The sun was already burning down on the schoolyard when the announcement echoed from the speakers:
"Attention students! Sports Festival qualifiers begin today! Come and confirm your participation!"
The students slowly gathered to apply for their participation. The group also got there, trying to figure out which sport they would participate in.
"So Peter got sick from your trip?" John asked while getting to the football application line alongside Angelo.
"Yep," Ann said while taking her place in volleyball. "He said he couldn't get out of bed yesterday. He'll probably be fine next week... well, best-case scenario."
"Mom, I don't think I'll be able to go to school by next week," Peter said in a closed voice while laying awake in his bed.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Peter's mum said. "Try to get some more sleep, ok?"
"I can't, my nose isn't even working." He tried to breathe from his nose but couldn't. "See?"
"Try to sleep sitting up in a chair, maybe it will work," Peter's mum suggested.
"Ok, I will." He sat up on his bed, closing his eyes.
"If you need anything, tell me."
Peter gave a thumbs up.
Back to the group.
"Why say that? You saw him yesterday?" Angelo asked.
She shook her head. "No, but Emily did. And from his voice messages, it didn't sound like he was at his peak."
Angelo and John nodded.
"Too bad he'll miss the applications. He was very excited to give it a try," Angelo said.
"Guess so. Even then, out of the boys, the only one realistically who will get picked will be you and maybe Mario. Depends on how bad the basketball team will be," John said.
"Don't say that," Angelo said in a humble voice. "You and the others have a good enough chance of playing for our school."
"I doubt it," John muttered. "I'll be on the reserves at best. The PE teachers pick the squads after all."
"And some popular kids," Ann added.
"Yeah, them too. Where are the others, by the way?"
"Ava and Lucilia didn't really care about this. Mario and George have already started training for the basketball team. As for Emily, I think she's searching for information in the library," she explained.
"The basketball team already started training?" Angelo raised an eyebrow. "Also, what's Emily searching information about?"
"About the island we went to on Saturday, dummy. As for the basketball team, I believe they already had prepared the team or at least the participants."
"Why? What was on that island? A volcano or something?" John asked jokingly while Angelo laughed at his comment.
"All Zakynthians who were Jewish," Ann said calmly.
Angelo and John looked at each other before asking: "The what?!?"
"Ohh, yeah I forgot. On that island we found all the Zakynthian Jews who were sent there during WW2 so they wouldn't be killed by the Nazis. And apparently, there was a magician who took them there and created the island with a couple of stones, and the people there can't get out of the island without breaking one of the stones," Ann said in a casual tone. She looked at the boys, still with shocked and confused looks on their faces. "Do you want me to explain it again?"
"Nah, wait, hold up. How can you be so casual about this?" John asked, weirded out by the way she said it.
"And why didn't any of you three tell us earlier? Is this an early April Fool's joke?" Angelo asked.
"No, it's 100% true, we just forgot, you see. Peter got sick, Emily started trying to find a way to get them out of there, and I just... well, it didn't come up." She said while completing the application paper.
"I think I'm getting a headache," John said, finishing his application paper and handing it to the teacher in charge.
"When were you planning on mentioning it to us?" Angelo asked, waiting for Ann and John so they could go to the others.
"I don't know, man," she said in a defensive tone. "Emily said she'd tell you or ask for help in case of emergency, so I figured, meh, it's no biggie to tell them now. There's time."
"Why would you—forget it," John said in a defeated tone. "Why does Emily need to do that research anyway?"
"She's planning on breaking the barrier so the people there can come here and restart life from where they left off."
"How on earth will she do that?" Angelo raised his hands.
"She doesn't know yet, that's why she's doing research."
"I feel a little guilty now," Angelo said. "She wants to do something good that's extremely difficult and didn't even tell us. How will we go on with the Sports Festival while she's working her butt off?"
John nodded in agreement.
"We'll help her when she needs us. Besides, she didn't say we shouldn't enjoy our time. Right?" Ann said calmly.
"What are you talking about, guys?" Ava called from behind, with Lucilia beside her.
"Hi girls, how's it going?" John welcomed them.
They both shrugged.
"Nothing much, how about y'all? It looked like you were having a serious discussion."
"I was telling them about Emily's research thing."
"About that tribe, right?" Ava asked.
"Yeah, about that, how—" before she could finish speaking—
"YOU TOLD US YOU DIDN'T TELL THEM!" Angelo and John turned on her.
Ann slapped both of them, their cheeks turning red.
"I told you that because I didn't tell them, and also, NEVER RAISE YOUR GIRLY VOICE AT ME AGAIN, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!!?"
"You didn't have to slap us so hard," Angelo pointed out.
She crossed her arms. "Well, you didn't have to scream at me. It wasn't that big of a deal. I mean, you would've found out eventually."
"Precisely, eventually," John said sarcastically.
"Anyways..." Ava said in an awkward tone. "We saw her before coming here and she told us about that. It was crazy, not gonna lie. Still can't comprehend all of it."
"Crazy? That's it?" John asked.
"What else?"
"CAN YOU PEOPLE FEEL THE WEIGHT OF ALL OF THIS???" John said, not so calmly.
"No, we do, it's just—think about it. Lots of shit happens every day, why does this change anything?" Ava said calmly.
The group fell silent, thinking about what Ava said.
"I... I mean," Angelo spoke up, "she has a point."
"True," John nodded. "Damn."
"I know," Ava said.
After a couple more moments of awkward silence, Lucilia spoke. "So, uhm, where are George and Mario?"
"Training for the basketball team placements," John replied.
"Already?" she asked, confused.
"Apparently," Angelo shrugged.
At the basketball court.
Inside a bigger building with green seats on the far right of the court, the only thing that could be heard was the echo of the ball bouncing around.
"How you feeling, man?" Mario questioned George. "Ready for our first training?"
"Quite quick, I mean the whole... thing, you know?"
"Huh, it's not bad. Even better actually. No one had time to train for today so all of us will be off form and can steal that juicy ahh spot," Mario said in a dead tone, without any emotion.
"That's EXACTLY where the problem lies, poockie. We also haven't trained."
Mario stopped for a moment to think.
"We're built different."
George sighed. "You're something else."
"That's what the chicks tell me."
George covered his eyes out of second-hand embarrassment.
"Get out."
"No," Mario said with a dead look on his face.
"Okay guys, gather here please," one of the PE teachers came out of the gym's office.
The boys gathered around the teacher.
"Alright guys, my name is Mr. Vallas. Mr. Rose and I will handle the management of the basketball team, is that ok with everyone? Speak now or remain silent forever."
Since nobody spoke, he continued: "Very well. I counted—you're a lot of people here, give me a second to count you all. 4... 7... 15... 20. Ok, 29 participants, very good. Let's form 5 teams at first and maybe for the last team either I or Mr. Rose will help complete the teams. Go ahead and be prepared."