The heat in Barcelona was different from London.
In London, the heat was wet and heavy. In Barcelona, it was dry. It baked you.
Alex stood in the tunnel of the Camp Nou. The air smelled of popcorn and expensive cologne.
He looked up. The stadium did not have a roof. It just went up and up, a giant bowl of blue and red seats, reaching right into the bright Spanish sky.
Ninety thousand people.
"It is big," Mark whispered.
Alex looked at his partner. Mark was vibrating. He had drunk two cans of Hurricane Energy before the warm up. His eyes were wide. His leg was bouncing so fast it was a blur.
"It is huge," Alex agreed.
"The pitch," Mark said, his voice shaking. "I walked on it. It is... it is like an airport. It goes on forever. I can run forever."
"Just do not run out of energy in ten minutes, Speed," Antoine said, standing next to them.
Antoine looked perfect. He was wearing sunglasses in the tunnel. He took them off slowly.
