[July 04] To the sky (Zoya)

Stasya hadn’t even dared to dream of this. When she had heard about the artistic flying summer camp she had told Zoya and had shared that she thought it was an amazing thing. Ever since the girl had joined the artistic flying club at Durmstrang she had been very much into the sport. Admittedly her skills and ambitions were limited - she was too old to ever make it to any big competitions but a girl could dream.

When she lay in bed in her dormitory, Stasya imagined how it would be to be an artistic flying champion. Her friend Zina and her (former) friend Anna had told her a lot about the sport and their older and successful relatives. Stasya thought that it was a beautiful sport and that Zina and Anna were lucky to have grown up in a family that had pushed them into it at an early age. They could still become celebrated champions. For Stasya all that was left was to enjoy the progress she was making when it came to simple moves on a broom and watching those who were better than her.

When Zoya had agreed to join her in Rybinsk if she managed to convince her mother to let her go, Stasya had bombarded her mother with letters until the woman had decided to pay for whatever her daughter was talking about just to make her shut up.

Now the two girls were staying in the magical hotel of Rybinsk and Stasya had never seen anything like it. She was used to a high standard - her muggle family was comparably well off - but she had never seen a magical hotel before. This place was nothing like Durmstrang. It was all light, clean, and welcoming. The twin room the girls got to share was spacious and there was an enchanted wall showing the sky above the Volga.

“Hurry up,” Stasya told Zoya for the second time now, standing already by the door, her rucksack shouldered. “I don’t want to miss the public practice. Come on, we’re going to be late.” Stasya loved her best friend dearly but there were two things that they felt very different about - punctuality and tidiness. Stasya had gotten up extra early to be ready in time. She was wearing her best training clothes, white sneakers and had taken her time to tie her hair up in a very tight and neat ponytail.

“I can’t wait to see them all in person,” she thought aloud as she observed Zoya while she got ready.

@Zoya Chernova

"Five more minutes," Zoya had said at least four times while Staysa had zipped around the room. As was the theme of every single morning, it was too early, too bright, and Zoya felt like a zombie as she stalked to the bathroom and back. She yawned, not bothering to cover her mouth, as she dug through her suitcase for whatever clothing she still had available.

Unlike her best friend, Zoya was never prepared. Even if she could afford proper training clothes, she likely would have forgotten to pack them. And instead, she ended up in tattered trainers, old sweat pants, and a sweater that was a size too small now that she'd grown a bit. She didn't have a fancy broom or fine sneakers. Zoya hadn't even come to camp with her own funds. She wasn't sure which professor had taken pity on her, but Zoya had received a scholarship.

"Alright, Alright," she hushed her friend and kept moving slowly across the room. Eventually, Zoya was dressed and standing in front of Stasya, another yawn threatening to fall off her chapped lips.

“I don’t understand how you can be so slow on a day like this,” Stasya muttered. She was used to Zoya being late and creating a mess wherever she spent more than just a few minutes but this really mattered a lot to her and she had been hoping that her best friend would be considerate and hurry up some more today.

Although her patience was quickly fading and replaced by frustration, Stasya was still happy that Zoya had received a scholarship for the artistic flying camp. While she would probably have gone alone, too, she was relieved to have her friend at her side. With Zoya around, Stasya generally felt braver than she did without her.

“It’s the first time we get to see these great athletes in person,” she said, blushing slightly at the thought of facing one of her idols. They had been told that, maybe, they’d get a chance to talk to the stars of the artistic flying scene and get an autograph and Stasya, who now led the way out of the hotel, wondered who they’d get to meet.

“Do you think they have an animated poster in the fan shop? Imagine having one of those with an original autograph on it…” Stasya would totally hang it up in her dormitory at Durmstrang (she could not leave such a treasure behind in St. Petersburg anyway). “Who are you most excited to see?” she asked Zoya curiously. They had already talked a lot about artistic flying but Stasya wasn’t sure she really had an idea whom Zoya liked or if she specifically liked one of the athletes at all.