Zak Turner - A Twist In Time (21 page)

The letter continued with a few brief details about some of the classes at school and asked Steven questions about his school and about the farm.

I wanted to send you a private note, but had no idea how to get it to you.  I decided that as Zak was your best friend he would be happy to pass it on.  I think you’ll need to send your reply with him too. 

I still haven’t told anyone about us yet, only your parents know, but we need to tell people soon.  My mum will go completely mad, and I’m not sure how Tallion will react, but it won’t make any difference to how I feel about you.

Please write back as soon as you can.

Lots of love

Sartrina

X X X

Steven had a big grin right across his face all the time he was reading, and felt so happy inside.  He was amazed that such a fabulous person wanted to be his girlfriend, and even though he wasn’t sure what being boyfriend and girlfriend
really
meant, he was determined to make it continue!

He settled down to write his reply, trying not to repeat anything that was in the letter he’d already written so that he could send them both.  It was nearly eleven o’clock by the time he finished, and he put both letters into the envelope and sealed it, smiling happily to himself.  He would try and catch Zak at football in the morning and give him the envelope so that he could keep it hidden from Tallion.  Sartrina was worried about him finding out for some reason, so he’d do his best to keep it secret.

13.  Football

Sunday morning came with a welcome lie in bed for most of the children of Netherdale.  Scattered in their various locations at Mhonarr Castle, Nether Bank Farm, The Copse, or Lofthouse Castle, they managed to catch up some missing sleep on a lazy Sunday morning.

Freya Middleham had spent her first ever night away from her parents with Sophie down in the village, and the two girls had enjoyed a midnight feast and giggled half the night away until they both zonked out about one o’clock.  It was pushing nine o’clock before they stirred and went downstairs in their pyjamas for a non-magical, but very tasty full English breakfast! 

Zak and Tallion had returned to the castle after taking Steven to the park entrance, and then spent an hour writing letters back to their correspondents at Mhonarr Castle.  The morning found them still alone in their own beds for once, but the magnetic pull of each other’s presence joined them back together after a quick shower as they headed for breakfast at about eight thirty.

Steven had enjoyed a lie in of sorts, and only got up at a very late (for him) seven thirty.  His dad had already been up for a couple of hours, and Steven quickly joined him doing jobs round the farm, trying to whistle happily, but not making a very good job of it!

Sartrina was probably the only one who was feeling uncomfortable that day.  She was still finding her feet at Mhonarr Castle, and waking up in a shared dorm room after having been an only child with many privileges was a bit difficult.  However, she was determined to get used to it and make the best use of the experience.  Sharing a communal bathroom was the hardest part, but at least if she went reasonably early she beat the crowd.  Showering at eight thirty counted as early on a Mhonarr Sunday!

Zak’s mind was running ahead to his first football training, and he was quite nervous about going back to join the team again.  He was expecting to be part of the under twelves like before, but he wasn't sure how the team would accept him after such a long absence.  Still, he’d been away so long, no-one was going to think it was strange that his leg had fully recovered!

* * *

“Morning son!” smiled John Turner to Zak as he emerged from the Lofthouse Estate office just after nine o’clock.

“Hi Dad!  Have you got all my kit here?  Where will I get changed?”

“We’ve got enough time to pop into The Copse, Zak, and you can get changed there.  We don’t need to be down at the academy until nine thirty.  So what have you been up to this weekend then?”

John drove carefully out of the courtyard and set off down the road as Zak started telling him about duelling practise.  The excited eleven-year-old had barely got started when they arrived at the house and he had to stop again!

“Hello Zak!” called Jenny.  “Look sharp and get changed, you’ve only got a few minutes.”

Sophie and Freya had only just started their breakfast, and Zak gave his sisters a smile as he went past the breakfast room door.  John and Jenny were pleased that Zak was back with them again, and doing something totally non-magical, something that
they
were helping with and sorting out, rather than Sir Philip.

In next to no time Zak was kitted out in his Netherdale strip and they were back in the car heading for Sunday morning football practise.

“Hey, Zak’s back everyone, woohoo!” yelled Nick, one of the under twelves midfielders. 

“How’s yer leg Zak?”

Zak grinned with relief.  It already felt like he’d never been away! 

“It’s fine mate, strong as ever.  You’d never know I’d had an accident!  How was the rest of the season?”

“Well, we got into t’ playoffs, but we didn’t win t’ league.  We were missin’ our secret weapon!  I hope yer back on form!”

The coach came over at that point and welcomed Zak back too.  He asked him a few questions about his leg, and about what training he’d been doing.  Zak felt a bit uncomfortable when he realised that he’d barely done
any
preparation at all!

“Right, I want to see how fit you are, so first off this morning we’re all going to do some fitness exercises and sprints.  I’m thinking about moving you into the under thirteens, Zak, but that means you’ll be playing thirty five minutes each way instead of fifteen, and you’ll have a ref on the pitch too of course.  Depends on yer fitness level tho’.  Do yer fancy giving it a try?”

Zak was surprised, he hadn’t expected that, but he immediately decided he wanted to go for it!

“Yes please!”

To the dismay of the other under twelves, the coach sent Zak over to the under thirteens who were warming up at the other side of the playing field.  Zak swallowed nervously; these players were all much older than he was, and much bigger!  He hadn’t gone through his growth spurt yet, and he really did seem like a primary school footballer compared to these second years!  However, if the coach felt that he should be with them, then he would try his best! 

There was an assistant coach supervising the under thirteen’s warm-up, and he beckoned Zak over to him.  He  talked through a few of the exercises and warm-ups the rest of the team were doing, making sure Zak was familiar with them, and pointed out who all the players were and their position in the team as they watched.

Zak was introduced to all his new team-mates as they went past, but the coach pulled out his fellow centre forward.

“Billy, Zak was playing with the under elevens last season, although he’s only starting at the academy this year.  He’s very good, but he picked up an injury and missed the last few games.  We think you two ’ll be a good match up front, and now Jack’s moved to Spain we needed someone to fill his position.”

Billy Patterson’s dad owned the garage and petrol station in Horton Bridge, together with a couple of farm machinery maintenance and distribution franchises.  He was very visible around his business, and therefore well known to many people in the dale, particularly the farmers.  His thirteen-year-old son had picked up his dad’s confident and friendly manner.

“Hi Zak.  Ye’ve got an ‘ard act ter follow.  Jack were very good, an’ we played together fer a couple o’ years.  We were very much a pair yer know, never hoggin’ t’ ball, but always mekkin sure we passed ter whichever of us were in t’ best position.  If yer can do that, then we’ll do good together!”

“Hi Billy.  No worries; that’s my style too, I’m sure we’ll work it out between us.”

The assistant coach then put them through a proper warm up before he sent them off to do some training exercises together.  He had them doing sprints and shuttle runs before moving on to some agility exercises including a session of follow-the-leader where Zak had to copy Billy’s movements exactly, keeping the same distance away from him all the time.

It was clear that Billy was fitter than Zak, and the younger player tired much sooner, but the coach and his assistant were pleased with the way the two boys worked together.

“Well done Zak, you look a bit knackered!”

“Aye!” said Zak, as he put his hands on his knees and took a few deep breaths.  He was relieved to see that Billy was breathing heavily too. 

“I’ve never done a session with someone…  a couple of years older before…  and I still…  need to get me stamina back…”

“It’ll come son, it’ll come.  What training are you doing during the week?”

“Well, I haven’t really got a program at the moment.  I’ve just been doing a bit of running and kick abouts…”

“Okay, that’s really going to have to change if you’re gonna keep up with Billy here.  You need to be running daily Zak, and long enough to feel tired.  It’s got to feel like hard work for it to really count.  Will you manage to get something sorted out this week?  I’m looking to see an improvement by next Sunday!”

“Aye, no problem!”

“Okay.  Right, now I want to see if that right foot can still do its stuff.  Time for a penalty shoot-out against the under thirteens goalie.  Then we might give you a try against the under seventeens goalie too!”

* * *

Zak finished his football training at twelve o’clock, and although he’d found it a lot harder than he was used to, he was determined to get himself back in shape again.  Somehow he had to make time for some training each day, and he decided he’d just have to get up half an hour earlier and go for a run. 

He stood in the shower in his bedroom at The Copse letting the water run over him and smiled.  It was nice to have got something back from his previous life, although it could never be the same again.  He had a vague feeling something was missing too.

It was only as he was getting dressed that he worked out why he felt unsettled.  He couldn’t hear Tallion’s thoughts in his head.  It was only a couple of weeks since it had started, but it already felt ‘normal’, and both boys treasured and relied on the unique feeling of togetherness that it brought.

After a few brief moments of rising panic, when he feared he’d lost this most precious gift, he calmed himself, realising that it was just because this was the first time they’d been so far apart for a week.

“Blimey,” he muttered to himself, “this bond’s taking over my life!”  It was only as he admitted it to himself that he thought about it carefully and realised how much it would affect his future. 

“I don’t care,” he muttered a few minutes later, not even realising that he was talking aloud.  “He’s the most brilliant person in the world, and being with him all the time is perfect.”

* * *

Steven was getting a bit frustrated.  He’d planned to ride down to the academy during the football training to give his letter to Zak, but instead he’d had to work on the farm looking after the animals.  Tom, the farm hand who should have been doing the animals that Sunday, had phoned to say he’d tripped over a kerb the previous evening in Horton Bridge and smashed in one side of his face, and he needed a few days off to recover.

The truth of the saying ‘More haste, less speed’ had become obvious several times during the morning, when things went wrong because Steven was rushing.  He’d managed to tip over the wheelbarrow he was using to take the feed to the goats, and because he’d already opened the sack at the farm rather than doing it in the bottom field, it spilled everywhere.  He had a choice of trying to scoop it up or going back for another sack, and he chose scooping.  He was sure in the end it would have been quicker going back for a new sack!

Now he was behind, so he tried even harder to go quicker, with the result that he was a sack of feed short for the sheep, not having counted properly as he loaded them onto the quad.  After his return trip to finish off feeding the sheep, he was even further behind, despite having nearly caught up by driving much too fast.

He checked the time at eleven forty five and swore under his breath.  Even if he left now he’d never get to the academy before Zak went home.  It was only then that he realised it made more sense to catch him at home anyway, so he went in for his lunch feeling a bit brighter.

“Thanks son!” said his dad giving him a pat on the shoulder as he headed for the downstairs shower.  Then his mum called out to him.

“Steven, have yer done yer ‘omework from school?”

His heart sank again.  He hadn’t, because he’d gone up to the castle on Saturday afternoon, and then spent the evening writing his letter to Sartrina, and then he’d had to do the farm animals that morning instead!

“I haven’t had time Mum!”

“Well yer need to do it,” she said firmly as she appeared in the shower room.  “Yer can’t go handin’ in yer ‘omework late on t’ first week back!  Straight after dinner please.”

“Aye Mum, okay,” sighed Steven.  It wasn't that he didn’t want to do his homework, he did, but the letter just seemed more important.

* * *

Of course, Steven wasn’t the only schoolboy who had to settle down to his homework that Sunday afternoon.  In houses the length and breadth of the country, either willingly or unwillingly, children knuckled under and did what they had to do.  Even though Zak and Tallion had completed their homework on Friday afternoon, they both still spent a few minutes checking it to make sure they hadn’t missed anything.

It was three thirty when Steven finally shoved all his books back into his bag.  He’d debated skipping through it as quickly as he could, doing the bare minimum, but then he remembered his promise to Sir Philip, to study hard as well as farm hard.  That was a promise he fully intended to keep!

“Mum, I’m finished; can I go down to Zak’s?”

“Well done lad, it’s important to do yer studies.  Yes, yer can go, but don’t distract him if he’s still doin’ ‘is ‘omework please!  Come back if he is, and arrange to go after tea.”

“Aye Mum, no problem, thanks!”

Steven took his schoolbag upstairs to his room, and carefully pocketed the letter to his girlfriend, a big grin on his face.  Then he raced back downstairs, grabbed his bike from the barn, and set off as fast as he could.

* * *

“Hi Sophie,” grinned Steven as she opened the front door when he rang the bell.  “Is Zak in?”

“ZAK!” yelled Sophie up the stairs, but the young wizard had heard the doorbell, and the recognising his best friend’s voice, was already heading for the stairs.

“Come up Steven!”