Free Secrets of Valhalla by Jasmine Richards Page B

have forgotten all his threats to take Buzz back to the hospital, and Tia had been busy setting out a list of chores to get the house ready for Mum before heading to work. Buzz had slipped out while neither of them were paying attention, determined to go to his soccer game because it was still the only thing that made any sense.
    Coach Saunders raised an eyebrow. “Good of you to turn up, Buzz. More than you managed yesterday.”
    â€œSorry about that, Coach,” Buzz said, almost on autopilot.
    Coach Saunders winked. “Lucky for you, you’re kind of integral to my game plan, so I’ll let you off this time.” Coachpulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and waved it under Buzz’s nose. “With this we can’t fail.”
    Buzz hesitated. Yesterday they had been well and truly crushed by Theo’s team. But that was only because Theo had stolen the game plan—it hadn’t been a fair match. If this really was a rerun of the previous day, then surely he could have a bit of fun and change the result.
    â€œCoach, about your game plan . . .”
    â€œHmmm?” Coach smoothed it open and looked at it intently. “What about it?”
    â€œDo you think I could have a look at it?” Buzz asked. “I mean, maybe I could add a few things.”
    Coach chuckled. “Don’t get me wrong, laddie. You’re great at strategy.” He tapped his nose. “But this game plan is on a need-to-know basis. I like to call it my Super-Secret Grand Game Plan.” He chuckled again. “Catchy, right? Now, listen, you just need to focus on your part. You’re going to be up front and out wide. Drop back when Albert accelerates and don’t forget to pass.”
    Buzz groaned inwardly as Coach continued to talk. He didn’t know what to do. There was no proof that the game plan had been stolen, and if he accused Theo, Theo would just deny it and say that Buzz was delusional.
    The thing was, with Mary’s grandmother all too happy to discuss what Buzz thought he saw in Tangley Woods, people might be inclined to think Theo was right.
    Buzz heard a dull, grating noise and realized that itwas him grinding his teeth. The grinding became fiercer as he spotted Theo crossing the field to where his team was warming up on the sidelines and showing off his new pair of sneakers. His team grinned and high-fived one another in greeting. They looked like a squad who knew they’d won the match already.
    Buzz turned to Coach Saunders. “I hate to say it, Coach, but I’m pretty sure the Super-Secret Grand Game Plan is not that secret.”
    Coach chuckled. “Nice try, but I’m not telling you the game plan.”
    â€œThat’s okay. I’ll just guess,” Buzz replied, and then he proceeded to recall every detail from the match yesterday. He outlined the tactics for each and every player on his team. He even remembered to include some of the motivational stuff Coach had thrown in at halftime. The line about them working together and being more than the sum of their parts had Coach Saunders’s jaw hanging open.
    Coach held up a hand and begged Buzz to stop. “Am I really that predictable?” he asked forlornly.
    Buzz felt a twist of guilt for making Coach doubt himself like this. But it’s for the greater good, he reassured himself. “Listen, Coach, two heads are often better than one.” He smiled encouragingly. “We’ll use elements of your game plan, but we just need to disguise the intentions a bit.”
    Coach Saunders’ shoulders straightened, and he looked at his watch. “Right you are, Buzz. We’ve got exactly sevenminutes, so let’s get cracking.” He took the game plan, scrunched it into a ball, and lobbed it into a nearby trash can.
    Buzz grinned and in that moment felt a pair of eyes on him. He turned and saw Theo staring at them from across the field. He wasn’t smiling