Element

✯ Chapter 28

Ramaya Naciat:

This is the official Battle Team tryouts schedule. All information previously given may not relate with this, but this paper is now final.

Day 1: 9:00- Change in locker rooms, meet in training room for physical strength evaluation.

Day 2: 9:00- Change in locker room, meet in training room for elemental powers evaluation.

Day 3: 9:00- Change in locker room, follow signs to Arena 2 to meet up.Teamwork evaluation.

We hope to see you there! Remember- attendance to all three days is mandatory to make the team.

Sincerely,

The Battle Team staff

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    I wake up earlier than usual the morning of tryouts. My stomach is fluttering and my head is full of random, unorganized thoughts. I somehow get dressed and walk to the dining room. But I'm not hungry. I need to eat to have energy for tryouts, however, so I force myself to eat some oatmeal. It tastes like chalk to me. Kaelie, Brooke, Rhodes, Alanna, and Payson have gathered at my table with me, chattering about how they're so nervous, and Rhodes and Alanna wishing us all luck. I smile here and there, but never say anything. I just stare at the table and try to calm my raging thoughts. After what seems like forever, the loudspeaker crackles, and General Forge's voice booms out.

"Battle Team tryouts. Locker room opens in five minutes. Be there." His voice is gruff and the message is short. We look at each other, and Kaelie, Brooke, Payson, and I dash to the edge of the school grounds.

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    After trekking to the opening to the locker room, Kaelie and I float down and are met with echoing chatter and laughter in the big room. Some lockers are open, some closed, and the curtain is drawn to divide the girls and boys sides. We walk to a table set up in the front of the room where a woman sits.

"You two look like you need lockers." She says.

"Yeah."

"You two want side by side lockers for tryouts?"

"Yes please." Kaelie says.

"Ok. You're G34 and G35. Press your thumb to the black pad to set the fingerprint lock to yours, and change to the training suits."

"Thank you." I say politely.

"No problem. Good luck." She motions for us to go change.

    We walk to the girls' side and find lockers G34 and G35. I set my fingerprint so the locker will only open for me, then put on the training outfit. The grey long-sleeve shirt's sleeves immediately shorten slightly, and the black cargo pants shorten and tighten around my hips. The gloves stay the same, but they fit me anyways. I look over to Kaelie. The outfit looks good on her, makes her look tough. We smile at each other and walk into the training room.

    It's filled with people. Well, filled isn't the word. The room's so massive it only seems like there's twenty people, yet I know there's more than fifty. Everyone wears the same outfit no matter what element. It gives us all a strange feeling of unity. I mold into a group of other air elements along with Kaelie and half-listen to the conversation two fifth-years are having. Suddenly, the entire room quiets. I turn around, and find General Forge standing on a tall block formed from the middle of the track. He clears his throat.

“Hello all, and welcome to Battle Team tryouts.” Cheers and clapping sound all around me. He holds a hand up to quiet everyone. “Now, these three days will be hard. You will be physically and mentally exhausted at the end of each day. Please make sure you’re getting sleep and are eating healthy. But now, let’s focus on the content of tryouts. You all know today is physical strength evaluation. Broken up into grade groups, you will first be tested on running. Sprinting then long-distance. After that we will test push-ups and crunches. Then jumping. And finally, hand-to-hand combat. So please, fourth-years over here,” Forge motions to a spot in the room, “fifth-years over there…” he continues until each grade, fourth through eighth, have been assigned areas and everyone fits into a group. The fourth-years have the smallest group, the seventh and eighth-years have the largest.