The players were tremendously exhausted from the game and luckily, Japan's timezone seemed to work in their favour. With the sun setting behind them and the evening sky a graffitied tarp of purple, pink and orange, Millie embarked up the steps of the coach after placing her luggage underneath. Her crystal eyes scanned through the tinted windows at the million lights and signs glaring back at her. People swarmed the streets like bees being towered by tall, modern skyscrapers. Rachel slumped in the seat next to Millie trying her hardest to stay awake as they started to drive along the highway. After what seemed like hours, the players finally arrived. They were dropped off at a tall tower right adjacent to a field full of football pitches being gated by a tall fence. The building was lined with glass on one side from top to bottom and on the other were cement blocks that created a square zigzag when it overlapped over the glass.
They stumbled through the rotating doors, crowding in the foyer. Pep asked them to make a horseshoe around him.
"Welcome to Tokyo! I know you are all tired so you are free to do whatever you want with your health in mind obviously and please do your recovery later. Tomorrow we will have a recovery session but for the rest of the day, you will be free. The roommates are the same but the rooms are obviously different, check your emails this time. Map is near the elevator for any details. This is a new facility so we will have to take some photos for the grand opening tomorrow. Alright, have fun and remember to rest and recover."
The girls opened up their emails to check what room they were in. Guro gasped when she saw they were on level 23, room 2306. She pulled Erin, Millie, Sam and Rachel into one of the elevators, yes one of them, along with their numerous bags. After a long trip upwards, the doors dinged opened to the 23rd level. She rolled her suitcase along the hallway searching across the identical doors for her room until she found it. She scanned the card they had been given and pushed the cream door open. Her jaw dropped to the floor literally. The sky was a ripple of warm-coloured paints with Mount Fuji as the centrepiece. The window was floor-to-ceiling glass and featured a painting of purple, orange and pink paints. Mount Fuji in all its glory reminded her of home, snowy mountain ranges that allowed you to climb to the very edge, your heart dropping as you peaked over the rocky ledge.
Sammy K entered her room, the room was designed exactly like their rooms in Brazil; their beds along the left-hand side stretched horizontally to the right, the door to the bathroom on the wall to the right and their closet facing the window on her right. The windows pictured towering skyscrapers one after another like Lego blocks. Sam planted the suitcase at the end of the bed closest to the door and pulled out a pair of comfy grey track pants and a matching jumper. She quickly changed into the set of clothes and collapsed under the sheets for a nap.
Jordan glanced at the clock behind the counter at the main entrance. 6:47 pm. She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that they left so early and yet arrived so late at night. Leah tugged Jordan into one of the elevators.
"What room are you in?" Leah asked brushing her thumb along Jordan's cheek
"2312. You, Lee?"
"2313."
Jordan smiled as she grasped Leah's hips pushing her softly to the side of the elevator. Her eyes devoured Leah, soaking in every little detail and imprinting it into her mind. Leah's skin glowed bronze beneath the dimly lit elevator and her body... Her lips crashed down onto Leah's tasting the coffee that Leah had drank. She felt Leah's teeth bite down on her lower lip. Suddenly, she heard the familiar ding of the elevator doors opening. They pulled apart within milliseconds.
They walked along the long hallway reading the gold-plated signs directing them to their rooms. Their suitcases rolled along the soft red carpet making the only noise between the two. A loud ring interrupted the silence on Jordan's phone.
"Yeah Erin, what's up?"
"Never mind I heard your phone ring."
She heard the beep from her phone when Erin hung up and within seconds she watched as Erin came into view.
"I forgot my room key. You have yours right?"
"Yeah, I do."
Lia read the silver-lettered sign in English next to the elevator's doors while she waited for one to arrive on the ground floor.
Level B1: parking
Level 1: Foyer/Dining Hall
Level 2: Physio and Recovery
Level 3: Gym
Levels 5-15 were all offices for the Japan Football Federation.
Level 16: Coach rooms
Level 17- 23: Player rooms
Level 24: Leisure rooms
Level 25: Outdoor Pool
The elevator dinged spooking her causing Caitlin behind to crack up in laughter.
"Shut up" she grumbled crossing her arms across her chest and staring ahead at the steel elevator doors.
"Aww, it's okay to be scared by an elevator," Caitlin wrapped her arms around Lia's shoulders from behind.
"Stop it. It's not funny," Lia grumbled melting into Caitlin's warmth. The Australian pressed a soft kiss onto the midfielder's temple before saying earnestly "I didn't say it was."
Ingrid groaned to her friends on the way up to the 23rd floor.
"I literally can't believe I'm going to have to share another room with her. She's always princessa this, princessa that. I'm trying to be professional about it but SHES making it really hard to."
Jill and Lena exchanged glances. Ingrid was one of the nicest people on the planet and if she hated her roommate this much, what did Mapi do? The doors slid open and Ingrid stomped slowly to her assigned room dreading the sight of her roommate again. Ingrid began to unpack her luggage immediately after she had loaded it on the carpeted ground. Her roommate, the devil was surprisingly asleep in her bed. Ingrid scanned her face until her eyes reached Mapi's tattoo on her neck 'looks can be deceiving'. Damn, right they couldn't. She looked like she was mean and she really was. Ingrid changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt before she sunk into her double bed in a deep sleep.
Viv rolled around trying to sleep. Her body was exhausted but her mind was just physically awake. She tightened her fists around the edge of the pillow and whacked her face with it. Frustration gnawed at her. Groaning, she finally gave up and pulled out her phone being careful not to wake her roommate up. Her eyes scrolled through the photos of her and Lisa: one of them in Scotland, one of them on their daily walks. It had become a favourite pastime of hers, just reminiscing about the memories she made with her girlfriend.
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Training Hub
أدب الهواةA mix of the best women footballers are invited to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity training camp and an All-Star program run by some of the best coaches in the world of football. What will happen? What connections will be broken and what new relati...
