“Oh, wow, you’re terrific.” Maisie could not take her eyes off the skiing video Feya shared of her skiing down a steep, icy hill surrounded by snow-covered trees.

        She executed the parallel perfectly and even skied backward.

        Feya tittered. “Well, when you grew up in Ukraine, you get plenty of practice skiing. It snows all the time there. The Carpathian Mountains are beautiful, too, so my family and I always go to Bukovel. It’s one of the most popular ski resorts in the country—for a good reason. I’ve heard it’s remained open during the war, but we left before we could get there.” A sad smile crossed Feya’s face. “I hoped to make it to the Olympics one day, Maisie.”

        “‘Hoped?’ Who said you can’t?” Maisie slightly pushed her. “Come on, girl, you just need to get used to the prosthetic. You’re young. There’s plenty of time. Speaking of—I meant to ask you this earlier. How old are you?”

        “Nineteen.”

        “Eh! You’re my age!” Maisie hopped off the couch, narrowly avoiding Milo, who was underfoot.

        She brought her fist to her heart. “Let’s make an oath right here. I, Feya, solemnly swear to ski again and aim for the Olympics!”

        She didn’t speak at first, so Maisie tried again. “You can do this, girl. I, Feya, solemnly swear to ski again and aim for the Olympics!”

        Eventually, Feya gave in and patted her heart. “I, Feya, solemnly swear to ski again and aim for the Olympics.”

        “Good. Louder now. Give it the Disney vibe. Pretend you’re Simba working on his roar.”

        “I, Feya, solemnly swear to ski again and aim for the Olympics.” There was more confidence in her voice now. Feya stood before Maisie and gripped her hips. “I, Feya, solemnly swear to ski again and aim for the Olympics!”

        “Yes! Good roar!” Maisie clapped and handed Feya one of her crutches because she wobbled a little. “Let’s say this every night, three times each.”

        “Sounds good to me.” Feya sat back down. “Let’s totally watch The Lion King now.”

        They did just that. Maisie turned on the TV and pulled up Disney+. She and Feya popped popcorn and sang along to The Lion King’s songs, except “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King”.

        Feya spent it practicing her roar. “I, Feya, solemnly swear to ski again and aim for the Olympics!”

        Maisie swore to herself that she would help her the whole way.

        She went to her first training day on Monday at the All-Star Resorts Cast Services building in her best mood since getting there. Maisie took the DCP’s Academy bus because she wasn’t familiar with the location. It dropped her off on the backside of the building, where the outdoor break area was. Lockers lined the wall, and a few tables adorned the area.

        Maisie still wore her business-like attire—she would get her costume today—but now she sported a Walt Disney Company blue ID, nametag, and red Earning My Ears pin. The nametag had her name and college, College of Charleston, under it.

        She adjusted her blazer and inhaled. “Let’s do this.”

        Maisie opened the door to Cast Services, stepped inside... and crashed into a Cast Member walking down the small hallway in front.

        He was a tall, slender man with a trim beard, dark brown eyes, and slicked-back black hair, dressed in dress pants and shoes. Relatively young, too, and quite handsome.

        He and Maisie toppled to the floor. Maisie landed on the All-Star Resorts rug, which showed off their iconic yellow star, but the man got the tile—and possibly a bruised tailbone.

        “Ow!” Maisie groaned, reaching for her head.

        “Oh, I’m sorry!” the man said, standing. He brushed himself down and helped her up. “Are you okay?”

        “Yeah, I’m fine. I wasn’t looking where I was going.” Maisie flipped her blazer and fixed her hair. She checked the man’s nametag. “What about you, Andy?”

        “Never better.” He smiled, showing off his white teeth, and tucked his notebook under his arm. “I’m assuming you’re one of the new employees?”

        “Is it that obvious?” Maisie nervously brushed her hair with her fingers. Great first impression, Maisie. Great.

        The man chuckled. “It’s hard to miss the Earning My Ears pin.”

        Oh, right.

        “What’s your role?” continued the stranger.

        “I’m Custodial at All-Star Sports.”

        “Oh! Well, then!” The man held his hand out for a handshake. “I’m Andy. I’m the Housekeeping/Custodial Manager at All-Star Sports.”

        Shit! Maisie was going to get fired on her first day of training!

        Her face burned, and she reached for her cheeks.

        Andy giggled again. “You’re a little shy, aren’t you? It’s all good. I’ll take you to where you’re meeting the others.” He turned right and started down a new hallway, stopping temporarily to wait for Maisie.

        It took a minute for her to push past her embarrassment, but Maisie sighed and followed him once she did.

        Well, Mom, she thought to herself, I lasted one week and got sacked.

        So much for helping Feya with her roar.

End of Act One: The Golden Age!

Current Word Count: 10,700