"YOU," observed Emma, pointing at Richie for emphasis, "have given so much to all of us, we could play for another twenty years as a team and still not be in a position to repay you. But here and now, we can and WILL help you. This isn't your problem... it's OUR problem. And if someone tries to hurt YOU, or anyone else on this pitch deliberately, then they can damn well answer to me! I for one would follow you almost anywhere, and certainly into battle on any lacrosse pitch, against any opposition the world has to offer. You're my friend, my teammate, my... CAPTAIN!"
The words carried more power than most nation states as they surged through the invigorated group of players. Optimism replaced apprehension, worry washed away by togetherness. Richie stood, her knee throbbing, as she embraced Emma in one gigantic hug. Only moments earlier, the ex-dragon had felt the most alone she ever had, but that had all changed with Emma's startling speech. Now she felt alive, rejuvenated, part of a team and much loved.
As one, the whole team stood and enveloped Richie and Emma, the two women at the centre of their improvised huddle. Off to one side, the official's whistle blew to indicate that it was nearly time for the match to resume. Before the group broke up, Richie whispered her heartfelt thanks to them all, before telling them what they were going to do.
Returning to their places on the field, a pensive mixture of fear and excitement rocked Richie's world. Mistakenly, she'd looked across at Attitude only seconds before, to see that familiar evil glower directed against her. The words of the team and in particular, her friend Emma, from only moments before, echoed throughout her head. Knowing she was safe amongst friends, and about to do what she considered herself born to do, hope and happiness flared up inside her. The opposing centre (whom she thought of as Pony Tail) joined her and the umpire for the draw. All thoughts of the outside world were forgotten now. No spectators, no other games going on around them, no sky, no clouds... nothing! Only the battle about to commence. And only WINNING! Fairly, of course, because otherwise there'd be no point at all. Who in their right mind would want to win any other way than fairly? Not her, that was for certain, and not her teammates either, the very thought of which made her chest swell with pride.
Placing the ball between the two sticks, the umpire said, "Ready," whilst backing away, and then blew his whistle to restart the match. Richie's tense muscles blasted into overdrive, flinging the ball far overhead in the very direction she'd wanted. As a team, Salisbridge surged forward, just as Sue seized the ball out of the air, already dashing at full speed into the opposition's half. The Avengers didn't know what hit them. There had been some fast attacks before, but nothing as quick and aggressive as this. Sue moved the ball quickly through the air to Joey who, after an audacious dummy, in turn played it straight down the line to Emma, again on one of her arcing runs.
Drifting outside, Richie feigned to go down the line and then cut inside and was now rushing with every ounce of energy in her body, powering towards the goal on almost exactly the same line that she'd scored from in the first half. Taking in the scene in a slow motion, high definition moment, Richie was rewarded by the terrified looks imprinted on the faces of the defenders before her, Attitude included.
Towards the end of her supposed arc, Emma drew back her stick slightly, as if to make that same throw towards her captain and friend. Lunging in desperation, the defender chasing her tried despairingly to block the pass, but ended up instead crashing to the floor for her valiant efforts. The defenders in front of her reacted in almost the same way, throwing themselves between the two Salisbridge players. Not Attitude though, she stood her ground, front foot forward, looking as menacing as ever. It was then that Richie slammed the brakes on, dried mud and dust mushrooming up from the bottom of her shoes, so quickly had she drawn to a halt. Attitude's look of menace transformed immediately to one of confusion. Smiling as she watched Emma continue on her arcing run, Richie could barely contain her delight as her friend drew the goalie slightly, before flinging the ball across to Joey who'd sneaked in on the other post and, taking the ball first time, smashed it into the back of the net. The Avalon Avengers looked as though a hurricane had whirled down the centre of the pitch to devastating effect.
High fives all round for Salisbridge, followed by raucous cheering from the crowd, put a smile on each one of the girls' faces, including their captain, as once again they took their positions for the restart.
Salisbridge scored two more goals in quick succession, one for Emma and another for Richie. Attitude's disappointment was there for all to see, especially when her named nemesis scored. But the rest of the Avengers seemed to be coping with it all right, given that the match was for charity and they themselves had all raised sponsorship money to play in it.
It was at about this point that Richie started to feel like her old self again... well, almost. Something inside her seemed very different, but try as she might she couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was. She felt like a jigsaw puzzle with the very last piece missing, albeit an outside piece, one that made very little difference to the overall picture. At least that's the closest way she could get to explaining it. But beneath all the confusion, a bubbling concoction of anxiety and vulnerability trickled around her relatively new (not that she had any idea of that) body, masked at the moment by the flood of adrenaline from the thrill and excitement of the lacrosse that she loved so much, and which had become such an integral part of her life (both before and after her recent change in bodily circumstances).
After many more transitions (sloppy passes being intercepted from both teams seemed to have been a common theme for the past ten minutes or so) the match entered its final eight minutes. Currently the Avengers had the ball and were passing it around the goal circle, with the home side defending for their lives, working hard to pressure all the passers. The Somerset side were looking to exploit any holes in the Salisbridge defence, but the home team had made some defensive adjustments over the last few minutes and the holes that had been there had now disappeared.
Angela closed down her player behind the goal, giving her no room at all, weaving this way and that with her, keeping her stick in line with that of her attacker's. But the Avengers player, Fancy Trainers as Richie had named her within her head, had more than a modicum of calm about her. She didn't panic but continued to duck and weave, turn and dodge, all the time the ball cradled in the head of her stick, looking for the perfect pass to one of her teammates. Harriet darted back and forth in front of goal, trying to cover whichever side the Avengers player moved behind. Jan, Angela and Tina all stuck with their players, getting their bodies in front, staying tight on the woman adjacent to the ball, hoping to slow the flow of momentum by the ball carrier.
Fancy Trainers dropped her shoulder, twisted one way and then quickly turned back the other. Angela moved with her, but her foot slipped on the well crafted turf, allowing her opponent a slight advantage which she duly took, flinging the ball out wide left to the attacker who Richie thought of as Pony Tail, who had managed to just get in front of Salisbridge's Poppy. Both teams were in full swing now, totally absorbed in the match. To each and every one of them nothing else existed, each pumped full of adrenaline, each totally focused and immersed in their roles, with the sole purpose of winning the match.
Pony Tail charged towards goal, stick cradling the ball, its twisting and turning motion like the gears on a child's bike. Ali left her player, drawn towards the ball at speed. Giving it all she had, the Avengers player pulled back the head of her stick. But Ali had made up an incredible amount of ground, so much so that nobody would have believed it had they not seen it for themselves, and was able to make a beautiful check and come away with the ball. The Avengers were stunned, along with most of the home side. Not Sue though, who was off to the left, waving her stick frantically in the air, hoping her teammate would spot her. She did, and let fly with an inch perfect pass that Sue was able to snare on the run.