"I can't believe Derek is on the team... OUR team. Pinch me, I must be dreaming," Jason said, clearly bummed out by what had just taken place. "Unfortunately, you're not dreaming, my friend. But how could he have gotten a spot? I thought tryouts were supposed to end before the first game," Leo said, clearly stating the obvious. "It's so unfair," Jason muttered sadly. They walked over to their next class, already freshened up but still saddened by their current ordeal. Coincidentally, they ran into Anaya in the hallway. Anaya took one look at them and knew that something wasn't right. "Explain," she said plainly, clearly not in the mood for any dilly-dallying. "Derek is on the school's rugby team now," Leo said immediately. "He is going to be playing with us all season," Jason added. "Isn't tryouts supposed to be over already?" Leo asked. One could tell that they were clearly tired of always having to deal with Derek and his intrusive behavior. Anaya chuckled slightly, catching

"I’m so confused," Jason said immediately. "Why is the woman who gave us our uniforms here?" Leo asked, his words also laced with confusion. "Because she knows us," Anaya replied vaguely. "Of course she knows us; she gave us our uniforms," Leo said indifferently. Anaya let out a sigh and, after a moment of silence, said, "Okay, I guess we’re starting from the very beginning. Miss Tremont had been sneaking around us an awful lot; it was hard not to notice. So every time I would see her lurking, I’d follow her to see what she was up to. One day, I found her going into a secret room. Curiosity got the better of me, so I followed her—" "Are you serious?" Leo interrupted immediately, worry etched on their faces. "You could have been attacked or worse—" "Will you boys just let me finish?" Anaya snapped abruptly, cutting them off. The room fell silent once more, and Anaya took a deep breath, dusted the hem of her shirt, and continued. "Thank you... As I was saying, when I came in, I wa

Anaya walked over to them after her long conversation with one of the classmates. This was the longest she had spoken to anyone other than Jason and Leo since she stepped foot into the school. She was still laughing heartily as she said, "You guys are not going to believe what happened to Mr. Fickletie Berry..." Her laughter slowly faded once she saw how drained they looked. "What happened to you two?" she asked, worry etched on her face. However, she received no reply, only aggrieved sighs. Anaya's frown deepened as she felt she was being given the silent treatment. "Look, are you guys still upset about the prank thing? I said I was sorry." "No, we're not upset, honest," Jason assured, waving his hands frantically. Anaya slowly nodded and replied, "Okay, good... But then, why do you both look like you're about to jump me?" Leo chuckled slightly at her comment, and Jason responded, without a sigh, "My dad made us scrub the ballroom floor when he found out that we were not in

They turned heads everywhere they went, although the boys were almost certain that was Anaya's doing. The field was filled with various activities: chess, Pegasus riding, flame throwing, and much, much more. "So basically, all we need to do is choose a club," Jason said. "Mhmm, then the after party," Sebastian added excitedly. "Crazy..." Leo murmured when a centaur casually sashayed right by him. "Come on, let's check that out," Anaya said eagerly, dragging them toward the archery section. The person in charge of the spot had just released his bow, landing his arrow in a perfect bullseye. He turned to them, flashing his pearly white teeth, and said, "Impressive, isn't it?" Anaya scoffed at his words and rolled her eyes. "Anaya," Chris greeted with a deep grin. "Chris," Anaya replied flatly. "Leo, Jason, and Sebastian. Glad we're all caught up," Leo joked. Anaya rolled her eyes and smiled before turning to Sebastian. "This looks fun. Do you want to give it a shot?"

"The principal went to see her. They probably think she's the one who did that to the field," Leo muttered, constantly pacing right outside the principal's office. Jason and Anaya gave each other meaningful glances, visibly trying to piece everything together. After Sylvia had fainted in front of them, they quickly rushed her to the school nurse. The school principal had gone in moments later, sweating profusely, with his eyes widened in shock. "Well, isn’t she?" Anaya asked sternly. "Of course not," Leo snapped, he never wasted any time when it came to defending Sylvia. Anaya swept her hands through her hair, her annoyance growing by the minute as she spoke. "My goodness, open your eyes, Leo. The evidence is overwhelming. Sylvia hasn’t been in school in days. I didn’t even see her at the gathering—did you?" she said, pointing at Jason. Jason tilted his head thoughtfully before slowly shaking his head. "Exactly. And then, the minute she shows up, she’s bruised and battered at