Unexpected Lines.

Finding Home.

Kaia settled quickly into her rhythm, her lungs burning in the familiar way she knew from her daily runs. She stayed close to Jana and Alexia at first, but before long, she was pulling even with the rest of the squad, her strides confident, steady.

Each lap passed with shouted encouragements, playful jibes. By the fifth, some were flagging, hands tugging at bibs and shoulders slumping. Kaia pushed through, sweat slicking her forehead, but her legs felt strong.

When the whistle finally blew, she bent at her knees, breathing hard but grinning. She wasn’t behind. She wasn’t a step off. She belonged.

Alexia nudged her with a towel. “Not bad for someone who’s been ‘rusty,’ eh?”

Jana beamed, throwing an arm around Kaia’s shoulders. “Told you you’d smash it.”

Kaia let herself laugh then, shaky but real. The ball work still worried her, but for now? She’d proved to herself she could keep up.

The cones were set, balls rolled out, and the coach barked the next phase. “Technical drills. Sharp passes, close control. Show me your touch.”

Kaia swallowed hard, tugging at her bib. This was the part that worried her — not the running, not the stamina. The ball. Months away from structured training had to show.

“Don’t overthink it,” Alexia murmured as she passed her a ball. “Trust your feet. They’ll remember.”

Kaia inhaled deeply, set the ball under her boot, and began.

The first touches came crisp, sharp against the turf. She shifted the ball with ease, dribbling through the cones cleanly. When she popped a neat pass into Jana’s feet, the younger girl’s eyebrows shot up.

“Rusty, huh?” Jana teased, spinning and flicking the return perfectly into Kaia’s stride.

Ingrid joined the pattern, slotting herself into their triangle. Kaia felt the rhythm click almost instantly — pass, move, touch, pass again. A grin tugged at her lips. This felt right.

“Oi, look at this link-up!” Mapi’s voice carried across the pitch, hands cupped around her mouth. “Who knew our new signing had tekkers?”

Ingrid smirked, chipping the ball lightly over a cone to Kaia. “She’s full of surprises.”

Kaia killed the ball with one touch, slid it through to Jana, and they burst out laughing when Jana tried a cheeky nutmeg on Vicky and nearly pulled it off.

“Nearly doesn’t count!” Vicky protested, sticking her tongue out.

Kaia grinned, jogging past. “Don’t worry, hija, mamá will still be proud.”

Alexia groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Stop calling her that.”

But Vicky doubled down, looping an arm through Jana’s. “We are her kids, aren’t we?”

Jana nodded solemnly, eyes twinkling. “Exactly. Which makes you our tía, Kaia.”

Kaia barked a laugh, slapping a hand to her chest. “An honour I’ll take very seriously. Now come on, mis sobrinas, let’s cause some chaos.”

The three of them broke into giggles as they strung together quick one-touch passes, weaving around defenders until Jana cheekily flicked it goalward.

Alexia shouted after them, exasperated but unable to hide her smile. “You’re supposed to be training, not turning it into recess!”

Kaia winked at her across the pitch. “Don’t worry, mamá, your children are thriving.”

Even Ingrid cracked up at that, shaking her head as she joined the play. And for the first time in a long time, Kaia felt something unclench in her chest. She wasn’t just keeping up. She was part of it.