Growing up can be hard, but between sports, school, and her mother's expectations Dawn was just starting to get a hang of her crazy life. One day, she discovers a hidden secret about her family that opens her eyes to a whole new world and abilities...
She sat in the back of her mother's car staring wide-eyed out the window.
"You understand the stakes, correct?" Dawn's mother, Kyra, pressed.
"Yes, Ma'am." Dawn answered.
Sports had been an escape from the world for a while until her mother discovered Dawn excelled at field hockey. From then, field hockey was less fun and more of a way for her mother to use Dawn's talent.
"Angela Dawn Hawkins. Have you heard a word I've said?" She demanded.
"Yes."
"Repeat it." She ordered.
"This tryout is going to determine whether or not I get into my travel team, high school, and college." Dawn parroted.
"Right." She snorted as the large building of the field house came into view.
Dawn ignored the nervousness bubbling in her stomach as her mother parked. Dawn clambered out of the car and grabbed her bag out from their beat up old '97 sedan.
"Let's go." Her mother ordered as she locked the car.
Dawn tried to swallow the lump in her throat. The AC did little to cool her down as they walked in. Her mother's heels clicked confidently across the black and white tile towards a group of men dressed in various team colors.
"Gentlemen, thank you for coming today." She greeted as Dawn continued walking towards her Coach.
"How are you feeling?" He asked.
"Fine. I just want practice to start." Dawn answered with a fake smile plastered across her face.
He blew his whistle and girls started gathering around them.
"I don't want any of you focusing on the scouts. This is just another normal day." He shouted.
All of the high school girls towered around Dawn's petite eighth-grade frame. They nodded. A few of them shot a glance at Dawn as they moved to their positions. Coach threw white pennies at everyone on my half of the practice field.
"We're going to be moving around a lot. Stay on your toes." He ordered.
She slipped on the flimsy white material before jogging to her position of striker at the middle of the field. Coach's whistle split the air and the scrimmage began.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"White team wins." Coach declared as the team trudged to their waterbottles.
Dawn glanced at her mother only one of the scouts remained, but now he had a girl geared up in goalie padding next to him.
"Coach!" Her mother called as she began walking over.
"Practice is over." He said simply, dismissing the team.
"Good luck Shrimp. That's Coach Kelly from the Northshore Killers." One of the girls taunted over her shoulder as she walked away.
Dawn's heart stopped. She watched as the two Coaches talked and then shook hands. Coach Kelly walked over with his chest puffed out in front of him and his player trailing meekly behind him. He stopped in front of Dawn and sized her up.
"My name is Brett Kelly. You have been chosen to have a chance of earning a coveted spot on the Northshore Killer Whales." He introduced.
She nodded respectfully.
"This is Anna. She's our Goalie for our pre-college group. To make the team, you'll be competing in a shootout. If you can make 3 out of 5 shots, then we can discuss the details.
Anna smirked as she put on her helmet and sauntered away. Coach Kelly rolled a ball with red and black swirls in front of Dawn. Anna turned and without hesitating, Dawn fired a driving shot in the upper left corner. Anna's cocky demeanor shifted as she tried to jump after the ball. The ball sailed easily into the corner. Coach Kelly nodded.
"1."
Anna picked herself up and grabbed the ball from the net. She stood for a second with her left foot barely touching the ground before kicking the ball back to Dawn. Dawn could feel her panic rising as the ball got closer to her face. She ducked to the side and chased it down. Once she caught up to it, the little eighth-grader began pushing it down to the net. Anna had sunk deep into her goal stance. Once again, Dawn slapped the ball towards the net, this time towards the bottom right. Anna easily saved it with just padding on her leg. She kicked the ball back to Dawn. She paused for a moment.
'Take a breath and set it. It's not always speed that wins the game.' Coach's words echoed in her mind.
Dawn took a deep breath before analyzing the shot. She looked to the top left corner and set her stick against the small ball. Anna smirked and subtly shifted her weight to the left. Dawn grinned as she flicked the ball upwards to the top right corner. Anna tried to adjust but was just a second behind the ball.
"2. One more and we'll talk." Coach Kelly reiterated.
Anna passed the ball back to Dawn. The small girl hesitated with her stick hovering just behind the ball. Anna's defenses were high and she was on her toes. Dawn knew she wouldn't be able to pull off any other trick shots. Dread settled in her stomach. She looked over Anna again. She couldn't help but notice that her body seemed shifted to the right. Her instincts began to push her to the left. Dawn bent her knees and tightened her grip on her stick. Anna readied herself. Dawn pushed the ball up to the shootout line. She took a breath and took the shot.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Hey, Y'all Hey! This is only the beginning of a mutli-part and multi-book series. Like I said this is just the beginning. There is so much more to be learned and discovered about Dawn and her mother. The rest of the book will be in First POV unless posted at the beginning of the chapter. Make sure to Like, Comment, Vote, Share, and stay tuned for next weeks update!
