My Bets & Cash Out - Sky Bet Help

I had read the list of instructions thousands of times. The Crimson Carnival can only be found by following a series of specific directives, as outlined by those who had successfully ventured there in the past.
Just as described by the moderators of the private online forum, I found it at 3:53AM on a Friday the 13th far out in the countryside after a series of meandering twists and turns that I had followed meticulously as outlined by those who had journeyed to the carnival before me.
The detailed instructions were specific and required pain and personal sacrifice, but I was willing to do what I had to. My palm still stung from where the blade had pierced it, and I had intentionally left the wound undressed. Again, another necessary part of the journey. Blood poured from it all over the steering wheel. This seemed distant and unimportant now.
I had found the place. After years of hearing about it, reading about it, researching, and building up the courage, I had actually found it.
I turned off the engine and got out of the car, the cool night air crisp and fresh as I breathed in. Walking towards the entrance of the fairgrounds, I saw no one else around. The outside of the place was empty and devoid of visitors. Forsaken.
The moon was a sliver in the dark night sky above. Sounds of activity could be heard from within the fair, carnival barkers and rides, the loud DING DING DING of someone winning a prize. Everything that would make you think it was a regular carnival. An ordinary fair.
A clown was at the entrance, his face was painted bright red around the eyes and mouth, his hair and round nose also crimson. He wore yellow pants with suspenders and welcomed me, waving an oversized white-gloved hand as I approached.
“HOO HOO HOO hoo! I’ve got a surprise, it’s true! Who found the Crimson Carnival? What a delight, it’s you!”
The clown with the yellow pants was there. Just like all the reports had said.
“You've found the place, my friend! Get inside and have some fun! Your time now very soon will end. The crimson death can't be undone.”
His face was a toothy grin, all smiles and giggles as he recited the welcoming rhyme. All but the last line, which he said in a low growl. Following that he looked serious and angry.
I was taken aback. He was supposed to say, “The Crimson fair leaves with the sun,” as the final line in the rhyme. He was supposed to be the cheerful welcome clown. No scary shit yet. Not yet.
But instead he had said, “The crimson death can't be undone,” in that terrifying low rumbling voice and I couldn't help but wonder if I had made some mistake in the ritual. His upper lip quivered as he continued to growl at me.
He was supposed to keep smiling, waving, and looking friendly. The dark, really creepy shit was further in. Out by the entrance the carnival was reported to look bright and welcoming. It didn't usually reveal its true form until you were well inside the fences.
I just stood there, sweating, panicking, retracing my efforts.
I had made no errors, though, I realized as I went through each part of the instructions in my head and pictured myself in my memory doing exactly as instructed.
Suddenly I realized I had been standing there for a while, thinking, and the clown was still staring at me. The reply came to me immediately, after years of study I had not forgotten.
The cut on my palm still bleeding, I asked the question deliberately and verbatim. Word for word as described online.
“All I have is a nickle. Will that cover the fare?”
I held up the rare coin and it glittered red with my blood like a ruby in the moonlight.
“It lets you in. It lets you through. The bloody nickel, true true true.”
He was smiling again and I let out a sigh of relief. Just a little different for a second, but back on track now, nothing to be worried about.
I walked past him and through the turnstiles. Looking back I saw he was still smiling his wide toothy grin and took that for a good sign. He waved his white-gloved hand at me and then was swallowed up by darkness and fog.
At least he had stopped growling like a rabid dog after the toll had been offered. Something about that had really terrified me. Not that I wasn't already petrified, but when I had run through this in my mind (approximately a million times) things had always gone to plan. According to the descriptions I had read over and over, memorizing them.
No one had ever mentioned an alternate ending to the welcome rhyme. Was the place changing? Evolving somehow?
No. That was impossible. Through all the years and all the visitors it had stayed the same. Why would it change now?
Sarah would still be there, I told myself. She had to be there. Otherwise this was all for nothing. I could handle being scared, as long as it meant getting her back. I had to get her back. Her absence in my life was like a missing appendage, the memories of her a phantom limb that ached incessantly.
She was there. I could feel her somehow, as unlikely as that sounds. I felt like with every step I got closer.
The sounds rose up loudly around me from every direction as I entered the midway. First one man shouting, “STEP RIGHT UP, STEP RIGHT UP, TRY YOUR HAND AT THE DARTS! You sir! You look like a man who knows how to win, how about taking a toss at the red balloons!?” then a woman asking, “How'd you like to win a prize? Get the ball in the barrel and take home the bloody big bear!”
She pointed up and I caught myself following her finger and looking at the giant stuffed bears which hung suspended from the ceiling. Each one had a noose around its neck, with eyes red and bulging. The eyes looked real, though, and I could have sworn I saw one swollen bear-face look down at me, pleading and terrified. Red fluid seeped from their mouths and dripped down onto the counter below.
I dropped my gaze and reminded myself not to get distracted. Everything here was meant to steer you from your goal, nothing was as it seemed.
Keeping my head down, I continued to walk deeper into the midway.
“Cotton candy!”
“Hot dogs!”
“Get your ride tickets here! Ride the Ferris wheel with your true love by your side! A date she'll never forget!”
I walked past and heard him say quietly from behind me, “She will stay here. Sarah will live and die and live again, here. Always here. She will stay here. You will stay here.”
My heart nearly stopped in my chest. That definitely wasn't supposed to happen. The carnival workers were not supposed to talk out of character to visitors. They were always supposed to stay in character.
I tried to control myself but ended up running over to him, fighting my anger and hatred and fury and pushing it down deep, stopping myself somehow from leaping over the counter and grabbing the man.
“What did you say??”
His mouth opened and closed like a gold fish but he said nothing.
“What the FUCK did you just say!?”
“Ride the salt and pepper shaker! You'll get all mixed up until you don't know up from down!!”
“No. Sarah. You said something about Sarah. I’m looking for her. Please, just help me. Tell me where she is.”
“Why, Lady Luck? She's just around the corner at the spinning wheel of chance. Place your bets there and win your heart’s desire!”
I nearly screamed at him but managed to restrain myself. It would serve no purpose other than wasting time. I checked my watch and saw I had already been inside for half an hour. The time was going fast. The man was just another distraction, meant to keep me here longer, to keep me from my goal. To keep me from Sarah.
Moving on, I kept my head on a swivel, looking every possible direction, checking every face.
None of them were hers.
Far ahead in the distance, I saw the giant red canopy tent at the center of the fair. I hoped I wouldn’t have to go in there. That’s where all the most horrifying sights were, according to those few who had seen it and escaped.
The cannibal killer clowns in their little car that drove around and stopped randomly, piling out and murdering and subsequently devouring whoever was nearest and then clambering back in and driving off.
A polar bear on a unicycle that would cause similar damage during its rampages, when it got inevitably bored of riding around.
Chainsaw-wielding trapeze artists that swung down unexpectedly and cut you in half before you could even think to run away.
And further in, at the very center, who knew? No one had seen it.
Only the most extreme thrill-seekers tried for the canopy. It was reserved for the most dedicated and experienced. I shuddered to think of going in there. I had planned to avoid it at all costs.
I checked my watch again. This was taking longer than expected. The place was drawing out every second of my time, even the ground beneath my feet was sticky and muddy and each step forward came with an increasing effort.
My eyes darted around, looking in every booth and at every carnival worker. There were no other guests so that made it a little bit easier.
I walked past more carnival barkers and booths. After walking around a corner, I was confronted by a man shouting in my face, “TEST YOUR STRENGTH!”
He was huge, wearing a leather vest and holding a massive sledge hammer in both hands. Turning around, he swung it and hit the bell, causing the machine to light up and ding incessantly.
Turning away from him, I scanned the faces of every carnival worker standing behind their counters. A ring toss booth was just ahead, and I began to walk towards it, thinking the woman inside looked a bit like Sarah, when I heard the voice of the man behind me.
He had silently followed me, and now stood directly behind me with the hammer held high over his head.
“SHE IS OURS!”
The sledge hammer came down hard and I ducked out of the way just in time. My heart pounding, I stumbled to the ground, off balance. I rolled away as a second swing of the giant hammer nearly missed me again.
I got up to my feet as quickly as I could and backed away from the man. He was pursuing me still, and I turned and ran.
The muddy ground caused me to slip as I turned a corner to get away from him, and found myself heading towards the giant canopy at the center of the fair.
I checked my watch. Still nearly an hour until sunrise. Plenty of time.
No. Can’t think like that. You’ve wasted half your time and you haven’t found her yet. That means you’re behind. You need to spot her quick and get her the hell out of here.
I felt myself struggling to think clearly as adrenaline took over and something else as well, an unfamiliar feeling like the naïve recklessness of a young man, which I no longer was. I wanted to live, and yet I found myself abandoning reason and self-preservation the more time I spent there.
And yet, the giant canopy tent drew me in like a moth to a flame and I went to it, no longer looking at the other carnival workers. Every part of me was saying to go inside. That’s where she would be.
Looking back, I saw the man with the sledge hammer was no longer pursuing me, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he was getting reinforcements, though, and that would be trouble.
Feeling like a piece of iron filament being drawn towards a powerful magnet, I walked towards the huge crimson red canopy tent. Up this close it was obvious how massive the thing was now. Inside would be a space lit up with lights and full of morbid wonders and curiosities.
It loomed before me, dwarfing me in size and I realized I was standing right before the entrance, every part of me saying to go inside, to look and see what could be found within. And then I heard her voice.
“Try your luck at the spinning wheel, sir?”
I stopped in my tracks, afraid to turn and look, afraid it wouldn’t really be her, that it would be just some trick again, some attempt to stall me. But then I did and it was her. It was really her. No mistaking it.
She gave a shaky smile and lifted her hand to wave.
I walked over to the booth and looked at her, my eyes filling with tears.
“I missed you so much,” was all I could say.
“I missed you too. Every day I missed you.”
And then some other force took over and her smile widened like it was being pulled at the corners by unseen strings, causing her to show her teeth.
Her voice changed and became that of a carnival barker trying to grab your attention as you pass by.
“TRY YOUR LUCK AT THE SPINNING WHEEL, SIR!?”
I was stunned, and didn’t know what to say for a second.
“Sarah… Let’s get out of here. Come on. Take my hand.”
Reaching over the counter, I saw her eyes flash back to her own for a second, but then they became full of hatred and murder.
She hissed at me like a cat, her eyes now crimson-red. Then she swiped at me with her nails, scratching my arm badly and leaving four long gashes there. She attacked my face next, flailing at it with quick lashes in succession, leaving me bleeding from her nails.
I recoiled, terrified and in pain. Blood poured from my face and my arm and I was suddenly having trouble seeing out of one eye. My vision was turning red and then black on that side.
“Run,” she said, her face turning back into her own for an instant. “You can’t save me. Just run. If you stay past sunrise you’ll be stuck here with the rest of us.”
And then her eyes flicked back to that crimson red shade and I saw her laughing at me.
“You can’t save her. She’s ours now.”
Other carnival workers started to come out from behind their booths and were now stalking towards me. A clown popped his head out from the giant canopy tent nearby and then when he saw me came running with a duck-legged stride in his oversized floppy shoes. Following behind him was a man on giant stilts, who had to duck to come through the doorway. He was juggling bowling pins that were set ablaze and threw one at me, nearly missing my face with it.
Sarah stayed stubbornly put where she was, as if the carnival knew that I wanted her to chase me, to come after me. But no, it had plenty of others to do that.
I backed away at the sight of the blood-thirsty carnies approaching, then turned and ran back towards the entrance, my instinct to survive suddenly taking over.
Running half-blind through the midway, I saw more carnival workers leaving their booths, following after me, their eyes blank and zombie-like. Looking back, I saw dozens of them now in pursuit, breaking into a slow jog and then running as they followed after me.
Increasing my pace, I felt my heart booming in my chest, sweat pouring down my face. My eyes were wide and terrified, darting around, looking for potential threats everywhere.
“Candy apple?” the elderly woman was wearing an eye patch and as she threw the boiling hot caramel sauce at me she smiled, her teeth rotten and black. Some of the liquid sugar hit my face and I screamed as it burnt me. I knew that would scar me for the rest of my life but didn’t have time to think about it.
I had a moment of pity for the woman, knowing now that she was just another victim of the carnival, the same as Sarah. No one from the online forums had ever considered that the carnies were themselves past visitors who hadn’t been able to escape before sunrise. It was always assumed that they were a part of the carnival itself and had been since the start.
My feet slipped in mud and I nearly fell as I raced past the man with the sledge hammer. He jumped up and began to chase after me with the others, carrying his heavy mallet in both hands and screaming at me.
Up ahead I saw the turnstiles and picked up my pace, seeing the faint glimmer of a sunrise on the horizon. The clown was there, appearing out of the fog once more, and as I got closer I saw he was waiting for me.
He held a small axe in his hand and chuckled when I got near.
“THE CRIMSON GLOW CAN’T BE UNDONE. THE CRIMSON GLOW CAN’T BE UNDONE. THE CRIMSON GLOW CAN’T BE UNDONE.”
The voices of others drawing closer from behind rose in volume joining his and I realized they were very close now. I had no choice. I would have to take my chances with the clown.
I ran at him full speed, knowing I didn’t have much time left. Once the sun came up I was stuck here with the rest of them. No one was coming for me. Nobody knew I was here.
The only reason I knew where Sarah had disappeared to was because of her obsession with the online forums related to the crimson carnival. She had become more and more involved until it completely took over her life, nearly ruining our relationship in the process.
Then one day she had said that she was going to find the place for herself. She had left in the middle of the night, leaving me a note while I was sleeping. She had never come home after that and I had always regretted not going with her.
She had even given me the coin, saying that she wanted me to go with her, to experience it alongside her. She said not to lose it. That there were only a few left out there, and that they were exceedingly rare and valuable. But now I had lost it, just like I had lost her. The fucking clown had it.
I had an idea at the last second as I ran towards him. The mud slipping beneath my feet made me think of when I was a kid, playing soccer. How after scoring a goal or winning a game on a rainy day, we would slide around on the grass, in the mud, celebrating.
Diving forward at full speed, I landed on my belly in the muck. It knocked the wind out of me, and since I wasn’t a kid anymore it hurt like hell, but it had the desired effect.
My forward momentum took me under the turnstiles and I surprised the clown by knocking out his legs from beneath him. He went flying into the air, his axe spinning and shining in the faint light before landing a few feet away.
Dozens of coins came flying out from his pockets also.
They landed scattered on the ground in the mud, and I grabbed a handful of them before racing off back towards my car.
I heard the clown screaming at me until his voice cut out suddenly in an instant as the sun peeked out from behind the horizon.
Looking back with my one working eye, I saw that he was gone, and so was the carnival.
But in my hand, the blood-red nickels from past visitors remained, proof of my visit. Same as the long red scratches on my arm and on my face. The scars and burns I would wear for the rest of my life.
And yet still, staring at the muddy, bloody coins in my palm, I knew I would be back. I had no choice.
JG
TCC

<-- Previous thread

Overall summary

Name	Club	Apps: starts (from the bench)	Minutes played	Goals	Assists	Clean sheets (GK only)	Note
Matej Kovar	Swindon Town (League One)	21 (0)	1890	0	0	1	Loan ended: recalled back to Man Utd
Joel Pereira	Huddersfield Town (Championship)	1 (0)	90	0	0	0
Jacob Carney	Brighouse Town (Northern Premier League)	4 (0)	360	0	0	1	Loan ended
Jacob Carney	Portadown FC (NIFL Premiership)	0 (0)	0	0	0	0
Max Taylor	Kidderminster Harriers (National League North)	10 (0)	841	1	0	-	League suspended until February 1st
Di'Shon Bernard	Salford City (League Two)	14 (1)	1322	2	2	-
Diogo Dalot	AC Milan (Serie A)	11 (4)	1077	1	1	-
Ethan Laird	MK Dons (League One)	2 (1)	210	0	1	-
James Garner	Watford (Championship)	13 (8)	1248	0	1	-
Dylan Levitt	Charlton Athletic (League One)	5 (0)	386	0	0	-	Loan ended: recalled back to Man Utd
Aliou Traore	SM Caen (Ligue 2)	4 (10)	531	0	0	-
Andreas Pereira	SS Lazio (Serie A)	3 (14)	478	1	1	-
Max Haygarth	Brentford B (-)	7 (4)	628	3	0	-	Loan ended: moved to Brentford on a permanent deal
Tahith Chong	Werder Bremen (Bundesliga)	5 (10)	534	1	2	-
Amad Diallo	Atalanta (Serie A)	0 (2)	41	0	0	-	Permanent deal to join Manchester United

Diogo Dalot (AC Milan)

Played 90 minutes in 2:0 win against Cagliari in Serie A. Was unused substitute in 0:3 loss against Atalanta BC in Serie A. Was selected to Serie A WhoScored Team of the Week.
Selected highlights:
Individual highlights vs Cagliari
WhoScored.com rating vs Cagliari: 8.1/10 (team average: 7.08) (3rd highest rating on the pitch)
Stats vs Cagliari:
Shots (on target): 2 (1)
Possession: 4.8%
Touches: 72
Accurate passes/Total passes (success %): 39/46 (85%)
Key passes: 0
Dribbles won/Dribbles attempted (success %): 2/3 (67%) (joint most dribbles won on the pitch)
Dribbled past: 1
Aerials won/Aerial attempted (success %): 2/2 (100%)
Tackles won/Tackles attempted (success %): 4/5 (80%) (most tackles won on the pitch)
Clearances: 4 (joint most clearances on the pitch)
Interceptions: 4 (joint most clearances on the pitch)
Corners (accurate %): 2 (100%)
Dispossessed: 0
Errors: 0
Fouls: 4 (most fouls on the pitch)
Offsides: 1
Fans' opinion after game vs Cagliari:
“- Dalot: Meh. He's ... "OK *shrug" 85% of the time, 15% of the time he tries to go forward and attack. But the difference between him and Theo seems to be, when Theo plays, his teammates just know he's going to bomb up and down like mad the whole time; that energy rubs off and the rest is also forced to go forward. Dalot by being rather passive in the majority of the time, doesn't spark this energy to go forward for the rest of the team.”* ~Nickenator85 on /ACMilan
“2 seasons ago this current Dalot would be our best fullback, now we're spoilt with Theo, Calabria and soon Kalulu. He's decent, but nothing spectacular in comparison” ~Gaverini on /ACMilan
“Dalot was inconsistent, we're used to the best left-back in the world and it's obvious that the Portuguese can't be at that level.” ~Lambro on AC Milan Forum
“I don't think he's performing bad as people make it out to be. Clearly being right-footed playing on the left is hindering him. All season we've been funneling our attacks through Theo so it's almost like a baptism of fire for the team to adapt to Dalot who'll have to take that extra second to cut inside.” ~fray on The Red&Black Forums
“5/10. Not a convincing performance. Is he an AC Milan player? As a left-back he seems to struggle and not just a little. In the end, when Conti came on, he was advanced to midfield and the outcome seemed to be better.” ~@RedellePagelle on Twitter

Tahith Chong (Werder Bremen)

Was unused substitute in 0:1 loss against Borussia Moenchengladbach in Bundesliga. Was unused substitute in 4:1 win against Hertha Berlin in Bundesliga.

James Garner (Watford)

Was unused substitute in 1:0 win against Barnsley in Championship. Was unused substitute in 2:1 win against Stoke City in Championship.

Ethan Laird (MK Dons)

Played 57 minutes and got an assist in 3:1 win against Fleetwood Town in League One. He has been selected to League One Team of the Week.
Selected highlights:
Assist
WhoScored.com rating: 7.7/10 (team average: 6.91) (3rd best rating for MK Dons)
Stats:
Shots (on target): 1 (0)
Possession: 1.6% (joint least possession on the pitch)
Touches: 27 (3rd least touches on the pitch)
Accurate passes/Total passes (success %): 8/13 (62%) (3rd worst passing accuracy for MK Dons)
Key passes: 1
Dribbles won/Dribbles attempted (success %): 1/2 (50%)
Dribbled past: 0
Aerials won/Aerial attempted (success %): 2/2 (100%)
Tackles won/Tackles attempted (success %): 2/2 (100%)
Clearances: 0
Interceptions: 1
Dispossessed: 2
Errors: 0
Fouls: 3
Offsides: 0
Russell Martin (MK Dons manager): "[Ethan Laird getting kicked a lot and coming off?] Yeah, I think he's just getting used to life in League One. I'm sure he will be fine. But I was pleased, really pleased with him. We need to get some work into Ethan so that he understands fully what we're doing, but he shown real glimpses of what he's about. So yeah, I've been pleased with Ethan and he's got a lot of improvements to make as well."
Fans' opinion:
“Ethan Laird is absolutely unreal. Too good for league one. Bossing it on the right so far tonight, got an assist too” ~@KieronDay03 on Twitter
“Unreal. Is it me though or do you sometimes watch him go in to defend and initially he’s slow and then shows he has she acceleration and you think why didn’t you just get there quicker from the statt.... dons it a few times tonight.” ~@pdmkd on Twitter
“Laird is my new God. All Hail!” ~keyser soze on The Concrete Roundabout Forum
“Laird has a lot of swagger and a more natural option on the wing.” ~cornerdon26 on The Concrete Roundabout Forum
“Thought the defence looked shaky second half once Ethan laird came off” ~Donsduck on The Concrete Roundabout Forum

Jacob Carney (Portadown FC)

Matthew Tipton (Portadown FC manager): "The goalkeeper position is so important, if the foundation is right then everything else works better - defenders can move higher up the pitch and the attacking players get the ball in better positions to hurt the opposition, with the overall play a lot sharper. The distribution is vital and that can be having a goalkeeper comfortable with the ball at his feet playing it out from the back or having the speed of thought to identify opportunities playing it upfield. We know what Gareth can bring given his Irish League experience but Jacob has come as a 19-year-old on loan from Manchester United and settled really well, looking very sharp. Both goalkeepers are working hard and have adjusted to our training and gameplan.”

Joel Pereira (Huddersfield Town)

Was unused substitute in 0:1 loss against Millwall in Championship.

Aliou Traore (SM Caen)

Came on from the bench and played 31 minutes in 3:1 win against EA Guingamp in Coupe de France. Was not selected in matchday squad in 1:2 loss against Rodez AF in Ligue 2.

Andreas Pereira (SS Lazio)

Played 59 minutes and got assist in 2:1 win against Parma in Coppa Italia. Was unused substitute in 2:1 win against Sassuolo in Serie A.
Selected highlights:
Assist vs Parma
Good through ball resulting in a chance for Lazio
Corner followed by a good scoring chance that hit the post
SofaScore.com rating vs Parma: 7.0/10 (team average: 6.81)
Stats vs Parma:
Shots (on target): 1 (0)
Hit woodwork: 1
Big chances missed: 1
Touches: 37
Accurate passes/Total passes (success %): 13/17 (76%) (worst passing accuracy for Lazio)
Key passes: 3 (most key passes for Lazio)
Big chances created: 2
Dribbles won/Dribbles attempted (success %): 1/4 (25%)
Dribbled past: 0
Aerials: 0
Tackles: 0
Clearances: 0
Interceptions: 0
Corners (accurate %):
Fouls: 0
Offsides: 0
Fans' opinion after game vs Parma:
“I was sorry to see him go off so early, he wasn't playing great but he wasn't that bad either. I still think his role is as a midfielder and not as a second striker, I'd try him there from the start with Sassuolo. It's true that he's a bit too fond of the ball, but I don't see him in the middle of the pitch as a second striker. He's a very technical player, the kind who has to touch lots of balls to make an impact.” ~Stock on SS Lazio Forum
“It's a shame about Pereira, he could have played a bit more because he has unquestionable quality, although I don't see him as a replacement for Correa but more as a replacement for Luis Alberto.” ~@GladiatorFabry on Twitter
“Would really like for him to be a part of this team. Both parties want to stay together so I expect United to get a fee for him regardless of what the price is. Lazio and United usually have good business together so I expect permanent move at the end of the season.” ~TheSoccerguy124 on /soccer
“For me, at this moment Pereira in midfield you can't put him. Not along with one of Milinkovic or Luis. Tactically he struggles so much.” ~HummingBard on Lazio.net
“Andreas Pereira a player of the highest calibre.” ~Saymyname on Lazio.net

Di'Shon Bernard (Salford City)

Played 90 minutes in 2:2 draw against Harrogate Town in League Two.
Selected highlights:
Error leading to goal
Wonderful long ball pass
Poor marking in the box which leads to a chance for Harrogate Town
WhoScored.com rating: 5.5/10 (team average: 6.49) (worst rating on the pitch)
Stats:
Shots: 0
Possession: 6.2% (2nd most possession for Salford City)
Touches: 63 (2nd most touches for Salford City)
Accurate passes/Total passes (success %): 41/56 (73%)
Key passes: 0
Dribbles: 0
Dribbled past: 0
Aerials won/Aerial attempted (success %): 4/8 (50%) (joint most aerials won for Salford City)
Tackles won/Tackles attempted (success %): 1/1 (100%)
Clearances: 5 (most clearances for Salford City)
Interceptions: 1
Dispossessed: 0
Errors: 1 (most errors on the pitch)
Fouls: 3 (joint most fouls on the pitch)

Next up

January 26th:
At 7 PM Garner's Watford plays Millwall and Joel's Huddersfield Town plays Bristol City in the Championship. Laird's MK Dons play Charlton Athletic in League One. Bernard's Salford City plays Cambridge United in League Two.
At 7:45 PM Carney's Portadown FC plays Crusaders in NIFL Premiership.
January 27th:
At 5 PM Dalot's AC Milan plays Inter Milan in Coppa Italia.
January 30th:
At 2 PM Dalot's AC Milan plays Bologna in Serie A.
At 2:30 PM Chong's Werder Bremen play Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga.
At 3 PM Joel's Huddersfield Town plays Stoke City in the Championship. Laird's MK Dons play AFC Wimbledon in League One. Bernard's Salford City plays Oldham Athletic in League Two. Carney's Portadown FC plays Warrenpoint Town in NIFL Premiership.
At 6 PM Traore's SM Caen plays FC Chambly in Ligue 2.
January 31st:
At 2 PM Andreas' SS Lazio plays Atalanta in Serie A.
^{*All times are GMT.}

If air had a will of its own, it couldn't have thrown itself any harder against my window pane.
That's what I remember thinking when I woke up to raindrops carried by strong gusts of wind repeatedly clashing against my bedroom window at two thirty in the morning. There hadn't been a single cloud in the sky all day and when I'd gone to bed earlier, it had been cold but not stormy at all. In fact, it had seemed almost as though the air outside itself had frozen and was still in place, unable to move or even shiver.
Sitting up in bed, I noticed I had to go to the bathroom. I slid out from underneath my blanket and staggered into the hallway. There was a window at the end of the corridor too. I almost walked past it without paying it any mind, but just as I did, I realized that something was wrong. I couldn't hear the wind howling or rattling the frame around it anymore. I carefully opened the window to look outside only to be met with icy cold air. Cold air, but no wind. Frowning, I shut it again and made my way over into the bathroom. After I was done, I inspected the window in there. I stuck my head out of it only to realize it was the very same as the one in the hallway.
The bathroom and the bedroom were on the same side of the house, just separated by a small junk room. Their windows opened to the same side though, so I should have been able to witness the storm blowing outside my bedroom from the bathroom as well. I figured maybe it had simply stopped very abruptly so I rushed over into the bedroom to check. When I heard the wind and rain clashing against the glass pane though, I knew something was wrong.
With bated breath, I reached out and tentatively opened the window. The gust of wind that forced its way into my house was so strong that it almost knocked me to the ground. I stumbled and grabbed onto the edge of my table to keep my balance. In just a second, it was all over though. The chilly air that had flooded my room stopped stirring and for some reason I did not feel like I was alone anymore. At first I thought it was just the open window, but when I straightened up and let my gaze wander the room, I spotted something bright and shiny on my desk. It was a person–a tiny, shimmering person hardly any taller than the pencil they sat next to.
A gasp of shock died in my throat when they moved. I reached for one of the books resting on my table, a suitable weapon against a threat this small, and I held it up in front of my chest like a shield. With shaking knees, I bent down to get a better look at the creature.
The person, who had now risen to its full yet not very impressive height, looked to be a man with bleach blond hair and light skin. I couldn't tell if he had an actual body or not–his form seemed to flicker and waver like a candle in the wind. He was staring up at me with a look akin to that of a deer in the headlights, ready to flee at any second. Still apprehensive but not wanting to scare him off, I slowly lowered the book. The tiny man's shoulders dropped in relief but were soon shaken by silent sobs and cries. The air in the room began to whirl around me again, giving off a howl I can only describe as a fusion of a person weeping and a raging storm. Papers on my desk were sent flying off, the pencil rolled down and landed on the floor and the alarm clock on my nightstand was knocked down.
Ignoring the panic and the sting of the cold, I dropped my book and reached out for the wispy figure, offering it my hand. I hadn't expected him to climb up on it, but that's what he did. At least it appeared to calm him down. When he stopped crying, the storm eased and the chill got milder. I lifted him up to face me. Even though I could feel his feet on my palm he was incredibly light; it was almost like holding an empty plastic cup. I swallowed, fumbling for words. What's there to say in a situation like this? I figured since this couldn't get any weirder, I gave him a gentle shove with my finger, just to see what he'd do. He fell over.
"Oh God, I'm so sorry," I stammered. I tried to pick him up again with my other hand, but he gestured for me to stay away. "What are you?" I finally pressed out.
Now that I'd broken that barrier of silence, the words started to sputter out of him. He was stuttering and at first, I could hardly understand what he was saying at all. It was like he was trying to get it all out so fast that he couldn't focus on stringing the sentences together properly.
"He made me kill him!" That was the first thing I heard him say clearly. Despite him being so tiny, it sounded like he was talking right next to my ear. His voice was a panicked, shaken whisper. "I never wanted to hurt him, I swear, but if I hadn't done what he told me, he would have killed my sisters." He had to stop to catch his breath, but it only took him a second or so. "He's had us trapped for weeks now. You can see what he's done to me, but my sisters…" He was interrupted by his own sobs, but I could hear him try to speak up again through his tears.
"It's okay," I whispered, placing my other hand behind his back as if to shield him from something I couldn't see.
He went on in that same hushed, frightened tone, his speech just slow enough for me to comprehend though he was clearly struggling. "You have to do something to help us, please! I only did what he told me because I couldn't see my sisters suffer any longer… the things he did to them… he hurt them, he cut them…" He was having trouble breathing now. I could see his tiny chest rapidly rising and falling and his hands wandered up to his neck and remained hovering above it, like he was unsure of what to do with them.
"Shhh," I uttered, hoping to soothe his nerves. "Who hurt your sisters?"
"The man who lives next door to you." The shiny man had finally caught himself a bit. He was breathing normally again, his voice raspy and weary from having cried so much. "You were the only one to let me in… I tried it with some of the other houses on my way here too, but nobody seemed to notice…"
"I'm a light sleeper," I explained with a half-smile as I went to shut the window, the flickering shape still sitting on my palm. "So you're saying my neighbor captured you and forced you to kill someone? Who?"
"I don't know… it was another man, older guy, lives in a really large house on the other side of town. He said I had to kill him and if I'd try to flee or disobey somehow, he'd… keep doing what he does to my sisters. He said he'd make sure I'd never see them again."
"How'd you kill him?"
"I slipped into his body through his mouth when he was laughing. Then I made him choke." He said this with such a grim expression I almost expected him to break into tears again. "I swear I didn't want to." He looked up at me with wide eyes.
"I believe you," I replied. In regards to my quick acceptance of this situation despite its strangeness, I have to admit I was partly convinced I was dreaming at that point. The man straightened up and grabbed onto my thumb as if to put emphasis into his following plea.
"Can you help us?"
"I can try."
"Will you?"
I sighed. "I will. What do you need me to do?"
"You just have to go over there and get us out. He's been keeping us in jars. We could leave if it weren't for the way he's set them up. He's been using spells to bind us. We're not actually small, this is just a form he's pressed us into so he can hold us prisoner like he does. I'd thought the kind of magic he's using died with the old gods a long time ago, but he's gotten a hold of it some way."
My head was spinning. None of what he had just said made any sense to me. He seemed to see it in the way I was frowning at him since he hurried to go on. "You only have to break the jars. We cannot touch them, but you can. The glass they're made of has been enchanted, so once it's all destroyed, everything will go back to normal for us. We'll be free."
"So that's it? I just have to break into his house and shatter a bunch of jars?" I said this with some relief, seeing as it sounded rather manageable. "I can do that."
"Thank you." The response came out as more of a sigh than anything else. He stared at me with a thoughtful look on his face. "I'm Ariel."
"The house… It's the one to the right from yours. He lives on his own and he hasn't left his house since the day he bound us to the jars. He doesn't work, I think. He'll either be in the living room on the ground floor or down in the basement most of the day. That's where he keeps us. In the basement." His form flickered, almost like he was shivering.
"How will I get in? Is he asleep right now?" I asked hopefully.
"He doesn't sleep. Or maybe he does and he just keeps one eye open somehow, I don't know. My sisters and I… we've all tried to flee at one point but it's not easy. He jumps at every noise, and when he catches us trying to do anything he'll always take it out on Fei." He paused. "She's my little sister. The youngest one of them."
I sat the shimmering man down on my desk again and started to put on some clothes. "You're taking a large risk by looking for help then."
"I know." Ariel walked up to the edge of the table which I was leaning against when I pulled on my pants. He took a leap and grabbed onto my shirt only to climb up and stand on my shoulder. "But if this goes on for any longer, we'll all be dead either way."
It was even colder outside. Snow covered the ground and I stomped my way through it with the shiny man in my hand. There was not a soul out in the streets anymore. Everything was silent.
"Shouldn't I try to get down into the basement right away?" I asked in a hushed tone. The glowing figure didn't respond but gave a light shrug. "It's around the back, isn't it? Is there a window?"
"I think so," he replied. "Yes, yes, I've seen it. You'd fit."
We sneaked around the fence and eventually reached the back of my neighbor's house. Glancing over my shoulder, I could see my tracks in the snow. I hoped I could somehow wipe them out on my way back. The window was small, but large enough for me to climb in. It was shut though. I crouched down and began fumbling around with it, trying to find a way to get it open, but I knew it was futile. On top of that, my hands had already grown so cold that my fingers were almost completely numb.
"Wait," Ariel told me. I turned to see that he was standing on top of the snow, or rather floating above it. His feet left not the tiniest print in it when he walked up to the window. "I can do this. But you have to listen first. The second you're in there, you go straight for the jars. He's going to hear us for sure. If we're lucky he won't be close. Anyways, break the empty one first. That's mine. If I'm free I can… I mean, you'll still have to break the other ones. Just do mine first."
I told him I understood and he nodded. Stepping up to the window, he bowed down to examine it. "With these old houses, the rooms are never really sealed," he muttered, sounding like he was explaining it more to himself than to me. "There's always a tiny little… crack." With that, his form suddenly vanished. It was like he had been sucked in from somewhere behind the closed window. My jaw dropped when I saw him appear on the other side. I watched his light flicker and float about through the milky glass until I suddenly heard the faintest little click.
The window moved up a sliver, just enough for me to push my fingers in and carefully slide it open. Ariel was waiting for me in mid-air, looking around frantically and motioning for me to stay quiet. I tried to make as little noise as possible, but when my heavy snow boots met with the basement floor, the silence was broken. Ariel flinched but didn't stop me, only whispering a little "Go!" as I instantly made for the shelf in the corner of the large room. Before I even reached it, I could already hear somebody shouting upstairs. It was the voice of my neighbor. I had never bothered to learn his name but I did recognize him. His slew of curses was followed by loud steps thundering above our heads.
Describing the contents of the jars I saw will take longer than the actual time I took to look at them. The first one I got my hands on held a tiny little girl. She was sitting down and hugging her knees, her back pressed up against the glass. She hadn't so much as lifted her head upon our entrance. Without thinking, I threw the jar on the floor with all my might. The second it shattered though, the young woman inside flew up into the air, escaping the impact. She gave me an incredulous look before rushing out of sight.
Remembering what Ariel had told me, I scanned the shelf for an empty jar while already reaching out for the next one. Apparently the flying man had had the same thought as he turned to me with a look of horror on his face. "It's not here!"
I broke the other jar I'd grabbed and another shining woman came out. The footsteps were getting louder and louder, he was coming for us. The last jar on the shelf was a much smaller one and it contained an even smaller person, too. The sister inside was a child, I could tell as much taking just one look at her. She was bleeding from her back. I could make out two tiny pieces of blue tissue on the bottom of the jar right next to her feet. I quickly leaned in to get a closer look only to realize it was a pair of butterfly wings. There was still some skin stuck to where they had once connected to her back.
I dropped the jar mostly out of shock. When it hit the ground it cracked, but it didn't shatter. I had to bend down, pick it up and smash it down with full force for it to break. And then the door to the basement at the top of the staircase sprang open.
My neighbor was staring at me with wide, confused eyes. He wasn't an evil-looking guy. You wouldn't expect him to tear a little girl's butterfly wings out if you saw him. "You," was the first thing he said. He didn't sound angry, just puzzled. Then he looked down and his eyes fell onto the broken jars and Ariel beside me.
"No," he uttered. "No, no, no, what are you doing?" His voice had risen to a scream. He hastily staggered down the stairs and I saw he was clutching something in his left hand. I think he'd expected me to head for the window again since it took him by surprise when I lunged at him, trying to reach for the jar. He stumbled backwards at the very last moment. "Don't you–" he hissed, swiftly moving around me and grabbing me by the hair. I struggled, still trying to get ahold of Ariel's cage, but he placed it on the washing machine which stood right beside us. He dragged me away from it, shooting the shimmering man hovering next to me a dirty glance.
"I'm so fucking stupid," he muttered. "Just you wait."
Turning to me, he began to speak in a slightly softer voice. Even his grip on my hair loosened a little. "I don't want to hurt you. You live next door, right? Please, go home. Just leave, please trust me."
"Why are you doing this?" I whimpered.
"Because they're not like us, don't you get it? Can't you see what they could do if we let them run free?" He moved his hands down to my shoulders, shaking me a little as though to chase some bad influence out of my body.
That's all he said before I kicked him in the shin. He let out a cry of pain and I dashed forward, grabbing the jar from the washing machine and hurling it against the wall with all my might. The last thing I heard before the howling of wind filled my ears was my neighbor screaming something like "no" or "don't". That was just mere seconds before the objects in the room were swept off their shelves and began whirling around. I saw bottles, loose pieces of wet clothing and stashed-away household appliances fly by right in front of me. Miraculously, none of them hit me. It was like the storm was avoiding me.
The wind grew colder and stronger by the second. I heard a man scream somewhere within it. I figured it was my neighbor but I couldn't see anything anymore–there must have been snow coming in through the window since now, flakes of white were dancing amidst the chaos. Some of the objects thrown around were broken by the sheer force working on them, but even those small, sharp pieces didn't come near me. I thought I could see streaks of blood, literal drops of thick red blood being dragged through the air, but I was in too much shock to even scream. And then, suddenly, everything came to a halt. Boxes, broken glass and chunks of plastic all dropped to the floor, soon to be covered by a fine layer of snow that settled on top of it all.
In the center of this mess, the man who had held Ariel captive was lying motionless on the ground, his eyes wide open, like his stomach. Above him stood Ariel himself, but tall this time, much taller than me. His shape remained wispy and strangely luminescent, but he looked so much stronger now, so much less helpless. He turned to me with a thin smile on his lips. He glanced down at himself, gesturing to his stretched body and his smile grew.
"I bet you regret this," he began, sounding slightly amused. "Well, you don't have to. You're a good person. Thank you so, so much. We'll never forget what you've done for us tonight." He walked towards me and suddenly picked me up, effortlessly, the way you would a child. He carried me up the stairs and all the way through the house until we were outside. I was too dazed to do or say anything. My head was aching.
"Don't worry," Ariel said softly. "You haven't unleashed some kind of evil tonight, you barely put a force of nature back where it belongs. My sisters and I, we've always been free. We don't belong in jars, no matter how dangerous some people might think us. This guy, he read a few books and thought he had to save humanity or something, but see, you can't control nature. You have tsunamis, earthquakes, avalanches… storms."
We were out in the snow again now and he carefully sat me down. He still had his arms around me, hugging me like he wanted to comfort me but didn't know how. "And you have to live with all of that, you can't avoid it or control it. The earth doesn't want to kill you though, the earth loves you people a lot."
He finally let go of me and took a step back. "This is really awkward. Everything's okay though, I promise. He wasn't a good person. He thought he could do all these things to us just because we aren't human… so I promise you didn't assist me in killing an innocent person. Will you be okay?"
I didn't respond. What's there to say in a situation like this?
"Alright," he muttered. "You should go home now. My sisters have left already and I won't stay for long. But I need to do something to his house first, okay?" He paused, waiting for me to answer but I still couldn't. "Okay," he finally said. He gently placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me around, proceeding to walk me over to my front door. "Again, thank you. And I'm sorry if I scared you earlier."
I plopped down in the snow with my eyes still large and my heart pounding in my chest. I watched as Ariel trudged over to the other house again. He pulled his legs up into the air, but instead of falling to the ground, he began to float. He started growing even larger, but as his form was stretching and rising, his shape began to waver until it gradually became one with the night sky.
The storm that destroyed my neighbor's house took place when I was safe inside my own. It laid waste to the building completely. Any traces of me having been there were wiped out and I was left with the strangest feeling. I would have gladly believed it all to be a dream but the next morning, the house was still in ruins. Who knows, maybe it actually was a dream and the storm was simply a huge coincidence. I went outside because a bunch of my other neighbors were standing around talking. I haven't really done anything today because I'm so dazed. But when I went to take a walk earlier, I swear I heard the wind whisper "I owe you" over and over again.
X

I've been doing a lot of thinking about how TikTok has influenced popular music lately, and looking at the charts tracking popularity, I've noticed that a large amount of the top songs have blown up on tiktok. Just looking at the Billboard Hot 100 right now, the top two songs (Driver's License by Olivia Rodrigo, and Mood by 24kGoldn) can have their success either partially or completely attributed to being popular on TikTok. However, outside of these songs that blow up into the zeitgeist beyond TikTok, there is a much more cohesive subculture that has emerged and I want to go deeper into what this style is and why it's blown up.
The first thing I think that should be noted about music that becomes popular on TikTok is that it's dominated by Gen Z users. 25.8% of adult users on the app are ages 18-24 and that's not counting the under-18 audience (which I'm willing to bet is at least 10-15% of total audience); 29.3% of adult users on the app are over the age of 44, which includes most of Gen Z's parents and is a larger range of ages as well. As a result, the content on TikTok that blows up is the content that the young users on the app watch the most and, being a music-based platform, will reflect the music that Gen Z listens to.
My theory is that music on TikTok is an organic reaction to the music of older generations combined with being a humor-driven platform with short content. While every generation seemingly has a new taste in music that rejects the previous generation's popular music (see: Jazz/Swing, Rock and Roll, Hard Rock, Punk and Grunge, Rap), TikTok has amplified that generational gap because it uses an algorithm to kind of sort users into groups. Rap/Hip Hop is very popular among Gen Z and in the mainstream, and lyrics have been increasingly provocative and progressive, something that in my opinion reflects the strongly progressive values that Gen Z holds relative to older generations. Of course, Gen Z is still one of the (if not the) smallest age demographics and isn't even close to a full representation of what music is popular as a whole.
On TikTok, an algorithm detects what content you enjoy the most based on likes, time spent watching videos, etc... and recommends similar videos. Content creators are influenced by what they watch and with the demographic of both consumers and creators on the app being very young, it becomes an echo chamber where the content that Gen Z users see becomes the content that they create and so on. This is true of every audience; if the algorithm detects that a user really likes watching true crime videos, they'll be shown more of that and less of everything else. TikTok doesn't really work like twitter or instagram or facebook where you seek out your friends and family and celebrities to follow, the users are (for the most part) people you'll never meet or don't know about from outside the app, and the content that's shown to you is automated.
The videos on the app are very short as well. While they can be up to 60s long, the vast majority are much shorter (like Vine) in order to take advantage of short attention spans and in hopes of users watching the full video. As such, the songs that are shown are more extreme versions of what the audience listens to and often have a humorous aspect to the clip, because the creator needs to appeal to the audience while also piquing the interest of the viewer. The main influences on TikTok music stylistically are rap (because it's the zeitgeist among Gen Z) and 2010s-style pop music. Some examples of Rap popular on TikTok might be XXXTENTACION's 'Hope' and Gucci Mane's 'Wake Up In The Sky', and some examples of 2010s pop popular on TikTok might be Capital Cities' 'Safe & Sound' or P!NK's 'True Love'. However, the rap and pop that dominate TikTok aren't usually songs that would be popular outside of the app; while the songs listed above are certainly popular on the app, they're not really representative of this more specific style that's emerged. We see each style pushed to extremes (in more than one way) as well as sort of cross-pollination between these two specific styles, both of which are somewhat expected.
Rap is popular on the app because it's very rhythmic and easy to dance to, and there's a lot of new Rap content so it's easy to find new songs. However, it's hard to capture users attention with songs that aren't exciting or new or even funny, so we've seen the Rap on the platform evolve to a unique, out-there style of rap that's so catchy and gimmicky that you have to listen to it because of how new it is. This is in a similar vein to how hyperpop took the bubblegum pop tropes and pushed them to extremes as a critique of it, except it happened much more naturally. You'll find all the rhythmic elements of modern hip-hop pushed to extremes, with very bouncy drums that both extend what you hear in popular rap songs and draw from unexpected drum patterns. You'll find overblown 808s and random samples. You'll find funnier and extreme lyrics to the point of irony with . This style of rap prominent on TikTok isn't a genre or a movement or whatnot, but more of a digital subculture, in the same way that Grunge was an umbrella term for the fashion, the music, the culture of Seattle in the 90s. There are a few more characteristics found in TikTok rap, but I'll cover that a little bit later. Some examples of TikTok rap are Krypto9095's 'Woah' (known for a slow halftime kick/bass pattern and having a famous dance), K Camp's 'Lottery' (known for distorted bass, a catchy vocal sample, and highly danceable drums), Jack Harlow's "What's Poppin" (known for extremely catchy drums and lyrics so cool it's almost ironic), and Championxiii's BOO! (known for funny lyrics and an extremely danceable, slow trap beat with interesting bass).
The reason why 2010s-style Pop music appears on the app is because of nostalgia. Gen Z, being the driving force of the app, grew up on this music, and a lot of content on TikTok is about making viewers feel some sort of emotion, in this case nostalgia. This is pushed to extremes with slowed and pitched-down versions of songs and, often times, multiple songs played quickly in succession in a mini-mix or a mashup, effectively killing two birds with one stone by playing on nostalgia and a lot of content in a short timespan. The other way that 2010s-style Pop appears on TikTok is via extreme versions of the mainstream style of song, and often times it's not even songs from this era that are used but manipulated older songs or pitched-up versions of songs. There are abrasive, sugary instrumentals to go along with often hyper-feminine and hyper-sexual lyrics. There are also heavy influences from Disco/funk and EDM, and the songs are usually extremely catchy. Some examples of these songs would be D4L's 'Laffy Taffy (Fly Boy Fu remix)' (known for hypersexual lyrics, jersey club drums [known for being easy to twerk to], and high-pitched vocals), KaMillion's 'Twerk For Me' (known for provocative vocals, danceable drums, high-pitched vocals), Rico Nasty's 'Pussy Poppin' (known for hypersexual, hyperfeminine vocals, and sugary/poppy synths), and Capone's 'Oh No' (known for high-pitched vocals and catchy lyrics).
Now I think it goes without saying that this isn't even close to the extent of the songs on TikTok. There are loads of songs from entirely different genres that make it onto videos for whatever reason, such as Fleetwood Mac, Nirvana, EDM, straight-up meme songs, and just normal pop music and rap. However, after installing the app a few months ago, I've really noticed that there's this subculture that's formed around the app that revolves around the music, the fashion, and the content that no other social media has seen before (Vine is the closest but I'm not sure it was as well-defined in musical style). I really think that, no matter if you love or you hate this music, we should stop for a second and appreciate that there's this really interesting, specific yet broad style of music organically developing, let alone in an age where extreme connection and globalism has been blurring the lines between genres and styles (which is a great thing!). This is a time where streaming services can control what blows up and what doesn't, and where algorithms can prevent users on Spotify and Apple Music from venturing out and finding wildly new music. Instead, by focusing on other content than just music, an algorithm has helped to create a new niche and create a platform for emerging artists to get big.
I would love to know your thoughts on all this, if you think I'm completely right or if I got this all wrong! I think I rambled on a bit in writing this but I find this very fascinating!
Edit: I don't necessarily think that this new style is innovative or mind blowing or music that I would recommend to whoever, and TikTok isn't the greatest platform for music discovery. However, the way it's presented and the style that's emerged is extremely interesting and deserves more discussion!

EDIT - one week after i posted this, Britain's most successful hedge fund manager Michael Platt has taken a 6.5% stake
tl;dr
At-NAV new SPAC with world-leading expertise in online gambling. Worth a bet on potential to be next DKNG on the hype train
   
+++++++
Hi all - have had a lot of great tips from this sub. Hopefully this pays some of you back. I have been watching and researching this since 23 December when it first filed S1, awaiting the units to be listed - they are available today trading as ADERU
Positions - 500 units @ 10.42 to start. Will be monitoring and building position below $15, especially if attention starts to build ahead of units and warrants splitting and shares coming available to Robinhood.
(My other SPAC positions are OPEN, IPO-E-F, PSTH, FUSE, PIPP, ACTC, CCIV and DMYD, 100 to 1000 shares each mostly around NAV and numerous warrants and options around these.)
As ever, this is not investment advice and do your own research
+++++++
   
26 Capital Acquisition Corp or ADER
is a 240m SPAC with usual terms - 10$ units, 1/2 warrants. Seeking a merger in "gaming and gaming technology, branded consumer, lodging and entertainment, and Internet commerce sectors".
I think this is highly worth a play on the online gambling hype if you can get in at near NAV, based entirely on the management which is unbeatable in its knowledge of the gambling industry
   
CEO Jason Ader
has held director level positions at Las Vegas Sands Corp. ($42bn one of biggest casino groups in world), IGT (£3.72bn multinational gambling firm specialised in software and slot machines) and Playtech (£1.4bn multinational gambling software firm)
Before starting his own fund in 2013 he was regularly ranked Wall Street's top analyst on the gambling and leisure sector
His fund, Spring Owl Capital, is a small activist fund focused on gambling and leisure. They are probably most famous for ousting the CEO of Viacom in 2016 and a crusade against Yahoo CEO Marissa Meyer in 2015.
Ader knows the gambling - and online gambling - industry inside out. He drove bWin to a £1.1bn takeover by gambling giant GVC (now Entain) in 2016, and has been driving similar change and demands for improvement at board level at Playtech
The fund mostly manages money for a select group of wealthy families, which could be a positive sign for the SPAC (although I don't know how much skin in the SPAC the fund has, if any)
Here is a video of Ader from November talking about how he's excited about SPACs. He talks about how he has been advising certain States about legalising sports betting and how to maximise value and liquidity by linking up with European companies in the space (Playtech e.g.??).
Ader is extremely bullish on US legalising online casino and more sports betting options, accelerated by need for revenue because of pandemic
   
Rafi Ashkenazi
One of the most highly respected names in the online gambling world, including COO and CEO positions at major online gambling firms such as Playtech and Stars Group (a world leader in online poker and casino). At Stars he led the $4.7bn takeover of Sky Betting to create the world's largest publicly listed online betting firm in 2018. Most recently he led the £10bn merger between Flutter (biggest gambling company in world by revenue, market cap £26bn), and Stars Group (Ader also involved). Also has connections into the booming Israel tech space which is interesting
   
Joseph Kaminkow
Special Advisor to the Chief Product Officer at Aristocrat, a leading gambling software provider and games publisher, previously Vice President of Game Design at Zynga Inc. This guy is a former video game / pinball designer who is credited with revolutionising the slots industry after moving into gambling software from video games in 1999. Regarded as a "legend" and "hall of famer" in this niche. At Zynga he designed so-called 'social casino games' which don't involve real-money gambling but are otherwise basically gambling apps (revenue from microtransactions etc). 130 patents on gambling/gaming design inventions
   
Greg Lyss
This is a very interesting but extremely low profile person. He was Bill Ackman a.k.a SPACman's right hand man at Gotham Capital. Ackman respected him so much that when Ackman set up a personal hedge fund to invest the Ackman family's money, he put Lyss in charge of it. To repeat - Bill Ackman thinks this guy is such a good investor and trustworthy that he put him in charge of investing his family's money. Don't know anything more about him, but I like this association with Ackman, which suggests to me some integrity around management of this SPAC, especially as the gambling world can be very murky.
The other member of the team is the CFO of SpringOwl with 20+ years' hedge fund experience and not notable (although clearly competent)
   
Thesis / potential targets
Based on the above experience and many public comments by Ader over the past year, I would be very surprised if ADER is not looking to merge with an online gambling technology provider / existing online betting website / social casino app / possibly a supporting technology provider
They are activist inventors, and specifically say in the IPO prospectus that they could look for businesses that can benefit from turnaround or are not being run well. I speculate that their deep knowledge of the European / global online gambling industry means they have a target in mind that they think would benefit from their expertise and US liberalisation of gambling legislation.
   
1) Ader believes the listing of UK-listed gambling companies in US is immediately big in terms of market cap because of the premium on online gambling stocks in US. He has pitched DraftKings to takeover Playtech and called on Playtech to spin off non-core business. This makes me wonder if he would spin off some element of Playtech to list in US to cash in on gambling hype.
This might be Finalto.com / TradeTech which is an online financial platform owned by Playtech. Playtech has been trying to sell this for 200 - 240m since August so it fits. This company provides liquidity and trading to brokerages and runs markets.com a trading site. I wouldn't be that excited although apparently the business has been booming during COVID and there could be a decent pop just on fintech hype.
   
2) This could be a 'picks and shovel' type data/B2B betting software play a la DMYD, or something like e.g. Israel based CRM software Optimove which works with some of biggest online gambling cos and has links to Ashkenazi. This would be interesting but probably not a huge pop
   
3) Possibly - given Ader's links to Sands - an online gambling tie-up with one of the big Vegas casinos who are desperate to get into the online betting space (see MGM's attempt to buy Entain for $8bn last week). Interestingly, Sands' owner Sheldon Adelson, previously a major opponent of online betting, has just died. Ader predicted a few months ago that Sands would be moving in this direction.

“There’s no stopping online gaming,” Ader said [before Adelson's death]. “(Las Vegas Sands’) initiatives to stop online gaming, at this stage, are largely historic. There hasn’t been a lot of spending recently to do that, especially post-pandemic.”
“I think the company will see the value created by DraftKings and FanDuel and Penn (National) Gaming and others. They’re not foolish,” Ader added. source

   
4) Ader is very confident that Macau will legalise online gambling in next year or two. Sands is big in Macau, the biggest gambling market in the world. A SaaS-type product positioned to capitalise on Asian gambling would be MASSIVE - at present however, China's attitude to gambling and local regulations mean this is unlikely
   
5) I also wonder if they might try to take legitimate one of the offshore bookmakers with big customer databases and brand recognition but which have been grey-area/illegal under US gaming legislation. For example, Five Dimes recently announced a settlement with the FBI to attempt to transition into newly legalised US markets. This might have the most hype potential
   
Potential upside
This is entirely a play on management experience and the meme factor / hype around online gambling in the US. I think if they pick a good target - which given their experience and connections seems likely - and get the right publicity and attention from retail investors looking for the next DKNG this could easily 3x and maybe 5-6x if on DKNG-type hype levels.
There is currently little spotlight on this and it is a good time to get in at NAV
   
Potential Downside

• Ader has been vocal that he thinks US online betting is overvalued and in a bubble - why is he starting his own SPAC in the space then? Does he just want to cash in while the hype is at all-time high or does he have a legitimate business goal?
  
• If he just wants to dump a part of Playtech which he does not like onto retail investors, this is a bad deal.
  
• Other targets could be e.g. hotel industry or other leisure sector which would be zero sexiness to retail. Given Ashkenazi and Kaminkow's background this seems unlikely though
  
• Usual SPAC caveats apply about potential difficulty finding a target, locking up your money for unspecified period of time, and the fact I may have completely misread the potential and my above thesis might be totally wrong
  

  “Will you be out long?” Sev asked from his armchair.
  Ever since his children had moved out, he kept a constant eye on me as if scared I’d run off too.
  “We need new generator parts,” I reminded him as I put on my sandals. “If I don’t go today, someone else will buy them. And then you’ll complain that you have to repair it every week.”
  “I know!” Sev snapped and turned away, pretending to read the local paper. “I was just asking when dinner will be ready.”
  The same old excuse. He was too proud to admit he wanted me nearby and too selfish to keep silent about it. With age, the line between complaints and compliments had eroded to the point where most couldn’t tell the two apart.
  “I’ll be back before dark.” I straightened my dress and opened the door. “Do you want anything from the market?” I glanced over my shoulder.
  “Nah,” Sev grumbled, hiding his face behind the paper.
  “See you later.”
  “And get some antibiotics!” Sev shouted as I stepped outside. “But don’t pay too much!”
  “Sure thing.” I waved over my shoulder.
  The grass tickled my toes as I walked. After a few minutes I took off my sandals. Sev would have a tantrum if he ever found out; last time, he went on a tirade about the dangers of walking barefoot. I promised never to do it again, but we both knew it was a lie. I liked walking barefoot, especially here in the countryside where glass and asphalt hadn’t left their mark.
  Maybe I should pick some flowers on my way back?
  Sev would come up with some excuse how they were making his allergies flare up, but still find a reason to keep them. Then, when he thought I wasn’t looking, he’d quietly go to his room and take out the old family pictures he was hiding. Flowers would always make him think of his granddaughter. She used to bring them as a child, when her parents let her visit. That was before she had decided to join the fleet as part of the war effort. Sev had broken all ties with her ever since, and she hadn’t made any attempts to change that.
  It was an hour’s walk to the market. A single path passed through the forest, nothing to speak of but enough for the colonial authorities to put it on the map. There was talk of adding light posts, though I hoped that they didn’t. It would be nice if things remained as they were for a bit longer.
  The forest cleared after a while, giving way to a wide plain between the mountains. The transport station stood like a steel block in the middle of a field that stretched for miles. In the early days, locals and off-worlders had used the spot as a barter area away from the city, where goods could be exchanged and deals made without too much scrutiny. With the years it had grown to become a trading hub with its own spaceport outlet. The rural frontier charm still remained, but things had become more regulated.
  A single ship was visible on the other side of the trade station. From this distance it looked like a small metal tower rising uncomfortably over the other buildings. For the most part we’d only get shuttle shuttles moving to and from the city, but every now and again a cargo vessel would land bringing tech that wasn’t locally available.
  I checked my datapad for the meeting location. The merchant had changed the spot to lot five—the one closest to the station—a perfect excuse to go through a few stalls and also to get a closer look at the ship.
  By the time I reached the edge of the market, the crowds were starting to ebb. Most of the makeshift shops were closing as their owners prepared to head back to the city. Mostly stalls remained, covered with local produce.
  Lot forty-one, lot thirty-nine, lot thirteen…
  I made my way to the meeting spot, glancing about as I did. Most of the fruit stock was going out of season. The prices were twice their normal rate. Another few weeks and they’d start disappearing altogether. It didn’t bother me. We had more than enough processed food to last the rainy season. Sev would complain, of course, but he always complained.
  Lot five. I stopped at the edge of the market. The trader hadn’t bothered to set up a tent, instead he leaned against a large metal container, reading from his datapad. The moment he noticed me, he stood up.
  “Elcy?” he asked.
  “That’s me.” I offered a smile.
  “I was expecting someone older,” the man said with a nod. He was in his late thirties, short and pale, standing out like a snowstorm in summer. I could tell he has spent considerable time flying in space aboard a small ship—his muscles weren’t used to normal gravity, making him gasp for air as he spoke.
  “I get that a lot.” I put my sandals on the ground and took out Sev’s credit card. “Did you come here just because of my order?”
  “Nope.” He took the card and brushed it against his datapad. “Sold most my stuff before you arrived. Your parts are the only thing left.”
  He handed me back the card and lent me the datapad so I could input my confirmation code. I typed it in then turned to look at the ship. Not the typical cargo vessel. I could tell it was retrofitted from another class, though wasn’t able to recognize the model. It was impossible to tell whether it had a conscience core.
  “You don’t get a lot of cargo ships here, do you?”
  “We manage.” I put the card away. “There isn’t that much we need off-world. What’s the name of your ship.”
  “Electra Blue.” He smiled. It was clear he thought well of her. “Nineteen-year cargo veteran. Gravity’s a bit harsh on her, but she has it where it counts.”
  I paused for a moment. The hull scarring suggested the ship had seen her share of debris.
  “Was she in the war?” I asked.
  “Eh?”
  “Your ship. Was she in the war?”
  “Not that I know.” He glanced up in the ship’s direction. “Why?”
  “The design has been changed. I thought she might be a retiree.”
  “Oh?” I could sense some interest in his voice. “Nothing was said when I bought her. You think she could be a warship?”
  “No,” I shook my head. “She’s too small for that. A transport maybe, or something in logistics transport.”
  “Fancy that. I’ll have to ask her about it.”
  “Conscience core?”
  “No. Just advanced AI. I couldn’t afford a core. It’s not worth the money for a small gig.”
  “I suppose you’re right.” I sighed. It would have been nice to talk to a ship. Maybe I’ll get a chance next time. “Maybe it’s better this way. Cored ships don’t like landing on planets.”
  “You sure know a lot of interesting facts,” he laughed. “You like ships a lot?”
  “I should.” I looked back at him, smile on face. “I’m one of them”
  The laughter hung hollow in the air. The smile remained on the man’s face, but now it seemed slightly stretched. People reacted differently when realizing I wasn’t human. Most of the locals thought of me as a sort of android. Those that had spend a large amount of space, though, knew differently.
  “Well, handle with care.” The merchant tapped the crate. “I’d offer to help you carry it, but...” he didn’t finish the sentence. We both knew what he meant. “Maybe see you in a few years.”
  He waved then headed for the transport station. I remained a while longer looking at the ship. It was just a refit AI vessel, but even so I would have liked to exchange a few words. In the end, I decided not to. It was getting late and I still had an errand to do.
  There were no cheap antibiotics at the marketplace. Only a few of the stalls still working sold meds and the prices they offered were so high that Sev would get mad at me just thinking about it. I imagine him pacing the room as he grumbled about the good old days. The antibiotics would have to wait a few more weeks.
  “Time to take you home.” I picked up the crate I was carrying. It felt light for its size, though bulky and uncomfortable. Thankfully most of the people had left making my walk through the market easier.
  As I made my way through the fields something flickered in the sky. I looked up. A shining grain of light passed above the sunset, leaving this world for another. Maybe it was the merchant I’d bought the parts from? From this distance there was no way to tell.
  As I looked, I felt a shiver pass through me. I used to be like that once. Even after all this time I still missed the touch of vacuum...
 
 
  Advacc System, External Patrol zone — 638 A.E. (Age of Expansion)
 
  “How are you holding up, girl?” Cass asked. She had been my captain for half a decade, ever since she graduated the academy. “Surviving the boredom of patrol?”
  “Barely,” I responded while performing a deep sensor scan. “I still don’t approve of you bringing your family along.”
  “Command gave the okay. Besides, what do you care? After this flight I’ll be transferred off and you’ll get a new replacement to annoy.”
  I shut off all the lights on the bridge. Cass only laughed. She knew my tricks, just as she knew I wasn’t being serious. When she was first assigned to me, I couldn’t stand her. She was a bratty cadet fresh from the academy that didn’t know up from down, while I had been recalled from the front line so full of holes that asteroids could float clean through my hull. My previous captain had survived along with the majority of the crew, but in light of the catastrophic events we’d experienced had put in a request that I be reassigned to patrol duty. I appealed, but it didn’t make a difference. The opinions of a ship were rarely considered in arbitration.
  “Don’t tell me you’re getting soft.” Cass turned the lights on manually.
  “Of course not,” I protested. “I’m worried about the civilians. I don’t want them to suffer because of your decisions.”
  “Heh. I bet you just don’t want them scurrying through your decks.”
  That wasn’t entirely untrue. I didn’t like having civilians in me. No battleship did.
  “Thanks, though.” Cass patted her control panel. “It means a lot coming from you.”
  “Now who’s getting soft?”
  “Do you think about it? Getting decommissioned, I mean. Humans are easy—most of us don’t get more than one tour in space. You stay on.”
  “They call us space ships for a reason.”
  “I know, but is it worth it? You’ve been through two decades of wars, nearly got destroyed twice, had more captains than I’ve had boyfriends... don’t you think it’s time to retire?”
  Cass had no idea what she was talking about, and how could she? She was human, more different than the patrol ships I had been forced to serve with. War and void for her were reduced to images on a screen.
  “I like the touch of vacuum,” I evaded the question. There was no point in getting her upset on her last day. “Are we good to jump to the next waypoint?”
  “Can’t wait to get rid of me, can you?” Cass performed a manual deep space scan. Security protocols required that both ship and captain did the scan of each zone before moving on. “All seems good. Ready for jump?”
  “Very funny.” She was the only one with authority to initiate the jump, and still she’d ask me every time. It was as if she was trying to establish something deeper than the standard captain-ship partnership. Cute, but useless. In a few hours she’d be gone and I’d have to restart the cycle with some other newbie from the academy.
  “Here we go.”
  A single tap of the button and reality twisted around me to infinity. A second later my hull exploded. The shock threw Cass out of her seat as I went into full diagnostic mode. Life support, structural integrity, and system stability were checked and rechecked—all were in the green. Long-range scanners, though, were completely in operational. Immediately I launched all physical and AI countermeasures, while my subroutines continued to assess the damage.
  “Sev.” I heard Cass groan as medbots surrounded her. The impact had cracked two of her ribs.
  “Don’t speak, your family is fine,” I lied. A large part of my internal sensors were unreliable, preventing me from knowing for certain. “And don’t move. You might have complications.”
  “What happened?”
  “Mines.” I tried to send out a distress call, but couldn’t get a signal out. The mines were probably equipped with jamming technology. According to my short-range scans there were eighty-seven of them, scattered all throughout the jump zone. “Standard diversion tactic. The Cassandrians want to disrupt logistics by cutting off our jump routes.” How did they get so deep in the buffer zone? Someone on the front must have dropped the ball. “I’m not reading any ships nearby. The mines are jamming us, so we won’t be getting reinforcements.”
  “Fun,” Cass said through her teeth. The painkiller cocktail the bots had injected her with hadn’t kicked in yet. “What are our chances?”
  “For me, zero.” I didn’t have to go through the numbers. Neither side took ships prisoner. “For you, depends on whether you’re still onboard when they take me down.”
  Medbots roamed through my corridors searching for surviving crew members as my subroutines attempted to activate the emergency escape pods. Considering the simulations the chances Cass making it were less that point-three percent. If she died, I would have spent more time alive than her, and that felt wrong. I always expected that I would die on the battlefield, fleet statistics confirmed it. Cass, though, believed she’d enjoy retirement surrounded by her children and grandchildren. The universe had a nasty habit of mocking us all.
  I ordered the medbots to sedate Cass. I knew that if panic hadn’t set in yet, it soon would, especially when she found out what I was about to do. Humans always claimed that they were the ones to act based on personal goals and desires. I too had goals...
 
 
 
  The spaceship vanished in the evening sky. I gazed on a few minutes more.
  I hadn’t exactly achieved my goals, not truly. I had chosen to take a gamble and ram through as many mines as necessary to open a hole in the jamming grid. I had then sent a signal to Command warning them if the situation. My actions had earned me praise, the chance of instant reinstatement to the battle fleet, yet I refused. The incident had left Cass psychologically crippled and her husband dead. Those memories remained part of me.
  The sun sunk beneath the horizon. Sev was probably pale with concern right now, as he was each time I was away for too long. Grabbing the container, I hurried through the field.
  Sev was waiting in front of the house as I arrived. The moment he saw me, he turned around slowly making his way inside.
  “Sorry I was late.” I put the container in the yard. “I saw a ship flying away so I thought I’d look at it for a bit.”
  “Bah!” Sev grumbled as he made his way to the armchair.
  “I got the parts. No antibiotics, though. I’ll try to get some cheap ones tomorrow.”
  “Heh. Antibiotics, who needs them?” Sev grabbed the paper. “That ship... was it anyone you knew?”
  “Getting soft in your old age?” I laughed on my way to the kitchen. “It was just some ship. I didn’t get to see it up close. You just read your paper and I’ll get dinner ready. Okay?”
  “Let’s hope I don’t starve by then!” He turned the page. “And don’t undercook it this time!”
  “I won’t.” I grabbed a pot from the cupboard.
  After all, I promised Cass I’d always take care of you.
Next

—Part Two
I was so nervous and excited about starting college. I didn’t really have a great time in high school—who did? I didn’t have a lot of friends and—god, I hate talking about myself like this. Blah blah blah, right? Anyway, I was just glad to begin a fresh start in a place where people didn’t know me at all. I thought it would be refreshing to walk down a corridor without being called a ‘freak’ every single day. But I won’t bore you—let alone myself—with the details of my pre-college teen trauma. Not right now, anyway.
I got accepted into Creekwood University, majoring in American Literature. Creekwood, for those who have never been, is like some sort of utopia. It’s honestly one of the prettiest places I’ve ever seen and that alone sold me on my choice when I decided to apply. I went to one of those college open days and decided there and then that Creekwood would be the place for me. Shallow, I know, but when you’re a small town boy, anything else will do.
My parents begrudgingly drove me to Creekwood on a Friday. It was a massive inconvenience to my father who said he had far too much work to do. The whole way there my mother dropped hints about how hungry she was and how she could use a coffee, but my father ignored her in between work calls. Despite the five hour drive, with no food stops or bathroom breaks, my parents couldn’t wait to make the journey back home. They helped me with my bags upstairs in such a haste. I saw other students cringe from their crying mothers and their camera-happy fathers. My mother scanned the room I was staying in and simply said: ‘I can’t believe this is what we’re paying for.’ Just like that, they were gone—no emotional goodbyes necessary. After they left, I ended up collapsing onto one of the bare mattresses. I was too tried from the trip to even unpack yet and I assumed my roommate hadn’t arrived judging by the bare room.
I don’t know when I dozed off or how long for, but I was woken up by someone poking me in the chest. In my hazy state I saw a dark-haired guy towering over me, furrowing his brows. I’m a bit of a grouch when I wake up, so my first instinct was to punch him in the shoulder.
‘Ouch!’ He cried. ‘Dude, I was just trying to wake you up, there’s no need for the violence!’
Disorientated, I shot up from the bed and held my hands over his shoulder like I was some sort of healer. ‘I’m so, so sorry. I er-‘
‘It’s okay,’ he mumbled, rubbing his shoulder a little bit more than he really needed to. I have zero upper body strength, so I know I didn’t hit him that hard. That was the first time I saw his infectious grin. The type of grin that could get someone out of trouble, because you couldn’t help but grin back at him. ‘Good reflexes though. I’m Tris by the way. I’m your roommate, in case you hadn’t already guessed. Or maybe I’m a psycho who just broke into your room, I’ll let you decide.’
‘I’m Cole,’ I said, extending my hand which he grabbed with force and then used to pull me into a hug. A ‘bro hug’—that’s what he called them. His phrase, not mine, by the way. We would have a lot of those as we got to know one another. I wasn’t a massive hugger as you can imagine with what little background I’ve shared so far, but he turned me into one straight away. With him only, at least.
‘So, I’ve gotta grab the rest of my stuff and then I need to grab something to eat because I am absolutely starvin’. Do you want to come along?’
I stared at him, slightly bewildered because no one had ever invited me to have dinner with them. Ever. Especially within minutes of meeting. ‘Erm . . .’
He rolled his eyes. ‘Look it’s on me, and I don’t like eating alone. So please don’t make me beg.’
Tris clasped his hands together, like he was praying and pleaded at me to agree. I know he didn’t need me to eat with him, he was just being friendly and trying to make a good impression, I guessed. ‘I don’t really have a choice, do I?’’
‘Awesome! Okay, so first I’m gonna need some help getting my shit upstairs. I paid a guy a fiver to watch it, so it’s probably been stolen by now. But if it hasn’t can you give me a hand with it?’ Tris had already walked out the door before I agreed, so I followed. Even as we walked down the halls, which was full of students and parents carrying their duvets and cardboard boxes, he greeted people he didn’t even know. He raised his hand awaiting high fives from strangers and some even attempted to reciprocate whilst carrying heavy items, which caused them to drop them, of course. Tris exuded this I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude and confidence from day one. It made him so popular, everyone loved him. From day one, I loved him.
Tris and I became best friends instantly. We spent most of our free time together just hanging out, playing Xbox, watching movies. Our other friends barely saw us unless we were together. Even when we should have been studying, he’d tempt me into going out or hanging out with some of the other guys from American Lit. I got a job working in some independent superstore a few weeks after starting college, and on my third week Tris got bored. Because he didn’t have me around as much, he called the store and pretended to be my brother.
My shift supervisor came up to me whilst I was stacking a shelf with a glum face, I honestly thought I was about get fired or something. ‘Cole, your brother’s on the phone. Something’s happened to your grandmother. . .’
I didn’t question it. I knew who it would be on the phone. My supervisor led me to the office, saying she’d give me some privacy and closed the door. As soon as she did I picked up the receiver to hear Tris snickering like a child on the other end. ‘You’re a dick,’ I said. ‘I can’t believe you’re Ferris Bueller-ing me right now!’
We literally watched Ferris Bueller’s Day Off the night before, so it wasn’t hard to work out where he got the idea from. ‘You’re totally getting fired. I bet you were all like ‘’I don’t have a brother’’, weren’t you?’
‘I’m not as gullible as you think,’ I said.
‘Excellent, I’ll come and pick you up then,’ Tris said, sounding very pleased his plan had worked. ‘Okay, start crying. You can cry on command right?’
To keep his idle hands and mind busy from making bad decisions like that again, I ended up convincing him to apply for a job at the superstore. He even charmed his way onto the same shifts as me. During our shifts, I worked and he mostly just talked to me whilst I worked. But I didn’t mind, it made it so much more fun.
By the time Christmas break came around, I got a phone call from my parents telling me that they wouldn’t be able to pick me up. They decided to go and see my dad’s brother for Christmas but said they left the key with the neighbour and they would transfer me some money for food and a train ticket so I could get home. I honestly wasn’t even disappointed. Although I’d have free reign of my house, I decided to stay at the halls because, quite frankly, I preferred it to being at home. When I told Tris he was so angry with my parents for basically abandoning me during the holidays.
‘That’s cold. Why can’t you go and see your uncle too?’ He asked.
To be honest, I could of. But if I wasn’t even invited, why would I even ask? ‘I really don’t care. I hate Christmas anyway and I’d rather just stay here. There’s a couple of people who are sticking around. Plus I can work more shifts and get double time so . . .’
It was very rare that Tris got pissed off. I could tell he was not only angry, but upset. He knew I didn’t have a close relationship with my parents and he just couldn’t fathom why. If I’m telling the truth, I couldn’t exactly pinpoint a reason myself. ‘Then I’m staying with you,’ he said abruptly.
‘No please, you can’t do that. Your parents will be heart broken.’
He shrugged, furiously grabbing his dirty clothes and socks off the floor and throwing them into the basket. Something I usually ended up doing for him, but he didn’t know what to do with himself. His emotions were all over the place. ‘I’ll invite them here. I’ll even cook them dinner.’
‘Can you even cook?’ I asked.
‘No, but I’ll do it anyway because I’m not leaving you here by yourself.’
In the end, Tris’s parents insisted we came to them for Christmas—no questions asked and no excuses. That was their response when Tris told them I wasn’t going home. I also think it was so he didn’t burn the halls down by attempting to roast a turkey. I was so overwhelmed that I went into the bathroom to cry. Whilst I was in there, Tris knocked on the door.
‘Dude!’ I shouted, acting like I was doing something other than sitting there.
‘Sorry!’ He whispered behind the door. ‘But er, I just wanted to say I’ll make sure you have a good Christmas with us. I’m really happy you’re coming with me. You’ll love my parents and my house is huge, and there’s so much to do, and it’s—honestly, Cole, I’ll make sure it’s the best Christmas you’ve ever had . . . I love you, bro.’
I’m not a crier but this sort of generosity was a lot to handle for me. I wasn’t used to it and I’d never experienced it before. Not like this. ‘Me too,’ I said, behind a cough to clear the chokehold inside my throat.
There was a silence between us. I wiped my tears away and I could of sworn I heard him sniff away some of his own. ‘Anyway! Can you hurry up? Some of us need to jerk off too!’ And just like that, he was back to good old Tris.
Most of the other students had already gone home by December 18th. It was so strange to be in the common room when it was so quiet, but there was still a few students who stayed there for the holidays. Myself and Tris weren’t leaving until the 23rd and I wanted some extra cash so I put myself down to work up until then. Although Tris didn’t need the cash, he took on the same shifts too.
The night before we were due to leave, we had the night off so I made sure we were all packed and ready for the morning so we could just chill out for the evening. Although I was immersed in this weird documentary we were watching, I noticed that Tris was staring into space rather than watching it. He had been since I put the documentary on.
‘What’s wrong?’ I asked him.
Snapping out of his trance, he turned to me and gave me a half-assed smile. ‘Nothing.’
‘Tris?’
He put his hand on my shoulder and gave it a little rub. ‘I’m just happy to have a friend like you.’
‘Brother,’ I said, correcting him. He nodded, even though I wasn’t convinced that that was what he was thinking about. But I left it at that, it took him several minutes before he went back into a trance again.
I couldn’t sleep that night. I was so anxious about meeting Tris’s parents and staying in their house—well, it was an estate, actually. I just felt awkward spending Christmas with people I didn’t know. Sure, I know I’d be with Tris, but I know his family were well off and I had all these perceptions about how they would act or be.
Boy, was I wrong.
Tris drove us to the Warrener Estate early the next morning. It took us about three hours and of course, Tris made the journey fun with a playlist full of 70s and 80s tunes he could sing badly to. He loved music, especially from those decades. Tris lived in a town called Silver Oaks, which I had never heard of. It was a artsy town, apparently, that thrived on farming and old money. The outskirts contained huge country houses, and a lot of oak trees. I spotted an old radio tower that looked down on the town from the woods. The whole area looked picturesque due to the heavy snowfall.
‘Impressed?’ Tris asked, grinning at me.
‘Something like that,’ I said. ‘This place is absolutely stunning.’
‘Don’t let the postcard image fool you, some weird shit happens here.’
‘Like what?’
‘We’re just up ahead. Brace yourself.’
We drove through two huge iron bar gates and when we drove down the drive, I was blown away by the size of the estate. It looked like something from a period drama or something, and the fact it was covered in snow only made it more magnificent. Outside the huge black double doors stood Mr and Mrs Warrener, waving as we drove closer to the house.
When we got out the car, they walked straight over to greet us. Mr Warrener was a huge man. Tall and obviously spent a lot of time in the gym, or at least he used to. He was very clean cut and I could smell his expensive aftershave before he even shook my hand. ‘Cole, we’ve heard so much about you.’
‘Yes, we’re so happy you’ll be spending the holidays with us,’ Mrs Warrener said whilst she embraced Tris in her arms. I’d never seen anyone as beautiful as Mrs Warrener. She reminded me of a model in one of my mother’s magazines. I noticed how surgically pristine her makeup was, and how there were no flyaways on her long dark hair. And she looked so young. I did suspect she may have had a bit of help with that. ‘Come on, lets get you boys inside, it’s freezing out here.’
Inside was very modern. Far from what I would have expected in terms of décor and colour scheme judging from the outside. I was too afraid to even sit down. There was a lot of ceiling to floor length windows in the living room, and it was painted in neutral tones that somehow didn’t make it feel bland. It was very homely, accompanied by an already lit fire.
I caught Tris looking at me, and he seemed so happy to see my mouth-wide-open reaction. ‘Make yourself at home, I’ll take our shit—‘ he stopped mid sentence when Mrs Warrener raised her eyebrow at him. ‘Sorry. Our STUFF upstairs.’
Tris and Mr Warrener disappeared with our duffle bags up the huge staircase at the front of the house. I still couldn’t bring myself to sit down, plus Mrs Warrener didn’t move from where she stood. She stared at me with a warm smile, but it was a smile that made me feel awkward, so I broke the ice.. ‘I can’t thank you enough for this, letting me stay here I mean, it was very very kind of you.’
‘It’s no trouble at all,’ she said as she approached me. I had the strangest feeling when she rubbed her hand on my shoulder. The gesture made my heart pound, not because it was awkward, but because it was something my own mother had never done. ‘He thinks of you as family. And any family of Tristan’s is family to us too.’
I nodded. ‘I feel the same way—he’s family to me too, I mean.’
Mrs Warrener released her hand from my shoulder, and walked over to the door. The sound of her stilettos echoed throughout the room. ‘Please, feel free to look around. I’ll go and make us all some hot chocolate,’ she said before walking out. I took in the room on my own and as wowed as I was by everything so far, and as welcoming as The Warrener’s had been, I still didn’t feel at home.
Despite the size of the exterior, the inside of the house was easy to navigate due to the wide open rooms and huge corridors. I eventually found a study that was full of books and a pristine white piano. The bookcase had all the classics, some modern titles and some of my all time favourite books. There was also big square spaces in between the books with framed photographs. In every single one it was Tris and The Warrener’s with a different boy. They all posed like they were in family portraits, backdrops included. I guessed Tris must have been about 15 or 16 in the photos, he didn’t look any different other than his hair style varied with each photo. I figured he must have gone through a lot of phases as a teen.
‘How did I guess you would be in here?’ I jumped back to see Tris leaning against the door frame. He grinned liked an idiot, getting a kick out of the fact he scared me. ‘Pretty impressive collection, huh?’
‘Impressive is one word for it,’ I said. ‘This is immense.’
He walked over and pointed to a copy of a Dickens book. ‘That’s a first edition. Cost my dad a pretty penny.’ He wasn’t showing off, he knew I loved stuff like this.
‘I couldn’t even imagine how much. So, who are all these guys in the photos?’ I asked.
Tris cringed. ‘So embarrassing. So my parents always insisted on taking in exchange students when I was in high school so I could learn other languages and about other cultures. They weren’t even through the school programme. They were university students. My parents also insisted we had our photos taken together.’
‘God, that’s so adorable,’ I said pointing to a photo of Tris with some emo hair style, which earned me a middle finger in return. I counted up the photos and there was at least twelve of them. ‘Do you still keep in contact with any of them?’
‘Through Facebook with some, but mostly no. To be fair, they only stayed for like three weeks at a time and we didn’t really talk much after that. I don’t even know why my parents bother to keep the photos up.’ Tris sighed, examining the pictures. Almost like he was seeing them for the first time. ‘Hey! I’ve not even shown you my room yet, come on!’
Tris practically dragged me out of the room and across the hall which had a circular window in the centre that reminded me of the famous Amityville house. Tris’s bedroom was absolutely huge with a super-kingsize bed, an en suite bathroom and a mini living room area. It was at least four times bigger than our dorm room.
‘So bedroom options,’ he said, clapping his hands together. ‘You can either take one of the guest rooms, my sofa pulls out into a bed too or you can share with me. It’s up to you.’
‘Erm, I don’t even know what to say.’
‘Awesome! You can stay in here then,’ he decided. ‘I’m too used to having you around, I don’t know if I could even sleep without you being close to me.’
I put my arm over his shoulder and gripped him into a headlock. ‘Awh, shucks.’.
Christmas Day with Tris and his family was amazing—well, it started off that way. When I woke up, I was surprised to see a pile of gifts with my name on the tags. And when I say a pile, I mean a mound. I opened them with a sickly feeling in my stomach. Video games, books, a new laptop—honestly it was insane. ‘Mr and Mrs Warrener, I can’t accept these . . .’
Tris sighed. ‘Actually . . . They’re all from me, those extra shifts came in handy after all.’
I felt bad that all I got him was one video game, one he’d actually got for me too. I didn’t know what to say. ‘Tris—this is—‘
‘Yeah, yeah. I love you too,’ he said, wrapping his arm around me whilst Mr and Mrs Warrener smiled at us admirably.
The atmosphere was like something I had never known. Mr and Mrs Warrener cuddled up together, Tris, with his hair all matted, ripping through presents like an actual child on Christmas morning. Not to mention the Christmas songs that played in the background and the sweet smell of spiced apple that filled the room, or the size of the tree that rested in the corner, decorated like it was for a window display. I was so used to Christmas morning being short and sweet. My mother would be in the kitchen making dinner, my father would sit working on his laptop. When I opened my presents there was never any joy from either of them. They just saw it as a box they felt they needed to tick—I did, at least. That’s how it always felt.
Later on, I stepped outside to call my parents and wish them a happy Christmas. It was my mother who I decided to call, knowing that she would actually pick up. My father was always ignoring my calls or texts. ‘Merry Christmas,’ I mumbled when she answered.
‘You too,’ she said, distracted. ‘Did you get into the house okay?’
I frowned. ‘I told you I was spending Christmas with Tris. Didn’t you get my messages?’
There was a long pause on the phone. ‘Why are you inconveniencing someone else? You could have just come home. We were going to surprise you tomorrow and come home and cook you dinner. For god sakes, Cole!’
‘It’s not my fault you didn’t read my messages! I’m sorry, but I didn’t exactly want to sit at home alone with a frozen lasagna.’
‘Do you know what? Merry Christmas, Cole.’ She hung up. I threw my phone into the snow, wanting to scream, to hit something.. Her reaction didn’t surprise me. Somehow I knew she would ruin this day for me. She always did one way or another.
‘Is everything okay, Cole?’ I turned around to see Mrs Warrener standing by the backdoor with a cigarette in her mouth, cuddled up in a black mink coat. I didn’t even hear her come out and I wondered how long she had been standing there listening to my conversation. She noticed my eyes immediately drawn to her cigarette. ‘They both think I’ve quit. Our secret, okay?’
I nodded. ‘Of course.’
‘So, you and your mother had a fight?’ She asked, taking a long drag. I shuffled some snow with my feet, feeling a little embarrassed. ‘I’m sorry they didn’t want to spend Christmas with you.’ There was something in her tone . . . I wouldn’t call it disgust for my parents, but she didn’t say it with any respect for them. ‘I’m glad you’re here instead.’
I met Mrs Warrener’s eyes. Although she’d been warm to me, I detected something in them that night. Something that unnerved me. I reached down into the snow where I threw my phone and picked up. The frost stung my knuckles. ‘I’m gonna get back inside, I’m freezing.’
‘Cole?’
‘Yeah?’
She seemed to hesitate, taking a drag from her cigarette before she asked: ‘Do you think your parents love you?’
It took a moment. It felt like being winded. I tried to read her, indicate what her intention was for asking me that, as blunt as she had. There was no regret in asking her question, that was clear. She crossed a line, and Mrs Warrener knew it. I could tell by the way her expression didn’t change.
‘Excuse me,’ I mumbled as I marched past her and made my way back into the house.
We spent the rest of the evening watching some TV. Mr and Mrs Warrener cuddled up together on the sofa together and laughed at the unfunny parts of whatever it was were watching—I can’t even remember. I was glad when Tris suggested we go upstairs to do our own thing. He managed to sneak up a bottle of wine for us to share. In his room, we opened the bottle and shared sips.
‘Okay,’ he said abruptly, ‘what the hell is wrong with you? You’ve been a misery all evening. Is it your parents?’
‘Sort of,’ I mumbled, taking the bottle to have a massive swig. I avoided eye contact with him.
Tris rolled his eyes and snatched the bottle from me, slamming it down a little too hard on his glass table. ‘Fuck them, Cole. FUCK. THEM.’
I squinted my eyes, attempting to speak. ‘And—what,’ I stood over Tris, feeling blood bubble all over me. ‘Do you know what? Who the hell are you to disrespect my parents?’
Tris’s eyes widened and he started to bite on his thumb nail. ‘Erm. I just—‘
‘Just what?’
His eyes focused on the bottle of wine. The liquid still squishing at the top from how hard he slammed it down. I saw the cogs turn in his head. I may have only known him for three months, but we’d spent that much time together that I knew what was coming next. ‘You’ve had too much to drink. Maybe we should just call it a night.’
I nodded, pouting my lips. ‘Yeah, maybe we should. I’m gonna go and sleep across the hall.’
I picked up my phone and stormed out of Tris’s room. Instead of objecting or trying to stop me, he just picked the bottle back up and drank from it. I didn’t bother to close the door behind me.
I tossed and turned in the guest bed. Obviously I felt like shit about snapping at Tris, especially in his own house—on Christmas Day, of all days. It was the question that Mrs Warrener asked that played on my mind.
I was so fidgety that I couldn’t lie down any longer, so I got out of the bed and walked over to the window. The snow was coming down heavy outside, but the it lit up the pathway from the pitch black sky. This side of the house looked out at The Warrener’s enormous garden which I could barely see, but I found my eyes burning into the brightness of the snow, until I was distracted by a flicker of light.
It seemed to be a flashlight moving about near the bottom of the gardens. I knew The Warrener’s usually hired help to maintain it, but I didn’t see anyone else on the estate. I assumed they would of gone home for the holidays. But no, there was definitely someone down there. It was hard to make out what they were actually doing due to the heavy snowfall.
I waited near the window long enough to see the flashlight coming up the path towards the house. The closer the figure got, I thought it was Mrs Warrener, with a big, black fur coat. She had a hood over her head and a shovel in her hand. But then I noticed the white hair that snapped into the snowy wind. It was hard to make out but it was an older lady who struggled to keep herself up right. My initial thought was that it may be Tris’s grandmother, but he had never mentioned having one. And even if he did, why would she go that far down into the garden at night?
I got close to the window to see how much more I could make out of this older woman. The closer she got to the house the more I could just about see. And I noticed she was not only holding a shovel, but in her other hand was a black bin liner that seemed heavy judging by how she was pushing herself forward. She stopped in her tracks all of sudden, and slowly she bent her neck up and stared right up in my direction. Her face was undetectable—indescribable in the dark, shielded by the black hood, but the way she craned her neck up to my window told me she knew she was being watched. I only got a quick glimpse of her shadowed face because I jumped right back from the window so I wasn’t detected, but I feared it was already too late for that. She definitely saw me.
I waited anxiously for about a minute before I looked down again. She was gone, but the snowy path below was covered in black spots from where she had walked. They could have been footsteps, it was hard to tell without any light, or something from that trash bag . . . I remember how I felt a queasy ball in my stomach. It take over me all of sudden. I told myself that it was because of everything that had happened that evening. But what it really was, was seeing that woman in the garden. It didn’t make sense and it didn’t feel right.
It was my first indication that something was very wrong at The Warrener Estate.
I woke up the next morning with an arm around me. All I had to do was look at the chewed down nails to know it was Tris. The moment I raised my head, he tightened his grip around me. I tried my best to escape, but it was useless. He was actually quite strong.
‘Nope,’ he said. ‘We’re hugging this one out.’
‘Technically, we’re cuddling this one out and actually, you’re suffocating me.’
‘Okay, we’re cuddling this one out then.’
I shuffled away as he got closer. ‘That’s fine an all dude, but your morning wood is literally poking into me.’
‘Oh come on, like you haven’t seen it before!’
I started laughing. ‘Right, but I’ve never felt it and I don’t think I want to start now.’
He giggled as I managed to wriggle out of his grip.. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said.
‘I’m sorry too. A lot of bottled up emotions, you know? This was my first Christmas away—‘
‘Cole, you don’t have to explain to me. ‘
‘That’s why we’re friends.’
‘Brothers,’ he corrected.
Tris stretched out on the bed, unwrapping himself from the duvet. His exaggerated pose reminded me of a commercial for memory foam or something. ‘This bed is really comfy, did you sleep alright?’
I remembered the woman in the garden, and how it took me ages to sleep after. About an hour after seeing her, I couldn’t keep still and I had to look out the window again. The snow had covered over the marks on the path. ‘Tris, do you have a grandmother?’
‘Had,’ he said, ‘I never met them.’
Outside it was bright, the snow had stopped falling but covered everything. In the daylight I could see how far the gardens extended. What I failed to see last night was there was a graveyard at the back of the estate. I found it unusual, but I assumed generations past would have been buried there. It wasn’t particularly big, but I tried to replay the events from the night before and that was where I first saw the flashlight moving about. ‘Are they buried out there?’
Tris screwed his face up. ‘Morbid, much?’
‘Sorry, I just assumed.’
Tris got off the bed and stood beside me at the window. ‘That graveyard is ancient. Nobody’s been buried there for years. My parents bought the estate from the family who owned it sometime ago. It’s pretty grim I know. Apparently this place was the definition of American Gothic before my mom remodelled it. My parents wanted to get rid of the graveyard, but, they’re kinda superstitious.’
‘I saw someone—an old woman, I think, out there last night.’
Tris shrugged. ‘You sure you weren’t dreaming?’
‘No, I saw her,’ I said. I could tell by Tris’s face he didn’t believe me, and he showed no sign of knowing who it could have been. I had no reason to believe he was lying or hiding something from me. ‘You know what, forget it. I was probably a little drunk.’
Tris smiled and gave my shoulder a light bump with his fist. ‘It’s beautiful out there, isn’t it?’ He said, turning his attention back to the gardens.
I joined him and scanned over that graveyard one more time. ‘Breathtaking.’
I took a shower in the guest room and Tris went back to his room to do the same. When I emerged out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel, I was surprised to see Mrs Warrener sitting on the bed. She sat with such a disciplined poise; legs crossed, hands rested on her knee.
‘Mrs Warrener!’ I yelled, using my hands to cover my upper body. ‘Good morning.’
She didn’t return the greeting. Instead she smiled. ‘I’m sorry to disturb you unannounced. I felt I should apologise for last night.’
I didn’t know what else to do, other than sit in the arm chair and hug the cushion to conceal my bare chest. Couldn’t it have waited until I was dressed?, I thought. Instead I said: ‘Oh, don’t worry about it.’
Her face was blank. Something about her body language, her tone of voice, everything about her was totally different this morning. She even looked tired, a little less . . . Perfect? I know that’s a shallow word to use, but she didn’t seem like the same woman. She eventually raised herself up from the bed and her warm smile returned. ‘Cole, I just want you to know, I suffer from insomnia and I get a bit restless. So if you were wondering what I was doing outside in the middle of the night, I was just taking a walk.’
‘So it was you?’ I said.
Mrs Warrener cocked her head and frowned. ‘Who else would it be? I hope I didn’t scare you.’ ‘No, no,’ I said, shaking my head. ‘I just thought it was someone else, that was all.’
‘Well, there’s only us four here,’ she said as she twisted a strand of her dark hair—which seemed dull that day—with her polished finger. It was almost as if she was trying to draw my attention to it, and it only made me think of the white hair I saw on her last night. In fact, I was still convinced it wasn’t even her at all. Even in the dead of night, there was no mistake about it—it was someone completely different.
Mrs Warrener and I stared at one another in silence for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. She finally broke it when she said: I’m gonna make us all some breakfast.’ She opened the bedroom door to leave but stopped before exiting the room. She didn’t turn to face me. ‘I’m sorry again if I scared you . . .’ And then she disappeared down the corridor, the sound of her stilettos echoed through the wing.
As soon as she left, I closed the door and locked it.
Despite our little chat on Boxing Day morning, things weren’t awkward between me and Mrs Warrener. She didn’t make them weird, she carried on without even a cautious glance my way. It was nothing but smiles and laughter. It ticked at the back of my head all day long, how she felt the need to say anything to me at all if she wasn’t hiding anything. Of course I never questioned her about the shovel or the trash bag—why would I? It was her house after all.
Tris got extremely drunk that evening. We were in his bedroom and he hadn’t slowed down all day. I’d never seen him drink like that before and it was apparent that he couldn’t handle it. After he threw up in his bathroom, I helped him into bed. I removed his sweater, trousers and socks for him so he could cool down. I considered getting one of his parents to come and check on him, but I thought it would only piss him off the next day. I started to walk over to the sofa bed, when he held his arms out. ‘Don’t leave,’ he slurred, with his eyes shut.
‘I’m not going anywhere, I’ll be right over there.’
Tris licked his dry lips and shook his head side to side on the pillow. ‘They always promise they won’t leave . . .’
God, he was wasted, I thought. ‘Who is “they”?’
‘My brothers,’ he said. ‘You’re my brother, aren’t you?’
‘You know I am,’ I said, rolling my eyes. But something snapped in my brain that never even occurred to me. ‘You have brothers?’
‘Had . . .’ The slits of his lids opened slightly and he grabbed my arm. Even in his lucid state, he had a strong grip. He attempted to pull me in closer, but he couldn’t quite find the strength for that. So I bowed my head down so he could whisper in my ear: ‘You’re my favourite.’
That night I couldn’t sleep again. One word was on my mind: brothers. Plural. It confused the hell out of me. I wondered where they were, who they were, and what happened to them. There wasn’t even a photo of them. All the portraits and photos were of The Warrener’s and Tris. Just them together. The only other photos I’d seen without them was, of course, the ones with the exchange students. I don’t know what possessed me, but I opened up Facebook on my phone to stalk Tris’s friends list. I didn’t have any names to go off, but I would recognise some of their faces if I saw them.
I spent about an hour doing this and I had pretty much gone through every friend Tris had on there. There were several profiles with no facial pictures, but I thought it would be too much of a coincidence if it were them. Also three of them had girls names—all the exchange students in the photos were boys. I found nothing. Tris had no reason to lie to me, so I don’t know why he told me he had a few of them on Facebook.
I decided to go to the guest room across the hall to look out the window to the back again. I tip toed out of Tris’s room and made my way over, but when I attempted to open the door, it was locked. I tried all the other doors on that side where the view to back of the house was, but again, they were all locked. I tried a few doors on the other side, facing the front and they all opened fine. It was pretty clear that Mrs Warrener had done this on purpose.
I looked at the time on my phone: 12:06am. The Warrener’s would hopefully be in bed. Their room was on the other side of the house and the study was downstairs. I just hoped Mrs Warrener wasn’t planning on going on another walk.
I crept down the the staircase, using the torch on my phone to guide the way. All the lights were off in the house and I heard no sound from the downstairs area. The coast was clear as I made my way into the study. The door was left open ajar. It was strange, in the dark the room felt eerie, cold and very isolated. I thought about turning a lamp on, but I thought to be on the safe side I would continue to use my phone torch.
I flashed my phone over the pictures with the exchange students and examined them all. All the boys were around the same age, just like Tris had confirmed when I first saw them. But I paid special attention to The Warrener’s this time. Tris may have gone through some phases, that was clear by the clothes and different hair styles, but I couldn’t fathom why The Warrener’s also seemed to have done the same. I didn’t notice it before, but there they were in outdated clothes and strange hair styles. This literally happened a few years ago.
There was one picture where Mr Warrener was sporting a mullet and a moustache. Mr clean cut, preppy Mr Warrener. I found it hard to believe. It was a gamble and I didn’t have any idea what it would achieve. My parents used to write the dates on all of their scrapbook photos, I guess that’s where I got the idea from. So I picked up the photo and removed the backing. At first I doubted it. Shook my head. It was impossible. Literally FUCKING impossible.
On the back of the photo it said:
Kevin, 1982
I picked up another at random and did the same:
Michael, 1979
Another:
Derek, 1993.
The furthest date the photos went back was 1975. And in that time The Warrener’s hadn’t aged all. And Tris wouldn’t have been born. But there he was, the same age, nearly forty-five years ago.
The snow fall was heavier that night, more so than the last and I was absolutely freezing when I stepped out into the gardens. I didn’t bother grabbing my coat, It was a risk getting caught as it was just from being out of the bedroom. It was pitch dark, with no security light or anything to guide the way, but the path was linear and I knew where I was going. I turned around to check the house was still in darkness.
I could barely make out the graves when I finally got to them, I didn’t want to draw much attention to myself, so I put my hand over the torch of my phone to read what the stones said. Nearly all of them had been spray painted with first names over the original markings. And there was a lot of them. All boys names. And some of them I recognised from the photos upstairs.
I could hear my heart in my eardrums, and I even developed hot beads on my brow despite the cold weather and snowflakes hitting my head. I felt a hot sludge of sick travel up my throat and I puked right onto a gravestone with MICHAEL sprayed on it. Tris wasn’t referring to any deceased blood relation when he talked about his “brothers” earlier. It was those guys in the photos. They were his former ‘’brothers’’ and they were all buried in the garden on top of old graves.

<-- Previous thread

Overall summary

Name	Club	Apps: starts (from the bench)	Minutes played	Goals	Assists	Clean sheets (GK only)	Note
Matej Kovar	Swindon Town (League One)	21 (0)	1890	0	0	1	Loan ended: recalled back to Man Utd
Joel Pereira	Huddersfield Town (Championship)	1 (0)	90	0	0	0
Jacob Carney	Brighouse Town (Northern Premier League)	4 (0)	360	0	0	1	Loan ended
Jacob Carney	Portadown FC (NIFL Premiership)	0 (0)	0	0	0	0
Max Taylor	Kidderminster Harriers (National League North)	10 (0)	841	1	0	-	League suspended until February 1st
Di'Shon Bernard	Salford City (League Two)	14 (1)	1322	2	2	-
Diogo Dalot	AC Milan (Serie A)	11 (4)	1077	1	1	-
Ethan Laird	MK Dons (League One)	2 (1)	210	0	1	-
James Garner	Watford (Championship)	13 (8)	1248	0	1	-
Dylan Levitt	Charlton Athletic (League One)	5 (0)	386	0	0	-	Loan ended: recalled back to Man Utd
Aliou Traore	SM Caen (Ligue 2)	4 (10)	531	0	0	-
Andreas Pereira	SS Lazio (Serie A)	3 (14)	478	1	1	-
Max Haygarth	Brentford B (-)	7 (4)	628	3	0	-	Loan ended: moved to Brentford on a permanent deal
Tahith Chong	Werder Bremen (Bundesliga)	5 (10)	534	1	2	-
Amad Diallo	Atalanta (Serie A)	0 (2)	41	0	0	-	Permanent deal to join Manchester United

Diogo Dalot (AC Milan)

Played 90 minutes in 2:0 win against Cagliari in Serie A. Was unused substitute in 0:3 loss against Atalanta BC in Serie A. Was selected to Serie A WhoScored Team of the Week.
Selected highlights:
Individual highlights vs Cagliari
WhoScored.com rating vs Cagliari: 8.1/10 (team average: 7.08) (3rd highest rating on the pitch)
Stats vs Cagliari:
Shots (on target): 2 (1)
Possession: 4.8%
Touches: 72
Accurate passes/Total passes (success %): 39/46 (85%)
Key passes: 0
Dribbles won/Dribbles attempted (success %): 2/3 (67%) (joint most dribbles won on the pitch)
Dribbled past: 1
Aerials won/Aerial attempted (success %): 2/2 (100%)
Tackles won/Tackles attempted (success %): 4/5 (80%) (most tackles won on the pitch)
Clearances: 4 (joint most clearances on the pitch)
Interceptions: 4 (joint most clearances on the pitch)
Corners (accurate %): 2 (100%)
Dispossessed: 0
Errors: 0
Fouls: 4 (most fouls on the pitch)
Offsides: 1
Fans' opinion after game vs Cagliari:
“- Dalot: Meh. He's ... "OK *shrug" 85% of the time, 15% of the time he tries to go forward and attack. But the difference between him and Theo seems to be, when Theo plays, his teammates just know he's going to bomb up and down like mad the whole time; that energy rubs off and the rest is also forced to go forward. Dalot by being rather passive in the majority of the time, doesn't spark this energy to go forward for the rest of the team.”* ~Nickenator85 on /ACMilan
“2 seasons ago this current Dalot would be our best fullback, now we're spoilt with Theo, Calabria and soon Kalulu. He's decent, but nothing spectacular in comparison” ~Gaverini on /ACMilan
“Dalot was inconsistent, we're used to the best left-back in the world and it's obvious that the Portuguese can't be at that level.” ~Lambro on AC Milan Forum
“I don't think he's performing bad as people make it out to be. Clearly being right-footed playing on the left is hindering him. All season we've been funneling our attacks through Theo so it's almost like a baptism of fire for the team to adapt to Dalot who'll have to take that extra second to cut inside.” ~fray on The Red&Black Forums
“5/10. Not a convincing performance. Is he an AC Milan player? As a left-back he seems to struggle and not just a little. In the end, when Conti came on, he was advanced to midfield and the outcome seemed to be better.” ~@RedellePagelle on Twitter

Tahith Chong (Werder Bremen)

Was unused substitute in 0:1 loss against Borussia Moenchengladbach in Bundesliga. Was unused substitute in 4:1 win against Hertha Berlin in Bundesliga.

James Garner (Watford)

Was unused substitute in 1:0 win against Barnsley in Championship. Was unused substitute in 2:1 win against Stoke City in Championship.

Ethan Laird (MK Dons)

Played 57 minutes and got an assist in 3:1 win against Fleetwood Town in League One. He has been selected to League One Team of the Week.
Selected highlights:
Assist
WhoScored.com rating: 7.7/10 (team average: 6.91) (3rd best rating for MK Dons)
Stats:
Shots (on target): 1 (0)
Possession: 1.6% (joint least possession on the pitch)
Touches: 27 (3rd least touches on the pitch)
Accurate passes/Total passes (success %): 8/13 (62%) (3rd worst passing accuracy for MK Dons)
Key passes: 1
Dribbles won/Dribbles attempted (success %): 1/2 (50%)
Dribbled past: 0
Aerials won/Aerial attempted (success %): 2/2 (100%)
Tackles won/Tackles attempted (success %): 2/2 (100%)
Clearances: 0
Interceptions: 1
Dispossessed: 2
Errors: 0
Fouls: 3
Offsides: 0
Russell Martin (MK Dons manager): "[Ethan Laird getting kicked a lot and coming off?] Yeah, I think he's just getting used to life in League One. I'm sure he will be fine. But I was pleased, really pleased with him. We need to get some work into Ethan so that he understands fully what we're doing, but he shown real glimpses of what he's about. So yeah, I've been pleased with Ethan and he's got a lot of improvements to make as well."
Fans' opinion:
“Ethan Laird is absolutely unreal. Too good for league one. Bossing it on the right so far tonight, got an assist too” ~@KieronDay03 on Twitter
“Unreal. Is it me though or do you sometimes watch him go in to defend and initially he’s slow and then shows he has she acceleration and you think why didn’t you just get there quicker from the statt.... dons it a few times tonight.” ~@pdmkd on Twitter
“Laird is my new God. All Hail!” ~keyser soze on The Concrete Roundabout Forum
“Laird has a lot of swagger and a more natural option on the wing.” ~cornerdon26 on The Concrete Roundabout Forum
“Thought the defence looked shaky second half once Ethan laird came off” ~Donsduck on The Concrete Roundabout Forum

Jacob Carney (Portadown FC)

Matthew Tipton (Portadown FC manager): "The goalkeeper position is so important, if the foundation is right then everything else works better - defenders can move higher up the pitch and the attacking players get the ball in better positions to hurt the opposition, with the overall play a lot sharper. The distribution is vital and that can be having a goalkeeper comfortable with the ball at his feet playing it out from the back or having the speed of thought to identify opportunities playing it upfield. We know what Gareth can bring given his Irish League experience but Jacob has come as a 19-year-old on loan from Manchester United and settled really well, looking very sharp. Both goalkeepers are working hard and have adjusted to our training and gameplan.”

Joel Pereira (Huddersfield Town)

Was unused substitute in 0:1 loss against Millwall in Championship.

Aliou Traore (SM Caen)

Came on from the bench and played 31 minutes in 3:1 win against EA Guingamp in Coupe de France. Was not selected in matchday squad in 1:2 loss against Rodez AF in Ligue 2.

Andreas Pereira (SS Lazio)

Played 59 minutes and got assist in 2:1 win against Parma in Coppa Italia. Was unused substitute in 2:1 win against Sassuolo in Serie A.
Selected highlights:
Assist vs Parma
Good through ball resulting in a chance for Lazio
Corner followed by a good scoring chance that hit the post
SofaScore.com rating vs Parma: 7.0/10 (team average: 6.81)
Stats vs Parma:
Shots (on target): 1 (0)
Hit woodwork: 1
Big chances missed: 1
Touches: 37
Accurate passes/Total passes (success %): 13/17 (76%) (worst passing accuracy for Lazio)
Key passes: 3 (most key passes for Lazio)
Big chances created: 2
Dribbles won/Dribbles attempted (success %): 1/4 (25%)
Dribbled past: 0
Aerials: 0
Tackles: 0
Clearances: 0
Interceptions: 0
Corners (accurate %):
Fouls: 0
Offsides: 0
Fans' opinion after game vs Parma:
“I was sorry to see him go off so early, he wasn't playing great but he wasn't that bad either. I still think his role is as a midfielder and not as a second striker, I'd try him there from the start with Sassuolo. It's true that he's a bit too fond of the ball, but I don't see him in the middle of the pitch as a second striker. He's a very technical player, the kind who has to touch lots of balls to make an impact.” ~Stock on SS Lazio Forum
“It's a shame about Pereira, he could have played a bit more because he has unquestionable quality, although I don't see him as a replacement for Correa but more as a replacement for Luis Alberto.” ~@GladiatorFabry on Twitter
“Would really like for him to be a part of this team. Both parties want to stay together so I expect United to get a fee for him regardless of what the price is. Lazio and United usually have good business together so I expect permanent move at the end of the season.” ~TheSoccerguy124 on /soccer
“For me, at this moment Pereira in midfield you can't put him. Not along with one of Milinkovic or Luis. Tactically he struggles so much.” ~HummingBard on Lazio.net
“Andreas Pereira a player of the highest calibre.” ~Saymyname on Lazio.net

Di'Shon Bernard (Salford City)

Played 90 minutes in 2:2 draw against Harrogate Town in League Two.
Selected highlights:
Error leading to goal
Wonderful long ball pass
Poor marking in the box which leads to a chance for Harrogat Town
WhoScored.com rating: 5.5/10 (team average: 6.49) (worst rating on the pitch)
Stats:
Shots: 0
Possession: 6.2% (2nd most possession for Salford City)
Touches: 63 (2nd most touches for Salford City)
Accurate passes/Total passes (success %): 41/56 (73%)
Key passes: 0
Dribbles: 0
Dribbled past: 0
Aerials won/Aerial attempted (success %): 4/8 (50%) (joint most aerials won for Salford City)
Tackles won/Tackles attempted (success %): 1/1 (100%)
Clearances: 5 (most clearances for Salford City)
Interceptions: 1
Dispossessed: 0
Errors: 1 (most errors on the pitch)
Fouls: 3 (joint most fouls on the pitch)

Next up

January 26th:
At 7 PM Garner's Watford plays Millwall and Joel's Huddersfield Town plays Bristol City in the Championship. Laird's MK Dons play Charlton Athletic in League One. Bernard's Salford City plays Cambridge United in League Two.
At 7:45 PM Carney's Portadown FC plays Crusaders in NIFL Premiership.
January 27th:
At 5 PM Dalot's AC Milan plays Inter Milan in Coppa Italia.
January 30th:
At 2 PM Dalot's AC Milan plays Bologna in Serie A.
At 2:30 PM Chong's Werder Bremen play Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga.
At 3 PM Joel's Huddersfield Town plays Stoke City in the Championship. Laird's MK Dons play AFC Wimbledon in League One. Bernard's Salford City plays Oldham Athletic in League Two. Carney's Portadown FC plays Warrenpoint Town in NIFL Premiership.
At 6 PM Traore's SM Caen plays FC Chambly in Ligue 2.
January 31st:
At 2 PM Andreas' SS Lazio plays Atalanta in Serie A.
^{*All times are GMT.}