Chapter Three: The Discarded

In the seventy-ninth, Eli received possession on the left. Two defenders blocked him. Lin raised two fingers. First touch inside. Second touch, cross. Danny did not run toward goal. He retreated beyond the centre-back's sight, then cut into the six-yard box at the instant of the pass. Not quickly—just half a second before everyone else. His glancing header struck beneath the bar and crossed the line. 2–2. Danny did not celebrate. He stood inside the goal watching the ball roll back, as if a version of himself buried five years ago had climbed out of the earth. Lin embraced him first. Danny went rigid, then seized Lin's shirt. In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Seabridge won a free kick. The wall blocked it and Lin collected the rebound.