"Okay, students, for this exercise, I'm going to choose partners for you." Raea says.

"Aw," we all groan and Raea looks slightly shattered.

"Anyway," she gathers herself, "Andersen and Sebird, Nathaniel and Brown, Carlyn and Fields, Jackson and Parker..." she continues.

Who is Fields?

Fields is a short boy who has surprisingly muscular arm and legs. And his first name is West. West Fields. Ha, it sounds like a street name almost.

"Hey. You want to start?" his voice is strong and metallic.

"Sure." I say. I Change. I try the method. Running at him at full speed, I hurl myself at him. West, however strong he is, almost falls over.

I Change back. I might have overdid it. "Okay?" I say, slightly embarrassed.

"Fine. I'll do it now." West Changes into a panther. He knocks me down with a tackle. Ow!

"I'm okay," I say quickly to not hurt West's feelings.

"Now that you have already practiced the tackling method once, why don't you students practice the kicking method?" Raea instructs us with a watchful eye.

"I'll go," I tell West, and I perform the kicking method. I kick him, hard, right in the kneecap causing him to stumble backwards.

"Remember, taking blows and staying on your feet is just as important as making those blows. I won't elaborate on taking blows, that's Ceres's job." Raea startles me.

"Nice kick," West says breathily, clearly shaken. "I'll go then." 

He Changes to the panther, kicking me in the arm. I twist away as soon as his back paw collides with my arm. It stings a lot, causing my eyes to water, but I don't mention it.

"Everyone done?" asks Raea. Perfect timing, we finished. "Now, I want you and your partner to fight with these to methods. Remember, when you are practicing with a student, do not kick them in the head, stomach or anywhere near that. In a real battle with a M.O.N.S.T.E.R.S, sure."

So we fight. 

West tackles me, pushing me down, but before he can kick me, I roll out of his grip and stand up, using the moment of surprise to kick him in the shins. 

West tries to tackle again, but I manage to extend my arm, blocking the tackle.

Finally, West tackles me and I scream in protest. West holds me up by my waist. "Look Raea!" he says gleefuly, "I have won Sadie!"

Raea smiles at West, but then frowns at him. "Congrats for you, West, but I cannot have people lifting each other up like that without clear adult supervision. Please from now on, and this goes for everyone: DO NOT LIFT YOUR FRIENDS UP OR DO ANYTHING DANGEROUS WITHOUT CLEAR ADULT SUPERVISON!" she doesn't exactly shout the last part, but she does exaggerate it quite a bit. "Okay?" she asks everyone.

"Okay," we all say, and West puts me down. I rub my ribs. West can sure squeeze!

***

"Hey, um, Raea, could I talk to you privately for a sec?" I ask Raea cautiously, peeking in from behind the door.

Raea looks up from her writing. She's wearing stylish turquoise glasses I've never seen her wear before. "Just a minute," she says and I'm forced to wait.

After about two or three minutes, Raea waves me in. "So?"

"I found a new possible teammate." I say, down to the point. "His name is West Fields."

"Funny, I found a possible teammate too. Her last name happens to be Fields too." Raea says, clearly doubting the last names' connection.

"What's her first name?" I prompt her.

"It's Joan, but I think she likes being called Jo."

"So should we make another appointment to meet each other?" I ask.

Raea declines. "No, how about we don't tell them about the team yet, but try to learn more about these possible teammates. Then we can try to get them to trust us. Being friends with them makes life a lot easier. Generally, being friends with everyone makes life even easier."

"Okay, I get that, but then when will the appointment be?" I ask.

"I want us to have the appointment in a month." Raea answers. "I really want us to get to know these new people. Really get to know them. Also try to get to know El."

"Do we any more teammates?" I ask.

"We don't NEED any more teammates if we accept Jo and West but if any possible come along, I think we should take the chance. Okay? You can notify me like you did today."

"You sure? You seemed busy, I don't want to be rude and disrupt whatever important things you were writing." I say as politely as I can.

"Oh, it's fine." she says dismissively.

"I have to go," I look at my watch. "NOW! I have my first class of the day! Sorry!" I rush out in a hurry.