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“Let the Captain rounds begin!” Castor yells then instructs them to split into four groups of five. Twenty people fighting for one of the eight Captain spots. This’ll be interesting.

The first game starts, and the stands erupt in cheers as the teams battle to carry the luminous energy orb, a flare, passing it back and forth until the giant hoops on either end of the arena ignite in fire. This first part of the game is usually the strategic part where players typically pass the flare back and forth at a relatively introductory pace.

Gryphon’s team caught the flare when it shot up from the hole in the center of the field and are now passing it back and forth, attempting to get closer to the other team’s hoop.

“Come on, Leaf, you can do it,” I mumble as he crashes through a Front and Wildcard. The Wildcard throws the flare to the other front, and Leaf intercepts! “YES!” I scream, but it’s lost in the noise of the crowd because at that point, both hoops light with flames on either side of the arena.

This is when games get brutal and twice as fast because in order to score a point, you need to toss the flare through the enemy hoop before the flames burn out.

Leaf sprints to the other end of the field, flare tucked neatly under his arm. We’re able to hold it longer with our natural sun’cher resistance to heat, but he’ll have to pass it soon. Gryphon charges forward and casts a whip of white myst around Leaf’s ankles, causing him to trip and drop the flare.

Gryphon picks it up and takes two bounding steps before launching it in the air to his Wildcard.

The game goes on while the hoops slowly burn out in a circular motion. The Moon’chers tend to pass the ball faster as they cannot hold the flare as long without casting an ice shield. Passing the flare has its advantages because holding on to it too long makes you a target for many physical and magical attacks.

The hoops cycle down to the final minute, and I’m cheering along with the crowd, begging for a rare, coveted point to be scored. Both Leaf and Gryphon are playing their assess off —so really any side could win, and yet my eyes trail Leaf as he sprints to the hoop, shoots—

“AND HE SCORES!” Professor Hogsmith’s voice roars.

Castor continues to test the Captain hopefuls in the remaining rounds until he’s settled on eight: Leaf, Gryphon, Etta, Pollom, Leo, Harriet, Carzon, and Sara. All of which are from the third-year class, besides Gryphon and Leo.

Castor pulls aside the Captains to meet along the side of the arena while Commander Hogsmith splits us into groups based on the position we are trying out for.

I make my way to the Wildcard section and may or may not have shoved my shoulder into the side of Sabra.

“Watch it!” she says, face scrunched in her typical sneer.

I smile back at her with my teeth. “Good advice for yourself.”

Before she can retort back, Cassiopeia grips her arm like the good little sidekick she is.

Castor and the Captains return, all lined on the stage ready to observe the rest of tryouts. Again, my eyes snag on Leaf, and I can’t help but hope we are on the same team.

I would kick his ass if he didn’t pick me, and he knows it.

I’m selected to compete in a group of five in one of the first games, marked with a white armband, and take my place in the center of the formation.

A whistle sounds, and the flare shoots up from the hole in the middle of the arena. The Fronts on my team shoot forward, but not fast enough before the opposing team in yellow bands snatches the flare. The Moon’cher is disturbingly fast, running and pivoting around the Fronts with ease.

I roll my sleeves up a little more, waiting eagerly for his toe to cross the threshold that marks the release of the Wildcard. The moment his foot crosses the line, I take off sprinting and shoot a ball of blayze at his feet. He stumbles, and I snatch up the flare.

It’s fucking hot!

I tuck it under my arm and dart diagonally forward, looking for a Front to pass to. Come on, come on...

THWACK!

I’m sprawled out on the ground. Sabra spits next to my head with the flare now tucked under her arm.

“You bitch!” White hot fury replaces any pain that I had felt from the tackle as I shoot to my feet, scanning the area. She will pay for that. Sabra is fast, already darting this way and that to avoid enemy tackle.

She screams and passes the flare to one of her teammates, likely unable to withstand the flare any longer. A Moon’cher from my team casts a wall of ice to block a few Fronts from the opposing team as he launches the flare back toward me.

I catch it, pivot, and run.

At some point the hoops started blazing with fire, and time is now of the essence. If I don’t score now before the fire goes out, neither side will earn a point. The flare burns hot under my arm, but I ignore it, running as fast as I can. The hoop is burning away fast. I take a couple of steps and swing the flare hard into the center of the goal just as it burns out.

“GOAL!” Professor Hogsmith yells.