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A/N: The cover was made by my friend Galaxy Sri (she also made the cover for Their Lovely Arranged Marriage).
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Hi. I'm Laura Thompson. I go to Kensingburg Sports University in Diamond Ring City. I'm part of the hockey team there. But, n...
"Why are we gathered here in the courtyard? Shouldn't we get going to practice?", I ask.
"It's just that... well, see for yourself.", Jake Evans answers.
He hands me his phone. It's open to an email from Coach North.
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To all junior men's hockey team members,
Today we are having a different kind of training. I know that it's on short notice, but this is what the school has decided for all the hockey teams of Kensingburg. The other three hockey teams (the junior women's, the senior men's, and the senior women's teams) are also doing this training and will start at the same time as us. This training may take longer than just our regular practice time, so you all are excused from all your classes for the day. Our team will gather in the courtyard at our regular practice time. The courtyard is our starting point. Please wait for me there and we will get started with our training.
From,
Coach North
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I check my phone and see that I have the same email from Coach North.
"What's this about?", I ask.
"We thought that you might know.", Noah Iverson replies.
"You are the captain of the junior men's hockey team, after all.", Benjamin Lewis adds.
I may be the captain, but I've been focusing on something else recently.
"You really don't know what this is about?", Derek Franklin asks.
"Leave him alone, Derek.", Kane Michaels cuts in. "So what if he's the captain? He doesn't have to know everything.".
Then, I see Coach North walk up to us. I remember last night's conversation with Laura and look at her out of the corner of my eye. Laura is looking back at me with the same look.
Is Coach North really Laura's benefactor? Is she really Laura's secret helper?
"Alright, everyone!", Coach North announces as she comes closer to us. "It's good to see you all here.".
"What's this training about?", Mason Charles asks.
"Calm down, Mason.", Victor Harrison laughs. "Let Coach speak.".
"Thank you, Victor.", Coach North says. "Now, let met do attendance and then we'll get going with our training.",
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So, it turns out that our training was almost like a scavenger hunt across Kensingburg's campus. We went to different stations set up across the campus like at the four rinks, the Hockey Department building, the administration building, and the dormitory, amongst other places. We were in groups of four and had to solve riddles to get to the next station. When we got to the next station we had to do the challenge (which either related to stamina, shooting, passing, or other skills needed in hockey) to get the next clue to go to the next station.
At the last station, we each got a little piece of paper with a letter on it. Once everyone was done going through the stations and were gathered at the courtyard again like earlier in the morning, Coach North finally tells us what the paper is for.
"You each have a piece of paper with a letter on it with you that you got at the last station. Your goal is to figure out what the message is.", Coach North explains. "This is a team building exercise since you all have a piece of paper. There are a lot of words that you can create with the letters, but you have to use all of the letters to figure out the message.".
"But, there's twenty of us and twenty letters!", Archie Padmore exclaims.
"There are too many letters!", Eli Kahler adds.
"Team building exercise. You have to work together.", Coach North replies. "You guys aren't allowed to leave the courtyard until you figure out the message.".
"What if it takes us all day?", Eric Saunders asks.
"What will we eat?", Shawn Olivier continues.
"Then it takes you all day. If you really are hungry, I'm sure you all have snacks in your backpacks somewhere.", Coach North responds. "Also, before I leave, I have one more thing to say. Will, Nick, once you guys are done figuring out the message, come to my office. I have to speak with you both.".
Me and Laura look at each other when she finishes speaking, but agree to come by her office. Then, Coach North nods at us and leaves.
"What does she have to talk to you guys about?", Braydon Abbott asks us.
"How would we know?", I reply.
"She asked them to come to her office, not the other way around.", Grayson Vaughn explains. "Honestly, Braydon, how would they know?".
I go to a stone picnic bench nearby and sit on it. It's cold, but I can't complain. This is the best seating arrangement we have here in the courtyard. I take out my little piece of paper. I have the letter V. Laura comes and sits down beside me. She puts her paper with her letter on the table beside mine. She has the letter T.
"Everyone, put your letters down on the table here. We'll try to figure this out quickly so that we can go have breakfast soon.", I tell them.
Of course, I also have another purpose for wanting to do this quickly. Me and Laura have to talk to Coach North about our suspicions from last night. And, coincidentally, Coach North also wants to talk to us.
Anyway, everyone does as I say and puts their letters on the table beside and around mine and Laura's.
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"Let's think for a second.", I begin. "What message would Coach want to give us?".
"Something motivational for us to do well this season?", Conner Robinson guesses.
"Could be.", I nod. "But, wouldn't she just tell us herself? Why go through all the trouble of setting up this whole scavenger hunt with the riddles, the stations, and these letters? So... what else?".
"It has to be something that all the hockey teams would find worthy of going through the scavenger hunt for.", Laura states. "Otherwise, I'm pretty sure we'd all get angry at the school if they made us do all this for a measly piece of info.".
That gets a bunch of laughs out of our team.
"So, what would we want to know and actually want to go through all this trouble to find out?", Aiden Delaney asks.
End of Chapter 22
Hehehe... What would Coach North want the team to find out? What would the team think of as being worthy enough to be found out by them this way? (Is that sentence too confusing?)
Anyways, this was a team building exercise which will be continued in the next chapter. After that, things are going to be getting interesting. *insert evil smirk here*
I don't have much to say so I'll end this here. Thanks for reading!
