Chapter 23 – The Next Step
Spring crept into Lisbon with a softness that wrapped the academy like a familiar blanket—cool morning breezes, longer evenings, trees blooming just outside the dorm windows. The training pitch, once soaked in winter rain, had begun to dry. The grass stood taller. So did Jota.
He was thirteen now.
And though his birthday had passed without cake or a party—just a quiet call from home and a handwritten note from Ana—he felt it in his stride. Not age, but shift. Growth that came from within.
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Morning
At 5:35 a.m., before the first bell rang in the hallway, Jota was already outside.
The sun had yet to rise. Streetlights still cast amber light across the concrete paths. The field was silent—his favorite time.
He jogged slowly, not to sweat, but to breathe. The cold air filled his lungs as he traced the outer lines of the pitch. He whispered to himself in rhythm with his steps.
> "First touch. Eyes up. Find the pocket. Move again."
Repetition.
