Number five! Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews! ^^
I hope you guys enjoy this one.
(A song for this chapter? Fallen Through by Skye Sweetnam...that is one amazing song).
A week later, the Shadows boarded a space-cruiser to play their first friendly of the season.
It was a hot, humid day on planet Wamba. At that side of the galaxy, the sky was a burnt, raw orange and painted with wisp-like, burgundy clouds. The air was heavy and sticky and the thick emerald vegetation was a frame to the beautifully painted heavens.
The leaves on the trees shimmered a golden, glossy sap that perfumed the warm air and cast a rainbow glow upon the brown slender branches of the trees when one of the planet's graceful inhabitants flitted across them.
The Shadows, however, had no time to take in the scenery like mere tourists. They were there for business, publicity and a break-in match to make their participation in the Blitz Tournament official.
And because of that, the very first thing any of the players got to have a good look at on the planet was the inside of a locker room.
Artegor wasn't as friendly or as attached to the Wambas coach as Aarch so that meant no "pre-match niceties."
Which was really just code-talk for "no having to pretend to eat strawberries and marsh spiders for the sake of being polite."
Sinedd silently thanked his lucky stars for this, remembering the torture his poor stomach had gone through before playing his first match for the Snow Kids.
At least this time he could cement his attention his attention on the match...without feeling the need to throw up before he could even pull his jersey over his head.
The giant, make-shift stadium was exploding with sound and excitement. Shadow-fans who had made a pilgrimage across the galaxy to see their home-team and native Wambas alike were packed into the stands and screaming so loud that it was a good thing the pitch was natural turf and not glass....or else it would have shattered.
Artegor's pep-talk still echoing in their ears, the Shadows waited in the entrance bay to be called on to the pitch. Their thick black uniforms were not made for heat and the temperature in the bay was as high and piercing as the tension.
Fulmugus gave the team his usual speech in an attempt to focus them all, as the players shuffled and sweated in the musky air, letting their ears grow numb to the sound of screams.
Sinedd massaged his temples, clenching the way he always did when he was nervous. It was only the Wambas and he was used to the bubbling anticipation, seething adrenaline and bite of the smog in his throat before each match.
It was soon painfully clear that his favourite pain in the ass, Ebony, was not.
She was shivering despite the intense heat and despite the firmness in her mouth; her eyes were wide and glassy with fear. She was nervous...it was natural...particularly for her first match.
Yet even though her stomach was just about ready to twist itself to bursting point, she brushed off any help Nilhis or the other players offered her claiming:
"Thanks but no thanks. I'm perfectly fine. Never mind me. *insert wink here*"
Her face said otherwise, Sinedd noted with a sadistic pleasure.
The panicked-looking blonde had had her usual tablet but despite that, she was tense and uneasy. Her new number twelve jersey felt alien against her skin....even if she personally felt that it looked beautiful against her snowy pallor. She had checked her mirror enough times before the match to know.
The biggest punch in the stomach for her was seeing that moody, hot-tempered striker all suited up and stretching confidently before her.
His jersey stretched tightly around the breadth of his shoulders, alluding to the fine stretch of muscles that lurked beneath. The sloping, human-esque contours of his body were a refreshing change from the slender, wiry bodies of the other players and an almost relaxing sight for Ebony.
As much as his behaviour disgusted her...he was no eye-sore.
Glinting lilac eyes swivelled around to her from under the gauze of a jagged black fringe.
"What are you looking at?"
Ebony jerked herself out of her trance and gave him a defiant glare. "Just wondering why you bother...you can stretch all you want but it won't make you a better player than me, hot-shot."
Sinedd gave a bloodless laugh that could rocket shivers up anyone's spine. He turned to her lazily as he took a swig from his water bottle. "What's the matter, junkie?"
He leaned a little closer to her so that his breath licked against her face. "A little nervous before your first match?"
"Fuck you," she muttered, turning away from him to fiddle with her little necklace again.
An alarm sounded off in the room, calling the players on to the loading station.
"This is a test for your ear-pieces," buzzed Artegor's voice from the mike that rested against Sinedd's earlobe. "Press the inner button if you can hear me."
Sinedd took that as the cue to psyche himself out as the machine moved. The glow at the end of the tunnel was getting wider and wider, opening out to them.
He hesitantly stole a nice, long glance at the black and green curves that stood, shaking in front of him. Despite the irritating little bitch that they belonged to.
It was a refreshing sight even so...a female human body was a rare sight for him now that he lived with the Shadows.
He slapped the thoughts from his head and took a nice, long deep breath.
"Time to go and do what I do best...win..."
Sinedd couldn't resist a quick taunt, whispered into Ebony's flossy ringlets. Her words still rang in his ears...what she had said about his parents...
"They cared about me...they did..."
"Ready to suck at football in front of the entire galaxy?" he hissed. "Are you scared?"
"No," she said coolly, but with a quiver in her voice. "There is one thing bothering me though."
Fulmugus turned around. "Are you having trouble remembering the plays we went through?"
Ebony shook her head. "You know that little dance thingie that you guys do before each match...are you gonna teach me that or am I just supposed to copy whoever's in front of me?"
Aarch switched on the television, watching his players chatter about the match that was about to start.
The players performed their pre-match stances and took up their positions on the field, the Wambas leaping through the air and up past the scoreboard with effortless skill and the Shadows glided to their spots with ghost-like elegance.
A hush descended over the crowd as a darkened Sinedd and a fiery looking Lun-Zaera crouched around the pit in the centre of the field.
"Well, Artegor, I wish you the best old friend...let's hope this new team of yours pulls together."
Three...
Two...
One...
A familiar whistle of air sounded from beneath their feet and the ball shot upward from the chute.
The Wambas were fast and in just a few moments, the ball was an amber meteor at, (or rather in), Wuwambu's feet.
A vicious cabaret began in mid-field between the Wambas captain and Fulmugus of the Shadows.
A flash of the smog sent the Shadow's player straight through his adversary and into the mercy of the Wambas defence.
They were hard to keep tabs on when they were near fifty feet up into the wings above their heads but on the ground, the spectral Shadows danced around them with ease on the hard earth.
The roar sparkled against the smog's harsh mist as the players tussled.
A few moments later, the first goal was the Shadow's and it was met with a deafening monotonous cry from the crowd.
Sinedd couldn't help but eye the number one the appeared beneath the Shadow icon on the scoreboard above with a little malice.
They were ahead, but not because of him.
He needed to show that he was the best in their next play.
The ball was flung out from the goal, streaking down the pitch like a comet.
Sinedd sprang at it, eyes focused like a predator ready to maul its prey. He dodged around the defensive players with two quick flashes of the smog and ignored the pain igniting in his chest.
The ball was beneath him as he gained height, chest burning as the pitch became tiny beneath him. Aim ready, he swerved to throw a powerful kick in mid air... however he wasn't the only one who did so...
As if someone had hit a replay button of their last training session, Ebony and Sinedd collided in mid air. The ball burst out from beneath them in a spray of black at fell into the hands, (or feet), of Lne-Zaera beneath them.
Their landing wasn't quite so disasterous this time but both players' tempers went off like short fuses. This wasn't a silly little training session. This was galaxy wide television.
"WHAT did I tell you about getting in my way!?" Sinedd shouted, shoving Ebony as hard as he could.
"I got there BEFORE you did!" she retaliated, giving him a good shove back.
"BOTH OF YOU, GET BACK INTO THE GAME!" Artegor roared into the microphone.
Flinching at the sudden outburst, the two players broke into a sprint across the pitch.
"And play resumes into mid-field!" came Callie Mystic's commentary from the booth's above. "This moment could be crucial to solidify a lead for the Shadows. Especially when the Wambas are fast in possession of the ball..."
The Shadows and Wambas came together in a graceful war, their fluxes glowing around them.
Sinedd managed to break from the pack, juggling the ball between his feet and locking his sights on the goal.
"Got'cha...what th-?!"
Ebony dug her foot into his ankle and flitted in front of him with a smug little grin, taking the ball with flux. Sinedd's mouth hung open in shock.
"Do my eyes deceive me, football fans, or did new player, Ebony, just steal the ball...from a member of her own team?"
A tightly strung wire in Sinedd's stomach snapped. Fury glowed in the white of his knuckles and the redness of his cheeks.
He gave a malevolent sneer and bared his teeth. "Alright, if that's how you wanna play..."
With the aid of the smog, he was at Ebony's side, running at full speed. For a brief moment, he caught her eyes widening in shock...and it gave him power.
He slammed himself to the ground and threw his full body weight into her legs.
Her chin cracked down on to the pitch as she fell out across the ground like a ragdoll behind Sinedd.
Fans, players and the referee robot watched in confusion, mouths agape and not quite knowing how to react.
Callie raised an eyebrow and looked at Nork and Barry in surprise. "Erm...that's clearly a foul but...does it count if it's against the player's own team?"
"I don't know , to be perfectly honest, Callie."
"Clearly a retaliation on Sinedd's part. I think it's safe to say that there's a little tension between those two..."
And that tension helped the Wambas score.
Artegor went ballistic, to say the very least.
His complaint to the two conflicting players was vicious, ear-splitting and filled with more swear words than both had in their vocabularies put together.
Sinedd let a past wound ache again, clenching his jaw as he resumed his position. "You're a weak coach, Artegor...and you're worse for letting that bitch on to the team. I could tough it out. You couldn't. I'm the best player here, let me show it..."
He glared into the back of Ebony's head.
He wanted her to feel the burn of his eyes on the back of her neck.
Fifteen minutes after half time, the Shadows were in a draw. Four on four.
"We could be ahead by more!" Artegor yelled into the microphone. "Kai! Keep your guard up! Nilhis pass forward! Sinedd! Ebony! Stop arguing and get back into play!"
Sinedd refused to let them lose their first friendly of the season. He let the salt of the sweat on his brow sting his skin raw as he pushed himself to run at a higher speed. He sucked in a quick breath of hot air and used the smog to get ahead of Wuwambu.
He didn't get the ball but he did get the perfect chance to let the Wamba's midfielder plough into his side.
He rolled over on the ground, forcing a pause into play and giving a performance worthy of a Golden Globe Award...and a free kick for the Shadows.
"Make it count, Sinedd," ordered Artegor.
Sinedd's thoughts were racing as he walked into the penalty box eyeing the goalie and the three players who lined up before him.
Their faces were annoyingly confident and happy, he noted with irritation.
"We NEED to win," he thought, fiercely. "This has to be a sure thing."
He remembered the game of ping-pong he and D'jok had had with this same goalie, in his very first match with the Snow Kids. This goalie could take a good strong kick at any angle in the air...
"...but maybe not a weaker one that's low to the ground..."
Sinedd gave a flick of the chin to Fulmugus, signalling a change in play as silence came back over the stands.
"And Sinedd prepares for a free kick for the Shadows...no, wait, what's this? Is he WALKING AWAY from the touch-line?"
Sinedd turned on heel and slowly approached Ebony, still poised like a scowling school-girl behind him. Her eyebrows raised a little as he neared her.
No one could have predicted his next gesture.
Sinedd took the ball and rammed it as hard as he could into Ebony's gut.
"What...?"
Sinedd spoke through gritted teeth. "You take it. Take two steps backwards like you did in your little try-out and aim low..."
Ebony was, (for once in her life), speechless, only able to nod on reply as she walked forward.
Artegor opened his mouth to the mike, but then paused, thought about what Aarch had said and fell silent again.
Sinedd had taken a gamble. Would it pay off?
"The girl has no skill," Sinedd thought furtively. "But she has luck..."
Ebony's kick sent the ball flying between the keeper's legs, seconds before the buzzer announced the end of play.
The crowd erupted into cheers and the Shadows beamed at each other in pride, not missing a chance to shoot some well-practiced sneers at the Wambas players around them.
"And the Shadows win! What an exciting match this has been, football fans!" Callie gushed from her booth amid the chatter of fellow reporters.
Artegor slumped back in his seat feeling a sudden release. Whether it was relief or sweet surprise, he didn't know.
"But we're back," he told himself. "It's a start."
The stadium seemed to be exploding. Black and green banners flew left to right as the spectators let it rip with their support for the away-team.
"Nice," Fulmugus grinned, raising a hand for a high-five to his fellow player...only his fellow player didn't accept. The striker was silent.
Sinedd wrestled with his inner emotions as the players were swept from the pitch, saved from the cloud of paparazzi.
Anger, pride, annoyance, relief, jealousy, joy, self-hatred and...something else, another feeling he couldn't quite place.
His eyes skimmed the crowd, blind to the fans screaming at him. Then he saw her.
Ebony looked over at him from behind Nilhis' "well-done" embrace. Upon catching his gaze, her jaw line drew taut with contempt and she sent an icy look in his direction.
But a kind of confusion glinted in her eyes...confusion and curiosity?
Their eyes held there for a moment, deep violet diving into a cobalt blue.
Then Sinedd narrowed his eyes and turned away.
A twist of fate, (known commonly as being stuck in an elevator), saw the two being forced to speak.
"So...we won."
Sinedd rolled his eyes. "Obviously," he spoke slowly, as if to a child. "That's why all the fans were cheering."
Ebony frowned. "Then why are you so grumpy?" she taunted. "I mean it's not like that ugly expression on your face isn't always there but...I would have thought you'd be happy..."
"We could have done better," Sinedd said after a while, leaning back against the metallic wall and folding his arms against his chest. "We would have won by more if you had stayed out of my way."
"Hey! Wait a minute! I-!"
"Ugh, just drop it, blondie. I'm not in the mood."
And surprisingly, she did.
Well, she did for a few minutes anyway.
"Do you regret giving me the free kick?" she asked, eyes to the floor.
"It was genius on my part," said Sinedd smugly. "I've watched your pathetic little baby-kicks. I knew the Wamba's keeper would under estimate you."
"Or are you just sore that I won the match for the team?"
Damn that bitch was vain.
"Ok then," he laughed, shaking his soft black spikes. "Have your little moment of fame. It'll be over soon...and you'd best do what I say in future, got it?"
She looked up at him. "Whatever. And you've been watching me, darling? Is that right?"
Suddenly the elevator whirred to life. The lights came on and the doors opened revealing the lounge of the Shadow's space-ship.
Artegor was there, bidding an electrician farewell. "There's so much faulty wiring in this damn ship. Sinedd! Ebony! Rejoin your team-mates on the main deck and prepare for launch. We're heading home."
"Yes Coach," murmured Ebony.
"Home," thought Sinedd, too tired to reply."If only..."
His stomach turned as Ebony's heavy scent of perfume and cigarettes hit him.
"Don't walk so close to me."
"Why? Got a problem, darling?"
"And don't call me "darling" either."
Those were the last words they spoke to each other before the Shadow's ship soared off into the ethereal heavens of the galaxy.
Hope you liked it! Thanks for reading! :)