The following day after dinner, I went to the subway station on campus and took a train to the field house. At first, I panicked because I didn't know how to use arcane magic to get the cart moving, but fortunately, when I arrived, a Fyron waited for me on the platform.

"You must be Rollie, yes?" a tall, athletic girl said.

"Yes, I am."

"I'm Linda, pleasure to meet you." She shook my hand. "I'm a fifth-year assistant captain, probably going to be a captain next year if all keeps going well. But, anyways, I'm here to take you to the fieldhouse."

We were silent during the ride as the train clattered ahead. Upon arrival, Richmond just stood there with another girl who looked a lot like Linda.

"Hey, Rollie, glad you could make it. This is Laura, our other assistant captain, and Linda's sister. She's a fourth year."

I shook her hand. These had been the friendliest Fyrons I had met outside of Farrah. The three seemed genuinely happy to see me with their sincere smiles.

Richmond guided us towards the field, and at the very beginning of the smooth stone square, there was a glorious scarlet dragon bike in front of us. He held his hand over the face, and his hand glowed. Red lines of light breathed through the scales.

"All right, show us what you did with Patrick the other day. If you're a natural at flying low to the ground, the same principles apply to flying upwards," Richmond said.

"I'm used to riding dirt bikes. Should it be like pulling up on the handlebars like I'm popping a wheelie?"

All three of them looked at me dumbfounded.

"Never mind, I forgot, dirt bikes aren't really a thing here. I'm sure I'll figure it out." I waved my hand dismissively.

"If you want to raise elevation, you pull on the handlebars as if lifting off the ground. It's a natural progression. You're not afraid of heights, are you?" Richmond asked.

I smirked. "I'm not worried about it. What happens if I fall, though? That would be a pretty steep drop."

"Don't worry. There's a spell over everything that will catch you from seriously injuring yourself."

"How can you tell?"

"Well, it's invisible, but I promise. I wouldn't let you get harmed like that. If you're uncertain, let me show you." Richmond took the bike and, in a matter of seconds, flew up about 40 ft above the ground at least.

He stood up on the seat and jumped towards the ground.

My heart plummeted, and I gasped. As Richmond fell from the bike, he kept his arms to his side and dove to the ground. I was afraid he would break his neck, but as he reached 5 ft from the ground, he stopped mid-air. An invisible force gently pushed him back upright, and he landed on the floor.

"You see, nothing to be worried about!" Richmond said and smiled. The dragon bike floated back to the ground, right next to Richmond.

I shook my head. "But just the other day, I was launched off the bike riding around at like 50 miles an hour."

"Probably because you were low to the ground. The spell on the field only works if you're above an amount that can cause serious damage."

I felt weird about trusting the spell I didn't totally understand, but I shrugged and sat on the bright red dragon bike. This time I made sure my feet were strapped into the foot harnesses. It was natural to press the buttons and get the dragon bike hovering a foot off the ground, but my hands were shaking. I pulled up on the handlebars gently and flew higher off the ground. I kept going and going, staring at the stalagmites hanging from the cavern ceiling. They all glowed a cool blue as if they were made of light.

"You're up there pretty high!" Richmond yelled down below.

I glanced at him, and my heart pumped faster. The dragon bike had taken me up higher than Richmond's demonstration. Laura and Linda looked like ants from where I was. I couldn't catch my breath.

"You're fine! Just start flying around like you did before," Richmond hollered.

I kept my focus on the buttons along the handlebar and zoomed forward. The view from the top looked terrific. I could see a bright blue lake in the cavern in the distance. It seemed to stretch forever. I was cracking up like a hyena as the flight was smoother than riding on a dirt bike on a flat road. I picked up my speed, in sync with the buttons and feel for the dragon bike. It was like giving a complicated massage with tender pressure points, but I was blazing through the air and going around in circles.

What if I tried one of the tricks mastered by the Winderon team? A quick spin in mid-air. Could I do it? If anything happens, that spell will catch me, right?

I yanked the handlebar to the left and shoved my right hand up, and the dragon bike spun to the left, and I did a complete 360° rotation. Adrenaline pumped all throughout my body. I was weightless and unstoppable. I increased my speed on the bike, flying through the air like a jet going at maximum speed.

"All right! That's good! I think I've seen enough!" Richmond cried from below.

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That's it? I'm done? I'm just getting warmed up. But I have to stop this thing.

I have to stop this thing.

Oh man, I didn't stop it well last time, and I'm going faster than before.

I gently squeezed the back of the center console, and the speed decreased to a leisurely pace. Aiming the handlebars down, I descended towards the three of them. They stared at me with their jaws dropped. As soon as I landed, the three of them applauded. I continued sitting on the bike.

"I take it I did well?" I said, grinning.

"Are you sure you've never flown before?" Linda asked me. "Because that was nothing short of amazing."

"I've seen fellow fourth-year players not even come close to flying like that. And that 360 you performed... incredible. I'm speechless. I'm without speech," Laura said.

I was beaming so hard. It was the happiest moment I had so far at school. "So, did I pass the audition?"

"Pass the audition? You obliterated it. We need you on the team ASAP. Meet at the field tomorrow, and we'll get you your own bike," Richmond said.

"But won't that be kind of weird? I don't even know how to use the arcane ability yet to get it started." I stared at the bike's center console and at the front.

"It's okay. Someone else can start up your dragon bike in the meantime. Tomorrow we might have a race during practice, and you'd be participating in it. At the moment, I want to make you a backup thief without a doubt, but other people on the practice squad would be upset if they weren't given a chance. So we have to figure it out. I'm sure you understand," Richmond said.

I smiled and nodded.

"Let's head back to campus," Richmond said.

It was nice getting back in a train cart with them. I felt cool hanging out with older students who were confident and mature. No doubt, if they were in high school, they would be considered popular kids. The three of them were objectively good-looking and had the right personality for it.

"So, since the three of you are older, what are you hoping to accomplish in your careers?" I asked.

"Well, I have dreams of going pro with Dragonstryke. In fact, we all do, but it's not always a guarantee. Luckily there is coaching that anyone can get involved in if they know the game well and can strategize. It's cool because you get paid to do something you love. You'd like our coach. You two have similar personalities, I think," Richmond said.

Similar personalities? Richmond barely knew me. I couldn't help but chuckle. "Did she know that you were holding an after-practice tryout?"

All three of them look at each other uncomfortably.

"Well, we didn't talk to her yet because we feared she would immediately shoot it down. And we wanted to see if Patrick was right when he called you the real deal. So we just wanted to, you know, not waste Coach Florence's time," Linda said. The three of them looked at me with apologetic eyes.

"I totally understand. Don't worry about it," I said. My lips were still curved up.

I went back to the Fyron dorm. My posture was straight and confident, and I was still beaming. Going to the study lounge, I studied the runes to the best of my ability. Then I went to my bedroom, where everything was dark. Slipping into my bed, I thought about how I didn't see Mortimer outside our room since I started school. Not even during the passing time in the hallways between classes.

The following day I went to my classes. I told Boris and Chris about my opportunity with the Fyron Dragonstryke team.

"Congratulations, man. That's awesome. I didn't figure you for someone who was really into sports at first, but that's great you are enjoying it," Boris said.

"What he said." Chris pointed at Boris.

Both of them gave me a fist bump with the news.

After dinner, I walked to the train station, and on my way, I heard my name called out behind me. Turning around, I saw Farrah jogging toward me.

"Hey! Rollie! How did your flying lessons go with your mentor? I haven't seen you around!" Farrah grinned as she approached my side.

"They went a little too well, I think."

"Ah, so you don't need me to show you a thing or two on the dragon bike?" she said flirtatiously. Or maybe she was just being friendly.

"Perhaps I could show you a thing or two." I chuckled.

"We'll have to do that soon. They allow people to ride bikes along the coast of the island. There's a beautiful path for the more casual riders."

"That sounds really cool." I got lost in a daydream just thinking about it. But we had to solidify a date and time! "We'll have to do that this weekend? Let's do Sunday in the afternoon before I meet with Patrick.

"That sounds wonderful." Her lip curled up. "So, where are you off to? You're walking pretty fast."

"I'm going to the field house to maybe make the Dragonstryke team."

Farrah dropped her jaw. "No way! That's amazing news!"

I was humbled by how impressed she was. "Yeah, I'm supposed to ride around the practice squad today to see if I might be able to be a thief. I think they might even want me to do a race."

"The thief is one of the most valuable players on the field!" She was so impressed. "Gosh. That's so exciting. But you say you will have to race with the practice squad? I think the whole team participates with them for the most part." Farrah thought about something, and her expression soured. "Arthur will be there, and I want you to do me a favor, but no pressure or anything."

"What's up?"

"I need you to beat Arthur in that race today," Farrah said straight-faced.

I laughed, surprised. "I thought you were friends with him?"

"I'm not friends with him. But my friends like him, I guess. I just don't like how he talks to people. He's very cocky, you know?"

"I hadn't noticed," I said sarcastically.

"See? You know. Good luck today on your race. That would be amazing to see you on the team."

"Thank you." We made it to the train station we stared at each other for a moment. I got lost in her eyes, daydreaming about holding her hand. My heart fluttered at the thought. My thoughts felt like a slideshow clicking through rapidly. Riding dragon bikes, watching the sunset, eating dinner at our own table, and listening to records while lying on a bed.

"I'll see you later, Rollie." Farrah waved goodbye and walked away towards the dormitory.

I went to the train station and joined the other students getting on to the field house. I went inside a train cart and noticed Tim and Randolph sitting together, talking with a few other kids. Tim spotted me and blinked. Standing up, Tim approached me.

"Hey man, what are you doing here? Have you come to watch our practice?" Tim asked.

"No, I've come to participate in it." I scanned the rest of the train and saw Arthur boisterously laughing in the corner with his other friend from Farrah's table and some other athletic kids.

Tim giggled at me. "But you've never been on a dragon bike. Did anyone say you can join the practice?"

I shrugged. "I'll figure it out."

Tim looked at me apprehensively. "It's just kind of weird. I feel like you're not telling me the whole story here."

"So we're friends now? We tell each other everything?" I said.

Tim pursed his brow. "Are we not?"

"Just because we live in the same suite doesn't mean we're friends."

Tim frowned. He looked like he had just been scolded. Silence sat between us.

I flashed a grin. "I'm just messing with you, man." I playfully hit his shoulder.

In the corner, Arthur made eye contact with me and squinted as if he was staring at a mirage. He mouthed the words, "Hold on one second," to his friend, and then he walked over to me. Seeing him and remembering how he treated me at the lunch table made my blood boil.

I started thinking about hitting him.