Rikkaidai's twin-headed dragon

Chapter 1 – The persistent scout

“Why won’t you both come to the professional world?” the man inquires walking backwards while matching our pace as we stroll along the pavement, tennis racquets slung over our left shoulders and tennis balls stuffed into various pockets.

“Tell me do you offer all eleven year olds the opportunity to go pro? Joe has been trying for a scholarship for a while now why not accept him?” the man’s jaw drops at that and he stops dead in his tracks “the answer is no.” The reason is obvious why he won’t scout Joe and that’s because Joe at the age of fifteen is still not a strong enough player to be admitted to the professional world. Not bothering to check for cars we slip off the curb and start crossing the road without moving too fast or too slow, it was too late when I finally heard the horn of the car that was quickly approaching; all I had time to do was to push Rosie onto the bank just in front of us before the car hit me.

Sirens sound and people scream at one another. Oh hell it’s that stupid guys fault for bothering me if he hadn’t I would have either waited for the car to pass or would have easily avoided it by sing split step, my reaction time is excellent but you don’t expect to get mowed down one day after club activities, do you? And then I black out.

Waking up I’m told that I’m no longer at school, never mind that I am now in London getting ‘expert’ treatment done to my right arm because of that stupid scout; and second thing I was told after waking up is that it’s his fault that I was transferred from the local hospital to a London hospital, and it is also his fault that my first visit to London is spent in a hospital bed.

“Stupid! Stupid! STUPID!” Rosie roars in my ear while jabbing my right arm in its sling “you should have used split step” she says prodding a little harder, she lowers her voice as the nurse leaves the room and closes the door behind her. “So how bad is it?” she asks looking into my eyes to make sure I don’t lie to her.

With my left hand I untie the knot at the back of my neck before carefully easing the material away from my arm and dropping it onto the sheets. Kicking the sheets off my legs I sit momentarily and just sit looking straight ahead; turning I lower my feet to the ground and support myself with bedside table. Turning on my heel I stand and look at Rosie sat on a chair at the other side of the hospital bed, with a shrug of my shoulders I speak “let’s see now, shall we? No telling anyone how bad my arm actually is if anyone should ask just say that I received ‘minor’ damage” my attention goes from looking into her eyes to the fabric which was used as my sling. Slowly my right arm straightens and then goes in a slow upwards ark until its fully stretched upwards with my fingers reaching for the ceiling. Pain shoots from my wrist, past my elbow and up to my shoulder before going back again. Rosie’s hand darts to the emergency button but I slap it away with my right hand and causing myself yet more pain. “Don’t. Tell. Anyone” I hiss through gritted teeth, after several minutes of silence the pain dulls down to near enough nothing I calm down and drop my arm back down to my side “let’s go for some fresh air” with a nod from Rosie I grab her bag with the tennis racquets inside and sprint through the maze-like-hospital to the exit.

Behind the hospital there is a tennis court and for the last couple of days I’d seen two boys playing against one another while looking out of my hospital room’s window. Today is different. When me and Rosie turned the corner they were there again playing tennis. When they sensed others watching them they stopped after the one closest to us won a point using Dunk Smash.’ The one at the opposite side of the court I recognise straight away as Andy Murray our up and coming tennis ‘star’ while the one closest to us looks younger and is the one who always has the upper hand.