The Ice King Obsession

005

The next morning Sheila had the same heaviness in her chest as she’d carried since her morning with Atticus Finch. It wasn’t fear. It wasn’t sadness. It was something else she didn't have to say. The feeling was like she was being pulled into a storm she couldn’t control.

She shook off that idea and prepared for the day. She told herself she was strong. She just told herself she was in control. She said she wasn’t going to let a hockey player lead her life. But as she entered the arena, she was wrong. He didn’t dictate her rules. It was the world around him. The world that fed on his reputation, his fame, his power. The world that was watching her now.

Sheila entered the training room, and the air felt different. It wasn’t the same as before. It wasn’t just the players watching her or the way Atticus made her feel. It was something else.

A tension in the room. A murmurs of something brewing. Sheila looked around the room, and saw something that made her heart sink.

A camera.

It wasn’t the typical media camera that was used for training coverage. This one was smaller, it was hidden, it was in a corner, like someone wants to take something in a private place.

Sheila’s mind raced. She glanced around, trying to see who was paying attention, who was filming, who was plotting. Her gaze fell on a familiar face. The team's public relations manager in front of the camera a fellow named Carter pretended to adjust his phone. So when he saw her staring up at him, His smile was fake. His eyes were cold.

Sheila’s stomach dropped. She knew what was happening. Someone was going to exploit her. She seemed set on being a figure for a story. Someone was plotting to build a drama. And all that blame would be on Atticus.

Sheila felt her hands shaking. She hated that in a place she believed she controlled she allowed herself to feel vulnerable. She approached Carter calmly and evenly in her voice. "What are you doing?"

Carter’s smile expanded. “Just doing my job.”

Sheila gazed at him. “Is this part of your job?”

Carter’s demeanor didn’t change. “What are you talking about?”

Sheila pointed to the camera. “That camera.”

Carter shrugged. “It’s nothing.”

Sheila’s voice sharpened. “It’s not nothing.”

Carter’s eyes narrowed. “You need to mind your own business, Sheila.”

Sheila’s heart pounded. “I am minding my business. My job is to observe training trends.”

Carter laughed softly. “You think you’re important?”

Sheila's teeth cr tightened. "I know that I am significant," she said. “You’re not important enough to know what’s happening.” Sheila just gazed at him because she didn’t want to feel scared. “I just won’t walk out of the building until that camera’s gone.”

Carter looked at the door. “You’re going to be a hassle.”

Sheila’s voice remained steady. “I’m gonna stop you from making trouble.”

Carter’s face hardened. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”

Sheila’s voice rose. “I know 100% what I am doing.”

Carter looked at her for a second, and then at last he pointed at the camera. “Fine. You want it removed? I’ll have it removed.”

Sheila looked up at him suspiciously. “Why are you so suddenly cooperating?”

Carter smiled again. “Because if you create a scene, I’m not the one to blame.”

Sheila’s blood boiled. “What do you mean?”

Carter’s eyes hardened. “Just stay out of this, Sheila.”

Sheila turned away, heart pounding. She had no idea what she had just entered. But she knew one thing. It was bigger than her. It was bigger than Atticus. It was bigger than the team. It was a world of power, control and manipulation. And she was in the middle of it.

Sheila went back to her clipboard, but her mind skipped. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know who to trust. Then she saw him. Atticus Finch was watching her. He was standing in the corner of the room with his arms crossed and narrowed eyes. It felt like he knew something.

Sheila felt her stomach drop. She hated the fact that he had information. He always looked one step ahead. Sheila attempted to shake this off, but still he bore down on her. Sheila couldn’t focus. Sheila couldn’t think. She was feeling trapped.

Then Atticus spoke. “Feint.”

Sheila turned slowly. Atticus walked up to her, his whole face heavy. "Stay away from Carter," he said.

Sheila's eyes narrowed. “Why?”

Atticus’s voice dropped. “Because he’s using you.”

Sheila could feel her heart pound. “Using me for what?”

Atticus’s expression hardened. “For a story. For drama. For something that is going to make him look good.”

Sheila’s voice rose. “And you know this how?”

Atticus stared at her. “Because I’ve been through it.”

Sheila’s heart raced. “What do you mean?”

Atticus’s eyes softened, then hardened again. “I’ve been targeted before. I’ve been used before. And I will not allow it to happen again.”

Sheila looked at him in disbelief. She disliked how he sounded like he was speaking from the truth. She loathed that he sounded as if he had been hurt. She regretted that he sounded as if he cared. Sheila found her voice trembling a little. “So what do I do?”

Atticus’s face was serious as ever. “Stay out of it.”

Sheila’s voice rose. “I can’t stay out of it. You’re in it too.”

Atticus’s eyes narrowed. “I’m always in it.”

Sheila gazed at him, her heart pounding. She hated that he was right. She despised that he was always in it. Sheila took a deep breath. She knew what she had to do. She had to shield her own skin. She had to preserve what she had to do for the job. She had to preserve her dignity. And she had to ensure that no one got to use her.

Sheila raised her clipboard and walked toward Carter. She confronted him, and her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear. “Remove that camera,” she said.

Carter gazed, shocked, at her. “What?”

Sheila’s voice rose. “Remove the camera now.”

Carter’s face hardened. “You don’t have any right.”

Sheila’s voice remained steady. “I have the right to protect myself.”

Carter had looked at her for a moment then nodded at the camera. “Fine. It’s removed.”

Sheila looked on as the camera was pulled away. She felt a wave of relief. But she knew it wasn’t over. Sheila faced Atticus. He was watching her, his face unreadable. Sheila felt a strange jumble of emotions anger, fear and something other she could not label. She despised that he watched her. She resented the way he appeared to care. She hated that she didn’t know whether to trust him or fear him.

Sheila Feint didn’t trust anyone. Not yet. Not ever. But she knew one thing. Atticus Finch was not simply a storm. He was a protector. And she didn’t like that.