Secrets of Valhalla by Jasmine Richards

anymore, and that made Buzz grin even more widely.
    This do-it-all-over-again day—dream or not—was shaping up to be a lot of fun.
    Buzz saw lights as an elbow crashed into his jaw, and he felt his legs being swept out from beneath him. Buzz hit the ground, hard, as a whistle blew.
    It hurt, but there was nothing like leading the match by four goals to take the sting out of these things.
    Theo stood over him, his cheeks flushed. “I know it was you, Freaky. You switched the plan.”
    â€œYou mean the plan you stole?” Buzz got to his feet. He wasn’t as tall as Theo, but he tipped his chin and that helped a bit. “It was ours to change.”
    Theo took a step forward, but another blow of the whistle stopped him, and Buzz could see that the referee was just a few paces away.
    â€œI’m going to get you back for this,” Theo hissed. “I know things about you, Dragon Boy, and soon, so will everybody else.” He held his hands up and turned to face the referee, who had now barreled up to his side.
    â€œRef, it was an accident. I didn’t mean it.”
    â€œ You. Off. Now .” The referee pointed Theo in the direction of the bench.
    Theo stalked off, but not before hurling one last glare at Buzz.
    Sam arrived at Buzz’s side. “You okay?”
    Buzz worked his jaw, wincing. “Right now and for today, I’m just fine.”
    â€œThat challenge was brutal.” Sam shook his head. “Why does Theo hate you so much?”
    Buzz remembered what Mrs. Robertson had said about Theo’s missing brother. And how difficult that was for him to deal with. He shrugged. “Whatever it is, he’s never bothered to tell me.”
    He took the ball that was handed to him by the referee and kicked the penalty. Buzz didn’t even need to think about it. The ball found the sweet spot, right in the corner of the net.
    The whistle blew for the end of the match, and Buzz felt the air rush past his ears as he was hoisted up on the shoulders of his teammates.
    They’d won!
    Buzz opened his eyes and stretched his arms above his head, his fingers grazing the wooden headboard. He sat up in bed and swung his legs out from under the duvet, his feet hitting the wooden floorboards and making them creak. He yawned widely and then winced as a sharp pain lanced his jaw.
    He cradled the side of his face, remembering how Theo’selbow had crashed into it at the game yesterday.
    Yesterday. The same yesterday that should have been Sunday but had actually been another Saturday. Buzz had managed finally to convince himself that this second Saturday had been some kind of dream. But if that was the case, why was his jaw hurting?
    Buzz sniffed the air and felt his heart rate accelerate. He could smell pancakes.
    Not again.
    He pinched himself, twisting at his skin. If this Saturday loop really was some kind of hallucination, then it was time for him to wake up.
    â€œOw!” His voice was loud in the quiet room, and all the pinch caused was a red mark and a radiating pain.
    Enough, Buzz thought. Nothing’s been the same since that evening in the woods on Friday the thirteenth. Answers, if there were any to be had, were going to be there. And Sunna had said the tree would help.
    He got ready quickly, laced up his sneakers, and tucked his still-broken phone into his backpack before shooting down the stairs.
    Tia, dressed in her A-Team T-shirt, looked up from the breakfast bar where she was tucking into a short stack of pancakes. Again.
    â€œWhoa! Where’s the fire, Buzz?” she asked, a little crease forming between her eyebrows.
    â€œThere’s something I’ve got to go and check.”
    â€œBut I’ve made you pancakes,” the Prof protested, holding up the jug of batter. Buzz noticed that it was now cracked, and the pattern of flowers was little more than blobs.
    â€œSorry, I’ve got to go. I promised Sam that we’d have a quick