Camp Nou, 21st December 2022.
Scarlett Powell dies after colliding with a goalpost. She is sprinting at top speed - she is regarded as one of the fastest players in the world. The box becomes too congested, and she's dizzy from forgetting to hydrate before the match. It's hard for her to see where she is going. She's too quick for a defender to jam their body in the way, so it really is just her and a metal pole. It is a wonder she didn't see it. Her head hits the post with a bang, and she collapses immediately. There is no cry of pain once she hits the ground. She's unconscious.
Chelsea and Barcelona players alike stop in their tracks. My team looks at me, expecting a reaction that differs from the general shock around the stadium, expecting me to scream in horror. The paramedics take Scarlett off the pitch quickly, Magda observing the treatment with her arm around my shoulders. My captain, breathless for a number of reasons, whispers to me, "go."
So I follow.
Camp Nou is silent, watching me sprint down the tunnel. I kick off my boots somewhere in the process. I only just make it to the ambulance in time. The paramedics almost slam the door to the vehicle in my face, but one glances at my kit and my shin pads and socks. She's a fan of women's football; she knows that the players date each other. She tells me something in Spanish, and despite my inability to speak the language, I assume she's told me to get in quickly.
At first the paramedics seem calm. This must be routine for them, which sounds horrible but is a comforting thought. My Spanish hasn't magically improved, so their talking is merely background noise as I stare at Scarlett's still body. She looks dead. I know she isn't because the cardiac monitor says so, but I can't help but think it.
Then, suddenly, the beeping I am using to ground myself stops.
They begin CPR. It doesn't work. Her body jolts, but she has already taken her last breath.
Scarlett Powell dies in the ambulance from a stroke, and all I can do is sit there and hope I'm dreaming.
notes:
new fic time! for the purpose of the plot, chelsea is in Group D of the uwcl instead of Bayern Munich. this is my first woso fic, and i'm excited to get into it.
also, for the purpose of this fic, Alexia only partially tore her ACL which takes her out for the first half of the season (up to December) — she starts playing again in January!!!
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