The pavilion was huge, roughly the size of a football field. The clear, shimmering, octagon-shaped tiles sparkled in the sunlight.

A small gazebo sat near the end of the pavilion at the far left, that’s where Leonard was leading me.

A boy and a girl that looked about my age, 15-16 years old, were talking near the side.

They stopped when they saw Leo.

The girl had long wavy black hair, amber eyes, and the burning purple symbol of paw prints up her neck and face.

She wore a light blue T-shirt with “ACDC, The European Tour” printed on the front with denim shorts and Converse.

The boy had short white hair and green eyes with a sun symbol on his face and neck. He wore khakis with a black shirt and sandals.

They'd obviously been arguing because their symbols were bright and visible.

“Hey Leo,” the girl said glumly. Leo continued smiling. “Alea, Kai, I’d like you to meet Cedar.” Alea smiled mischievously at Leo, and he blushed, though I couldn't tell because he'd been sunburned so badly.

“Hi,” I gave a small wave then quickly moved my hand back under my arm.

“She’s a little shy.” Leo winked at me. Now it was my turn to blush.

Kai remained silent. He was clearly still upset about the disagreement he and Alea had had. “We can show you your quarters and get you settled in.” Alea offered.

“Are people here normally this friendly?” I asked.

“We’re the underdogs, we look out for each other.” Kai finally spoke.

“We all have been humiliated to death, beaten by a bully, and you'd be surprised how much it can help to have someone to stand by you. Welcome to the team.” Leo said. Something inside me felt happy to finally have a place to fit in.

The other half wanted to be popular, but I ignored it. “I’d love some directions, thanks,” I smiled at Alea. She returned the gesture, waltzing over to me and locking my arm in hers. “Finally, a girl.”

She seemed overjoyed.

“Lead the way,” Alea gestured to Kai.