Over the Wall Read online

  While they were still up there, Miss Javros and Mr Bronsen returned, Mr Bronsen carrying a soccer ball.

  I looked in disbelief. The soccer ball Mr Bronsen was holding was mine. I could see my initials. It was the ball that Fisk and I had sacrificed when getting away from the Hoods that Friday afternoon a few weeks ago.

  The three girls had left the stage, and the crowd was beginning to disperse.

  ‘Mitch, don’t worry, you can’t be the Legend of everything,’ Luci was saying.

  I didn’t answer.

  ‘Mitchell? What is it?’

  I turned to look at Luci. Becky was with her.

  ‘Hey, well done, both of you,’ I said, my mind elsewhere.

  They knew it, too.

  ‘Are you really that upset about not placing in the Legend of Soccer?’ Luci asked, looking a bit surprised.

  ‘No! Of course not.’

  ‘Mitchell, can we have a word please?’

  It was Mr Zucker, with Miss Javros and Mrs Waite. Even Mr Bronsen was there, too, but politely waiting a bit behind them.

  ‘Is something wrong?’ Becky asked.

  ‘Come along, Mitchell, I’m sure we can clear this up in a moment,’ said Mrs Waite. ‘Just a quick visit to the library.’ They moved off.

  ‘Luci, get Travis Fisk for me, can you?’ I whispered urgently. ‘Tell him to come to the library. Please!’

  ‘Yeah. Sure, Mitch. Give me a ring, okay? Promise?’

  ‘Yes, of course,’ I said, feeling a bit happier.

  ‘Mitchell, I’m sure there is a simple explanation. I want this sorted out quickly. Mr Bronsen came to collect the inter-school football trophy, which is kept right here, in the library’s trophy cabinet. It wasn’t here. In its place was this soccer ball, with your name on it. Is this your ball, Mitchell?’ Mrs Waite was talking in a controlled, yet scary way.

  ‘Yes,’ I whispered.

  ‘Did you put it there, Mitchell?’

  ‘No, Mrs Waite.’

  ‘Do you know where the football trophy is, Mitchell?’ she asked.

  I shook my head. ‘No, Mrs Waite.’

  ‘Mitchell.’ It was Miss Javros speaking. ‘Look!’

  She was pointing to the far end of the library – the sporting end where the school year boxes were kept. Where the entrance to the secret room was. Books, magazines and boxes lay scattered everywhere. The place was a mess.

  ‘Do you know anything about this mess, Mitchell?’ she asked.

  I looked Miss Javros in the eye and said firmly, ‘No, Miss Javros.’

  All four teachers looked at me for a moment without speaking.

  Then Mr Bronsen shook his head.

  ‘I think we should be looking elsewhere.’

  I was just about to tell them about the secret room, the tunnel, and everything else, when Travis Fisk opened the door. He waited, standing nervously by the door. I think he feared we were discussing a certain soccer quiz result.

  ‘Yes, Travis?’ Mrs Waite asked, looking at him curiously.

  ‘Travis, my soccer ball. Who were the last kids to see my soccer ball?’

  He looked at me in surprise.

  ‘The Hoods,’ he said. ‘Some Hoods kids, me and Gr – me and Mitchell bumped into. They took it from us.’

  ‘Well, it appears they have brought it back. In the last hour. And exchanged it for a football trophy. And done it, what’s more, while the library has been locked. Now,’ Mrs Waite continued, ‘who is going to explain that?’

  Travis Fisk looked at me, totally bewildered. It obviously wasn’t going to be him.

  It was a crazy situation to be in. How had the soccer ball ended up there? More to the point, how had the inter-school football trophy disappeared?

  It was a puzzling problem, and it was causing a lot of bother for a lot of people. The teachers were in a frazzle. This was something big.

  I was looking forward to the next sport. The Legend of Basketball was supposed to be the most popular competition of the whole series. Someone new, who hadn’t figured in any of the previous Legends events, was bound to make a statement. It wouldn’t be long before I’d find out who.

  But first there was a football trophy to find . . .

  Soccer Match Scores and Ladders

  (Round 1)

  Green Squads

  Sandhurst

  0

  lost to

  Ascot

  1

  Wetherhood

  6

  defeated

  Scornly

  4

  Red Squads

  Sandhurst

  3

  defeated

  Ascot

  1

  Wetherhood

  2

  drew with

  Scornly

  2

  Green Squads

  P

  W

  L

  D

  For

  Ag

  GD

  Pts

  Wetherhood

  1

  1

  -

  -

  6

  4

  +2

  3

  Ascot

  1

  1

  -

  -

  1

  0

  +1

  3

  Sandhurst

  1

  -

  1

  -

  0

  1

  -1

  0

  Scornly

  1

  -

  1

  -

  4

  6

  -2

  0

  Red Squads

  P

  W

  L

  D

  For

  Ag

  GD

  Pts

  Sandhurst

  1

  1

  -

  -

  3

  1

  +2

  3

  Scornly

  1

  -

  -

  1

  2

  2

  0

  1

  Wetherhood

  1

  -

  -

  1

  2

  2

  0

  1

  Ascot

  1

  -

  1

  -

  1

  3

  -2

  0

  (Round 2)

  Green Squads

  Scornly

  0

  lost to

  Sandhurst

  1

  Ascot

  1

  lost to

  Wetherhood

  2

  Red Squads

  Scornly

  5

  defeated

  Sandhurst

  3

  Ascot

  1

  lost to

  Wetherhood

  2

  Green Squads

  P

  W

  L

  D

  For

  Ag

  GD

  Pts

  Wetherhood

  2

  2

  -

  -

  8

  5

  +3

  6

  Ascot

  2

  1

  1

  -

  2

  2

  0

  3

  Sandhurst

  2

  1

  1

  -

  1

  1

  0

  3

  Scornly

  2

  -

  2

  -

  4

  7

  -3

  0

  Red Squads

  Pr />
  W

  L

  D

  For

  Ag

  GD

  Pts

  Scornly

  2

  1

  -

  1

  7

  5

  +2

  4

  Wetherhood

  2

  1

  -

  1

  4

  3

  +1

  4

  Sandhurst

  2

  1

  1

  -

  6

  6

  0

  3

  Ascot

  2

  -

  2

  -

  2

  5

  -3

  0

  (Round 3)

  Green Squads

  Wetherhood

  2

  lost to

  Sandhurst

  3

  Scornly

  2

  defeated

  Ascot

  1

  Red Squads

  Wetherhood

  1

  lost to

  Sandhurst

  3

  Scornly

  2

  defeated

  Ascot

  1

  Green Squads

  P

  W

  L

  D

  For

  Ag

  GD

  Pts

  Wetherhood

  3

  2

  1

  -

  10

  8

  +2

  6

  Sandhurst

  3

  2

  1

  -

  4

  3

  +1

  6

  Ascot

  3

  1

  2

  -

  3

  4

  -1

  3

  Scornly

  3

  1

  2

  -

  6

  8

  -2

  3

  Red Squads

  P

  W

  L

  D

  For

  Ag

  GD

  Pts

  Scornly

  3

  2

  -

  1

  9

  6

  +3

  7

  Sandhurst

  3

  2

  1

  -

  9

  7

  +2

  6

  Wetherhood

  3

  1

  1

  1

  5

  6

  -1

  4

  Ascot

  3

  -

  3

  -

  3

  7

  -4

  -

  Final School Points

  (4 points for 1st place; 3 points for 2nd place; 2 points for 3rd place; 1 point for 4th place; ties determined by goal difference)

  1st

  Sandhurst

  6 points

  2nd

  Wetherhood

  6 points

  3rd

  Scornly

  5 points

  4th

  Ascot

  3 points

  Soccer Skills Scores

  (Sandhurst Green)

  Name

  Dribble

  Long Kick

  Penalties

  /5

  /5

  /5

  Lan

  4

  3

  3

  Jules

  5

  2

  3

  Mitch

  5

  4

  3

  Travis

  5

  5

  3

  Alex

  3

  3

  3

  Rebecca

  3

  3

  4

  Katie

  4

  4

  4

  Benny

  2

  5

  3

  Walt

  3

  3

  2

  Talia

  3

  2

  2

  Jimmy

  4

  4

  3

  Shane

  4

  3

  3

  Saves

  Accuracy

  Throws

  TOTAL

  /5

  /5

  /5

  /30

  2

  4

  3

  19

  2

  5

  2

  19

  4

  4

  4

  24

  3

  4

  5

  25

  2

  3

  3

  17

  2

  4

  3

  19

  3

  4

  3

  22

  1

  2

  5

  18

  2

  4

  3

  17

  2

  4

  3

  16

  3

  4

  5

  23

  2

  5

  3

  20

  (Sandhurst Red)

  Name

  Dribble

  Long Kick

  Penalties

  /5

  /5

  /5

  Danny

  3

  4

  3

  Nick

  4

  4

  2

  Franko

  5

  4

  4

  Miles

  5

  3

  3

  Richard

  4

  5

  1

  Luci

  4

  3

  3

  Ling

  2

  3

  2

  Chaz

  5

  4

  4

  Bubba

  2

  4

  3

  Penny

  4

  3

  3

  Mia

  4

  3

  3

  Cara

  5

  2

  3

  Saves

  Accuracy

  Throws

  TOTAL

  /5

  /5

  /5

  /30

  2

  3

  2

  17

  2

  2

  4

  18

  3

  5

  4

  25

  2

  5

  2

  20

  3

  3

  4

  20

  3

  4

  4

  21

  1

  3

  5

  16

  3

  5

  4

  25

  4

  3

  3

  19

  2

  4

  3

  19

  3

  3

  4

  20

  2

  4

  3
/>   19

  Soccer Game Points

  (Sandhurst Green)

  Jumper

  Name

  Game 1

  Game 2

  Game 3

  #

  (v Ascot)

  (v Scornly)

  (v Hoods)

  TOTAL

  Score/10

  Score/20

  Score/20

  1

  Lan

  6

  14

  16

  36

  2

  Jules

  7

  15

  16

  38

  3

  Mitch

  8

  17

  19

  44

  4

  Travis

  8

  18

  15

  41

  5

  Alex

  6

  14

  18

  38

  6

  Rebecca

  8

  17

  16

  41

  7

  Katie

  7

  16

  15

  38

  8

  Benny

  7

  15

  17

  39

  9

  Walt

  7

  15

  17

  39

  10

  Talia

  7

  15

  17

  39

  11

  Jimmy

  6

  17

  18

  41

  12

  Shane

  7

  15

  16

  38

  (Sandhurst Red)