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Seventeen-year-old Alex Petrovic is thrilled to be playing goal for Team British Columbia in an international hockey tournament. After a game against a team from eastern Europe, he shakes hands with the opposing goalie, Stefan Divac, and finds himself staring at his identical double. At first he dismisses it as an odd coincidence. Then his mother sees Stefan-and faints dead away.
The chance meeting uncovers family secrets buried years ago in the wake of a civil war that tore apart their home country, and their family. When two war criminals from that conflict escape, Alex dreams about bringing them to justice. Can his dream become reality? MICHAEL BETCHERMAN is an award-winning screenwriter and author with numerous credits in both documentary and dramatic television. He is also the writer/creator of Suzanne and The Daughters of Freya, two online novels. Breakaway is his first novel for young adults. Betcherman lives in Toronto with his wife and daughter.
ONE
Alex stood in front of the mirror. He stared at the stump sticking out of his shoulder, where his right arm used to be. A doctor in a white lab coat was standing behind him. He caught Alex's eye in the mirror. "You'll get used to it," he said with a reassuring smile that didn't reassure Alex one bit. Alex looked at his reflection in the mirror again. He'd never get used to the sight of that. Not in a million years.
The strangest thing was that he couldn't for the life of him remember how he lost his arm. He had both of them at the game the night before. Obviously. He wouldn't have been selected to represent his province in an international hockey tournament if he only had one arm.
He remembered walking out of the arena following Team British Columbia's loss to Team Michigan, his goalie stick in one hand and his hockey bag in the other. He took the bus straight home, unpacked his hockey bag, and went into the kitchen and made himself a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich-a task that required two hands. When he finished eating he went into his mom's office to say good night. It was past ten o'clock but she was working on her computer, as usual. After that he went to his bedroom, played a hockey video game on his computer-another task that required two hands-and went to sleep.
So how did he lose his arm? The doctor was watching him through the mirror. "Shit happens," he said with a shrug.
The doctor's cellphone rang. He appeared not to notice. It rang and rang and rang.
Alex woke up and turned off the alarm clock on his bedside table. He'd been having dreams where he was missing a limb for as long as he could remember. When he was little, the dreams terrified him. He'd wake up screaming, and he wouldn't stop until his mother came into the room and calmed him down. The dreams didn't terrify him anymore. They just made him sad.
"You don't have to be a shrink to figure out why you're having them," his friend Lara said to him once. "You miss your dad."
Alex's dad died when he was one.
Died wasn't really the right word to describe what happened to his father.
He was murdered.
At the time Alex and his parents were living in Berovia, a small country on the island of Charos off the coast of Italy. Berovia was at war with its island neighbour, Maldania. It was the latest in a string of wars between the two countries that went back centuries. The hatred was so deep-rooted that when Alex's mom, a Berovian, married his dad, a Maldan, their families disowned them.
One day, a few months after the war began, Alex and his mother fell ill. His dad went out to get a doctor. He never came back. The next day Alex's mother found out that he'd been killed by Berovian soldiers.
Alex didn't find out how his father died until he was seven. He would never forget the feeling of utter devastation that overwhelmed him when his mother finally told him. "Why did they kill him?" he asked after the shock wo
The chance meeting uncovers family secrets buried years ago in the wake of a civil war that tore apart their home country, and their family. When two war criminals from that conflict escape, Alex dreams about bringing them to justice. Can his dream become reality? MICHAEL BETCHERMAN is an award-winning screenwriter and author with numerous credits in both documentary and dramatic television. He is also the writer/creator of Suzanne and The Daughters of Freya, two online novels. Breakaway is his first novel for young adults. Betcherman lives in Toronto with his wife and daughter.
ONE
Alex stood in front of the mirror. He stared at the stump sticking out of his shoulder, where his right arm used to be. A doctor in a white lab coat was standing behind him. He caught Alex's eye in the mirror. "You'll get used to it," he said with a reassuring smile that didn't reassure Alex one bit. Alex looked at his reflection in the mirror again. He'd never get used to the sight of that. Not in a million years.
The strangest thing was that he couldn't for the life of him remember how he lost his arm. He had both of them at the game the night before. Obviously. He wouldn't have been selected to represent his province in an international hockey tournament if he only had one arm.
He remembered walking out of the arena following Team British Columbia's loss to Team Michigan, his goalie stick in one hand and his hockey bag in the other. He took the bus straight home, unpacked his hockey bag, and went into the kitchen and made himself a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich-a task that required two hands. When he finished eating he went into his mom's office to say good night. It was past ten o'clock but she was working on her computer, as usual. After that he went to his bedroom, played a hockey video game on his computer-another task that required two hands-and went to sleep.
So how did he lose his arm? The doctor was watching him through the mirror. "Shit happens," he said with a shrug.
The doctor's cellphone rang. He appeared not to notice. It rang and rang and rang.
Alex woke up and turned off the alarm clock on his bedside table. He'd been having dreams where he was missing a limb for as long as he could remember. When he was little, the dreams terrified him. He'd wake up screaming, and he wouldn't stop until his mother came into the room and calmed him down. The dreams didn't terrify him anymore. They just made him sad.
"You don't have to be a shrink to figure out why you're having them," his friend Lara said to him once. "You miss your dad."
Alex's dad died when he was one.
Died wasn't really the right word to describe what happened to his father.
He was murdered.
At the time Alex and his parents were living in Berovia, a small country on the island of Charos off the coast of Italy. Berovia was at war with its island neighbour, Maldania. It was the latest in a string of wars between the two countries that went back centuries. The hatred was so deep-rooted that when Alex's mom, a Berovian, married his dad, a Maldan, their families disowned them.
One day, a few months after the war began, Alex and his mother fell ill. His dad went out to get a doctor. He never came back. The next day Alex's mother found out that he'd been killed by Berovian soldiers.
Alex didn't find out how his father died until he was seven. He would never forget the feeling of utter devastation that overwhelmed him when his mother finally told him. "Why did they kill him?" he asked after the shock wo