Patrick and I went back to our dorms, and I went to the study lounge, which had a few long rectangular wooden tables, slender arched windows, and a fireplace. It was quiet and a perfect place to study the runes I needed to memorize.

If it hadn't been for the motivation of wanting to join the Dragonstryke team, I'm not sure if I would have studied so hard to learn how to shoot fire bolts. Regardless, I wanted to know how to do it because it was a superpower. But the potential for playing Dragonstryke gave me an extra push.

I thought there would be more people in the study lounge on a Sunday night, but it was just me and two other Fyrons I didn't recognize on the other ends of the room. 50 people could fit comfortably in, but having it practically all to myself was peaceful.

While taking a break, I pulled out that letter again from D.S. and read it. I wanted to know who I could talk to about it.

Jonathan may be a good person to consult. I should have asked Patrick, but it slipped my mind.

The following day I had my classes, and they all seemed to go as they did the previous week. I was finding a groove. I could do 4 courses with nice breaks in between. It wasn't like high school, where I felt they tried to cram so much on a single day. Six separate classes, with only 5 minutes to walk between each? It was too much for me to keep up. Four felt more manageable. But Professor Hawthorne's class remained difficult.

In my following class with Professor Hawthorne, I was worried there would be another showdown or argument with Houston, but he had to sit at the front of the class while I stayed in the back. It was the ideal setup. Although when Professor Hawthorne dismissed us, we all left and filled the hallway. People chatted and laughed with each other. Houston linked up with a friend, cracking jokes, but I couldn't hear specifics since they were a few people ahead of me. But I saw Houston glance to the left side of the hallway. Houston stepped closer to the left and stuck his foot out, tripping a first-year Aquaso. The kid smacked his head off the ground, and Houston and his cronies roared with laughter. A few other kids cracked up, but I quickly went to the fallen kid.

"Hey, are you all right?" I said, reaching my hand out.

"I don't need help from a Fyron," the kid snapped back at me. He stood back up, brushed himself off, and then softened his expression. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I thought maybe it was a Fyron that tripped me."

"Nah. It was that other kid, Houston Smith."

Houston was walking further away, and he didn't look back. No one else had seemed to notice or care enough.

I saw red.

"I wish I could do something about it," the puny Aquaso said.

"Stay right here, or go to your next class. Whatever." I stormed through the crowd of students in the hall until I ran up behind Houston and shoved him forward.

Houston spun around, narrowed his eyes at me, and charged. He cocked his fist back, and I planted my feet. Swinging a punch at me, I ducked and did a leg sweep, tripping him to the ground.

Everyone in the hall crowded around us in a massive circle. I stood over Houston, but he scrambled back up and launched a punch at my eye, and I fell down. People rushed to Houston and hauled him away.

"What's your problem, dude!" Houston shouted.

I held my hand on the side of my face.

Just as my old black eye faded away.

I stood back up and marched out of the circle. The shrimpy Aquaso kid stared at me in awe.

"Thank you," he uttered as I passed him.

Professors came to the circle of students yelling, "Get to your next class!" and "What happened?"

One kid yelled out, "Houston Smith punched someone!"

But I stepped away. I didn't want to get caught up in any drama or trouble. I rushed to my career class which was the last one of the day and the most easygoing. It was brutal paying attention, though. All I could think about was how Houston blew up over nothing. I just gave him a shove, justifiably so, and he came out swinging. Would I get suspended if I got caught? That one kid had to place the blame on Houston.

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During dinner, I sat with Chris and Boris once again. We didn't talk about much, but it was a nice break from the earlier insanity. They didn't even ask me about my black eye. We just exchanged hellos and focused on our meals.

I surveyed the dining hall. It had been decorated over the weekend. The most amazing of all was a giant pumpkin floating in the center. Jack-o-lanterns could be found everywhere. They were placed on top of small stone pillars in every corner. All of them had a standardized carved face. I was excited to see my favorite holiday celebrated in Lementum.

"So, what's Halloween like here on campus?" I asked Boris and Chris.

"It's honestly really cool. They have a party here in the dining hall, and they set up the rec hall as a haunted house. Here they have all kinds of treats you could ever want. It's one of my favorite weeks on campus," Boris explained.

"Wow! That sounds really cool. I can't wait until Halloween comes. Back in my home area, I went around the trailer park getting candy from people. Do people do that in Attleton or elsewhere?"

Boris shook his head. "Not really. A lot of people just have parties and serve a lot of desserts. They like to dress up too, usually as another animal."

"Ah, neat." I immediately started daydreaming about going through the haunted house with Farrah.

We continued finishing our meal in silence.

An older Fyron approached our table; he had to be a fifth or sixth year. He had some facial hair stubble and short, trimmed hair that would be ideal for a job interview. He was 6'4 as well.

"Excuse me, are you Rollie?" He asked.

Boris and Chris stared at him with their brows arched.

"Uh, yeah, that's me. What's up?"

"Hey, my name is Richmond, but most call me Richie. I'm the head captain of the Fyron Dragonstryke team."

"Oh, hey, nice to meet you. I'm Rollie."

We shook hands.

"Do you have a moment to chat? We can walk around?"

"Uh, sure."

I stood up and left Boris and Chris as they stared at me dumbfounded. Walking off to the side of the dining hall, a few people around us were conversing, but we had enough privacy.

"So, I was talking with Patrick, he and I are buds, and he mentioned you were a real natural on the bike."

"Oh, thanks. Yeah, maybe it was beginner's luck, but I guess I was able to pick it up quickly." I shrugged.

Richmond smiled. "Well, that's great. Can't beat that, it takes people a while to learn how to fly a dragon bike, and it sounds like you have a leg up. Tryouts have already happened, and the team is already set, so I was dismissive about the idea."

"Oh, thanks," I said sarcastically, but I wished I bit my tongue.

Richmond chuckled. "Patrick said you were rough around the edges. But hear me out, Rollie. I heard about the scuffle that happened today with Houston. We haven't played the Voltruns yet, but I think they have the best team out of anyone. And we have a pretty good team this year, but we're missing an X-factor if you know what I mean."

I stared at him blankly.

"I'm sure you know by now Houston is a jerk, plain and simple. But he easily gets in people's heads, and he's a damn good Dragonstryke player. Like, so good, he's definitely going pro even though he is just a third-year student. And then you factor in how good the supporting players are, and now you're talking about a Voltrun dynasty for the next few years. But upsets happen in Dragonstryke, and if we want a chance to win, we must pull out a few surprises."

I didn't know what to say, so I kept nodding along.

Richmond tapped his chin and smirked. He started talking quicker too. "So it got me thinking. You seem to be a fiercely loyal Fyron. And that's the number one trait we pride ourselves on. We are loyal! If you see something happen to another Fyron, even if you don't like them, you help them out. It's in our blood! And here you are helping an Aquaso, defending him from Houston. Then Houston strikes you, and we've discovered a key to victory! You know how to get the better of the Voltruns' best player."

I cracked up at how excited Richmond was getting. I had to set him straight. "But I can't do a fire bolt yet. I'm just a first year and not even from this world."

Richmond nodded. "I'm aware. And first years don't even make it on the team usually. Houston did, though, at the end of his first year. He picked up fast. I think it'd be great to hold a special tryout for you. See how well you can ride. Patrick really made it sound like you could be a thief. And if you're a thief, you don't even have to worry about throwing a fire bolt at someone."

"What's a thief?"

Richmond's lip curled up. "You'd be the one we'd want flying to the trophies and stealing them, running them back home for points. You could be our second stringer if our starter gets out. Believe me, happens more than I'd like, but our current second-tier thief is..." Richmond sighed. "He's a good guy, so I hate saying this, but he's not the best."

"You think I'm better than him based on what Patrick said?"

Richmond chuckled. "When you put it like that, it sounds a lot crazier. But let's get you to the field tomorrow if you're comfortable. Heck, you can take my dragon bike for a ride. I'll stay after practice with the assistant captains, and maybe you'll make the cut. That is, of course, if you're interested?"

"Uh, yeah, that would be amazing. But I need to learn how to fly up higher and lower. I was only hovering off the ground just a couple of feet."

Richmond waved his hand. "It's all right. I think those other techniques should be a breeze for you. Tomorrow, take the campus train at 7:00 p.m. I'll be in front of the field house, and we can meet then."

I was stunned at how fast everything was developing. "Yeah, that would be awesome. I'll see you then."

"In the meantime, Rollie, study those runes, eh?" Richmond patted my shoulder and smiled. He strode away from me.

I couldn't stop smiling. I returned to the dorm lounge and spent the rest of my night studying runes.