The arena was louder than usual that evening.
Not with cheering crowds or roaring fans, but with the low mechanical hum of preparation. The team had a televised practice scrimmage scheduled, something the organization used to keep public attention high during mid-season fatigue.
Sheila hated televised sessions.
They blurred the line between performance and spectacle, turning training into theater. And right now, theater was the last thing she needed.
She sat in the analytics booth overlooking the rink, screens glowing around her, live metrics feeding into her system. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, but her concentration slipped more than she liked to admit.
Distance.
She kept repeating the word in her head like a protective mantra.
It had been less than twenty-four hours sinc
