suddenly she tripped and fell on her butt. "Penelope!" Sabrina gasped, "Are you okay?"
Penelope scanned around the stadium and saw her friend staring worriedly by the seats. "I'm fine, Sab. I always fail when it comes to spinning in the air." Penelope replied and got herself up.
"But I thought you're a gifted skater." Sabrina said. "I think I am. But people think wrong. I can't do jumps right. I've tried that ever since I was 3." Penelope replied with a disappointed face. Sabrina'e eyes suddenly glued to Penelope's old, rusty skates. They were indeed worn out, with scratches all over and torn fabric.
"Maybe the reason why you can't do so is because of those skates of yours." she finally guessed.
"Hey! Don't ever estimate my childhood skates! They're precious to me!" Penelope growled impolitely.
"I didn't mean to, but...those skates are really old. Don't you want a new pair?" Sabrina asked.
"I'm fine with these skates." Penelope replied eagerly.
"But you told me that the International Ice-Skating Champoinship is around the corner. Don't you want to do better?" Sabrina reminded her.
Penelope's lips were sealed. She just stood there, silent.
"Hey! Why are you two still doing here? The English test will be starting in half an hour!" Cornelia suddenly approached. "Oh no! We're going to be late!" Sabrina panicked.
"Penelope, make sure you stay focus." her father, King Clement told the little 3-years-old princess.
In Penelope's dream, she was overjoyed of receiving her very first pair of ice skates. Her father was a strict teacher. He ensured that Penelope practised skating for 3 to 4 hours in order to become perfection. But somehow King Clement cares for Penelope's health, safety and determination. Penelope can be stubborn sometimes. She once announce that she wants to be more than perfect. Penelope's failed jumps troubled herself and her father. She kept tripping and falling on the ice rink while landing back on the ice. Penelope, of course, never gave up.
"Sweetheart, you should take a break. The more you fall, the more you'll hurt yourself." King Clement said.
"I can do it, daddy. I'm positive I can." Penelope protested with angry eyes.
"I might push you too hard. I predict that it takes time to improve a jump. You can't just force yourself to make things happen." the Tyrasius king advised.
When Penelope turned 10, she took part in her first ice-skating competition. She held her dream of winning a trophy in her mind and will. King Clement warned his only daughter not to perform a jump in front of the audiences and judges, but she refused to take his word. During her performance, Penelope had done well gliding gracefully. She began to wow everyone by doing an Axel jump. "No, you wouldn't!" King Clement gasped. Penelope did some back crossovers and the ready to jump forward. She leaped off the ice and brought her right leg forward, suddenly lost her balance. She collapsed on the ice.
"Penelope? Penelope? Penelope Falne!" a voice shook her away from her sleep.
The blonde girl realized that she was still in the exam hall. "Wh...What's going on?" Penelope asked,looking dazed.
"The test is over, Penelope. You need to hand in your paper." Charmaine said.
"Are you done, young lady?" the English teacher questioned.
Penelope quickly handed in her paper and dashed back to her seat. A worried look plastered on her face.
"Penelope," Cornelia recognized her expression, "How about we go for frozen yogurt after school?"
"I love to, but I can't." Penelope denied, "I have to practise for the competition."
"Penelope, you've been practising for hours this morning. You need some time off." Cornelia convinced, "Sabrina told me about your practise this morning. I agree that you need a new pair of skates."
"I don't need a new pair of skates, Cornelia. My father gave me my very first skates back when I was a little girl and they're a symbol of success. Even though they're ruined and tight for my feet, I still have to use them." Penelope argued calmly.
"Penelope," Cornelia breathed, "Winning something is not just sticking to your old, precious belongings or thoughts. Winnning a competition comes from appropriate things that fits you perfectly. Using those old skates will make you a loser."
Penelope stared at Cornelia with stingy blue eyes."Are you saying that I'll lost the championship?" she snapped.
Cornelia stepped back. "I..I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" she stammered.
"I always thought you're the sweetest girl in the world. But YOU'RE ACTUALLY NOT!!!" Penelope screamed in fury.
She stomped away from the Aurelz leader. A tear sprang from Cornelia's right eye.
Weeks passed. Penelope spent all her time skating at the ice rink, forgetting about homework and assignments. She kept falling, but she wouldn't want to give up. On the 18th of March, Penelope even forgot her birthday. She only focused on the competition that afternoon.
"And now! Ladies and gentlemen! Penelope Falne!" the MC announced.
The stadium was packed with an enthusiastic audience. "You can do it, Penelope!" the Aurelz cheered. "At least...I hope." Sabrina prayed.
Penelope looked fantastic in her golden strapless dress. Her hair was pulled up into a high, neat bun. Her torn skates disgusted a few people in the audience.
Shortly, One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful" played from the stereo. Penelope skated one round on the ice, then she performed spins and crossovers with ease.
"Um..did you grils hear something?" Rosemary suddenly asked.
"Hear what?" Charmaine asked back.
"It's some sort of rumbling sound." Rosemary replied.
The stadium was still, but suddenly, ground roots crawled up the seats. Frightened screams echoed throughout the stadium. The spectators' legs were wrapped up in roots.
"Aurelz! Run!" Cornelia ordered, eyeing at roots that slithered towards their feet.
"What the hell is going on?" Estella shrieked while hopping off the stairs.
"Well, hello again, Aurelz." a familiar voice floated in the air.
"The drayds! How did they get here?" Charmaine gasped.
Lithelle and her army stood a few feet away from the girls. Penelope grabbed hold on a wall of the ice rink.
"Destroy the fairies, now!" Lithelle roared.
"Why? Why their target has to be us?" Estella complained.
"I don't know, but there's not time for that!" Cornelia uttered, "Aurelz! Transform!"
The six 13-years-old girls transformed into their fairy beings before combated themselves for battle.
"How dare you freaks interrupt my performance!" Penelope bellowed.
"Relax, fairy. We just want to consult you to ask your principal to remove the school away from our forest." Lithelle replied.
"We'll never do that!" Penelope snapped, "Iceberg Core! Ignite!"
Penelope just received her element core a few weeks ago. If you haven't seen it, the element core was a wishing-star shape silver gem. It glowed in a white light, releasing a higher level of energy.
"Crystal Bridge!" the ice fairy chanted a spell. A long, solid ice road appeared.
"You'll never catch me!" Lithelle grinned sinisterly and rode on a large orchid leaf. Penelope put her old skates on and hopped onto her ice road. She skidded as fast as she could.
"She's putting too much pressure on her skates!" Sabrina panicked while shielding against an attacking dryad. Sure enough, the metal blade of Penelope's right skate suddenly broke. Penelope balanced herself with her left foot, but the skate shortly broke too!
"No! This isn't suppose to happen!" Penelope winced. She quickly flapped her fairy wings to fly.
"My skates!" Penelope croaked in pain and horror. The blades of the shoes split into unfixable pieces.
"Penelope! Here, catch!" Sabrina shouted. She threw a beautifully-wrapped box at the ice fairy. Penelope caught it and curiously opened it. The whole world seemed to freeze. She stared at a pair of polished white ice skates in the box. "Happy birthday, Penelope!" Sabrina smiled as she came by.
"Sa...Sabrina...I don't know what to say." Penelope exclaimed.
"You definitely need a new pair of skates to win the competition, so Cornelia, myself and the rest of us use our pocket money to buy you this pair. I hope they fit your feet." Sabrina laughed.
The birthday girl held her very breath as she put on her new skates. Her feet finally felt warm and no longer painfully tight.
Before she could say thank you, Cornelia's scream echoed in the stadium. She was whipped right against a flight of stairs. Penelope switched her focus to Lithelle. She flew back to the ice road and skated off.
"You haven't seen the last of me, Lithelle!" Penelope cried.
"Oh, I'll slash your head off!" Lithelle roared. The dryad aimed a spear towards the fairy.
"Iceberg Core!" Penelope ordered, "Winter Aurora!"
She aimed a large ribbon of snow that magically freezes the spear.
"NO! Not my spear!" Lithelle whined. The frozen weapon dropped to the ice rink and split into pieces.
"Having enough, devil?" Penelope quizzed, holding a ball of snow in her hand.
"We'll come back next time." Lithelle finally gave in.
The dryads escorted away from the stadium. The audience and judges were indeed surprised to see such a scene.
The competition continued. Penelope proudly wore her new skates and glided on the ice like she had never did before. She presented appealing steps and one minute spins in front of the spectators. She also added in a little hint of dance moves to enhance her performance. At the end of the song, she took the breath of the entire stadium away with her special series of axel jumps and Salchow jumps. She landed on the ice safely and perfectly.
There were wild, jubilious cheers in the building. Every single spectator stood up and clapped in the loudest tone. The audience screamed joyfully by her name. It was an unforgettable moment for the blonde girl. Once she gazed at her friends who sat at the front row, she couldn't help smiling with joyful tears trickled down her cheeks.
"All contestants are amazing today, but only one of them is chosen to become the champion of this year's competition." one of the judges announced, "and so, the winner of the International Ice-Skating Championship is..."
The Aurelz squeezed Penelope's hands tight. Their fingers crossed.
"Penelope Falne!" the judge smiled.
Penelope couldn't believe her ears. A storm of confetti rained down the stadium to celebrate the winner. Penelope skated to the stage and received a glass-carved trophy. She had never been so happy in her entire life.
"Aurelz!" Penelope called.
Her friends turned their backs.
"Thanks you so much for supporting me and buy these wonderful skates for me. I am truly blessed to have you all in my life." Penelope said.
"That's what friends are for." Estella winked.
"And Cornelia," Penelope said, "I'm sorry for yelling at you a few weeks ago. I was just too tensed."
"It's okay." Cornelia smiled in return.
"Hey! Let's have a toast at Dairy Queen!" Rosemary suggested.
"Toast? I'm starving! Can't we just have dinner there?" Estella groaned.
"Okay! Okay! Let's just eat till our stomachs burst! Penelope deserve to have her birthday celebration anyway." Sabrina laughed cherishly.
"I'm proud of you, my dear Penelope." a fatherly voice caught her ear.
Penelope thought that she was dreaming. She looked around to look whether her father actually saw her.
"I may not see you, but I know that you've won the championship." King Clement's voice floated, "I always know you will succeed."
Penelope wore a grateful smile. "I wish you can see my trophy, daddy. But someday I'll show it to you. Thanks you, daddy." she whispered. The ice-skates statue of the trophy glistened mightily under the evening sun.
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