There was Tidye "Coach" Stokes, of course she'd be captain. I had a brief moment of happiness when I saw Jemisha Suftie's name; I knew she had been training all her life for this opportunity. I remembered Miri Lunette talking about one day landing an interview in the Neopian Times, but I barely remembered Nat Eyser or Raya Valensi.

But my name - Caldwell Price - was not there. I stared hard at the paper posted in the locker rooms of Neopia Central's newest gym, where tryouts had been held the week before, hoping that I was only seeing things.

Finally, I sighed, turned and stepped out of the locker rooms, grabbing my gym bag unceremoniously as I went. I tried to tell myself that there was always next year. Or maybe I simply hadn't trained enough, even though I had been training in the hopes that Neopia Central would finally make it to the Altador Cup.

As I passed by the Yooyuball ground, I felt someone grab my arm and whisper something that made me halt in my tracks.

"Hey, I can get you on Team Neopia Central. I've got a plan."

I whipped around to see who it was...

The gym was crowded, of course, but surely I would’ve seen the Neopian who had approached me - if not directly behind me, possibly racing through the crowd. I scanned the masses to see if anyone was looking my way, but no one was paying an iota of attention to me.

I rubbed my eyes and shook my head, clearly so unwell from these results and how hard I’d been pushing myself lately that I’d resorted to hearing things.

With a sigh, I turned to head home, placing my paws snuggly in my pocket. That was when I felt something that wasn’t there before.

I paused and pulled it out, turning it over in the fluorescent light of the locker room.

It was a piece of paper. Unfurling it revealed hastily scrawled handwriting that read, “Meet me behind the Kadoatery tonight at midnight. Tell no one.”

A lump formed in my throat. Maybe I hadn’t been hearing things. That voice in my ear was real and, whoever it was, they were trying to be discreet.

I looked around to make sure no one was watching me. The room was full of disappointed Neopians who were stuck in their own little world, just as I had been.

I placed the note back in my pocket and made the journey back to my Neohome.

***

Hours had passed—painfully slowly—but it eventually reached a quarter til midnight, so I began the short walk to the Neopian Plaza in the bright moonlight.

I did my best to stay calm, but even deep breathing wasn’t cutting it. I could feel my heart racing, hearing it pound in my ears in the silence of the night.

“I deserved a spot on the team,” I whispered to myself, trying my best to ground myself with reassurance. “Whoever is meeting me tonight knows it too - Caldwell Price deserved a spot on Team Neopia Central.”

As I approached the Kadoatery, I could make out a figure leaning up against a tree behind the building. With an attempt at a cool, collected saunter, I approached.

They closed the distance and, as soon as they stepped into the light of the moon…

“Jemisha?” I asked, my attempt at confidence vanishing immediately. “You’re the one who sent the note?”

She pressed a finger to her lips and looked toward the Kadoatery. Several Kadoaties were crying inside, but otherwise, the plaza was deserted.

“I’m sorry for frightening you,” she whispered. “I couldn’t risk talking to you at the gym.”

“Why not?”

Instead of answering, Jemisha reached into her bag and handed me a folded piece of paper. I opened it and found a list of scores from the Team Neopia Central tryouts. My name was near the top.

I blinked and read it again.

According to the sheet, I had scored higher than Nat and Raya in nearly every category.

“This has to be wrong,” I said.

“It isn’t,” Jemisha replied. “I saw Coach Stokes write down the scores myself. You made the team, Caldwell.”

My heart leaped before suspicion dragged it back down again. “Then why wasn’t my name on the roster?”

“Because someone changed it.”

Jemisha pulled out another sheet. This one showed the official team list. The same list was posted at the gym, but beneath Raya’s name, faint marks were still visible where another name had been erased.

My name.

I stared at the paper until the letters blurred.

“Coach doesn’t know I have these,” Jemisha continued. “I found them in the rubbish bin outside her office. Someone wanted the original scores destroyed.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know yet, but I know where we can find out.” Her expression hardened. “The final roster had to be submitted through the Altador Cup committee’s new registration system. Every change is recorded, including the account that made it.”

“So we check the system and prove my name was removed...”

Jemisha nodded, but she didn’t look relieved.

“There’s one problem,” she said. “The only computer with access to the registration records is inside Coach Stokes’s office.”

I swallowed. “Which is locked.”

“Usually.”

She held up a small silver key.

Before I could ask how she had gotten it, the Kadoaties inside suddenly fell silent.

Every single one of them.

Jemisha’s eyes widened. She grabbed my paw and pulled me behind the tree just as footsteps sounded on the path.

A figure emerged from the darkness wearing a Team Neopia Central jacket.

Jemisha leaned close to my ear.

“Whatever happens,” she whispered, “do not let them see the score sheet...”

"Raya! Can't you do your training around the track like everyone else?!"

I was amazed to see a tall Split Varwolf casually jog up to us, his one unbroken fang shining in the moonlight. It was Raya Valensi, the Left Forward of Team Neopia Central. He was panting as he shrugged.

"You know all Varwolves love being out at night! I can just breathe better this way!"

Jemisha shook her head as I tried to steady my heartbeat again.

"Fancy running into you guys here, anyway! Hey, I know you, you're Caldwell Price, you played awesome in the tryouts." The Varwolf grinned at me and vigorously shook my hand, no sense of suspicion in his mismatched eyes.

"Well, catch you during training tomorrow, Jemisha! Team Neopia Central!" he shouted and pumped his fists into the air as he continued with his midnight workout.

I had the sense that Raya had no knowledge of this scheme, which was confirmed with Jemisha's slight smile as she watched the Varwolf jog away. As Raya left, the Kadoaties continued their loud meowing again.

"Ok, no more distractions - let's go check out Coach's office."

***

The two of us padded into the dark, silent office. Everyone had gone home for the night, so it was especially quiet and eerie. I didn't feel totally comfortable looking into Coach's computer while she wasn't here, but it seemed like Jemisha knew what she was doing. 

The Blumaroo's jewelry quietly jangled as she turned the key and opened the door. We were both left speechless. 

Inside Coach's office, the computer was missing, ripped away from the empty desk with broken wires. The desk drawers were left open at crazy angles, clearly searched through. Whoever was in here must have left in a hurry. We stepped over the dropped and scattered papers from the desk and looked at each other.

Jemisha spoke first. "W-what happened here..."

I crouched down to look at a dark mark on the floor. Boot prints with a bit of mud were left on the carpet...

Without explanation, the Blumaroo rushed to Coach's desk, plucked up a stray piece of paper, and knelt down at my side.

"The pattern of these boot prints seems pretty distinct, don't you think?" she asked as she pointed out swirls, careful not to disturb the fresh mud.

"Uh, I guess so," I muttered with a shrug.

Jemisha rolled her eyes impatiently before gingerly pressing the paper against one of the prints.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What on Neopia are you doing?"

"If we can get some information about these boots, it may help us discover the identify of their owner, you know, the person trying to keep you off the team," she offered matter-of-factly as she stood.

I was overcome with an uneasy feeling. "How do you know all this? Between taking prints, digging through rubbish bins, and stealing office keys, I'd take you more for a detective than a Yooyuball player." I tried my best to keep my tone even-keeled, free of any suspicion.

Jemisha huffed and shot me an impatient but slightly bemused look. She waved her arm before herself, gesturing at her body. "Caldwell, I'm a Stealthy Blumaroo. It comes with the territory," and with that, she spun on her heel and turned to leave the office.

"Wait," I called after her, careful to speak in only a whisper as I followed her down the hall. The last thing we needed was to get caught here at the scene of a crime. "Where are we going with that print?"

She laughed as we covertly left the building and headed for town. "If you want to buy a pair of boots in Neopia Central, you've got to visit Unis Clothing Shop, and it just so happens that Ellia owes me a favour...

Any sensible Neopet would be snug in bed at this hour, yet I was energised... pumped, even. The adrenaline coursing through my veins reminded me of the last time I'd felt such high stakes: the tryouts. I grunted, trying to shake the feeling of unfairness. I'd given a spectacular performance. But someone was determined to keep me off the team. Someone had gone to great lengths to forge Coach's list. And we were gonna find out who that was. Tonight.

I screeched to a halt.

"Jemisha!" I whisper-shouted. She was now several paces ahead of me. "We overshot! Uni's was back there..." Jemisha paused to look at me, then strode back.

"Caldwell," she reprimanded gently, giving me a look. "Don't be silly. It's 3 am! Do you think Ellia's going to be minding her shop at this hour?"

I sputtered. Now that I stopped to think about it... "Oh. Well. Yeah... of course not." I said sheepishly, once again reminded that only one of us was verifiably Stealthy.

"Her Neohome is over there!" Jemisha pointed ahead. "With any luck, she'll be up late working on her latest Usukicon designs." She grinned dreamily and winked. "I wouldn't mind a sneak peek at the new collection. Come!"

***

Ellia seemed both unsurprised (at the sight of Jemisha) and surprised (at the hour) when she cracked her door.

"Jemisha, dear! I heard you will be representing us at the Cup, how delightful! Bring me back a souvenir, won't you?" Ellia stopped, noticing me for the first time. "And to what do I owe this late-night visit?"

Jemisha quickly explained the situation, introducing me as 'Caldwell, my teammate'. My cheeks blushed at the inclusion.

"And here's the boot print," Jemisha finished, unrolling the paper she'd rolled and tucked neatly in her red and black braid.

Ellia whipped out a pair of star-shaped spectacles, studying the print carefully through its navy-tinted lens. Then she tapped a hoof gently at three distinct spots of the boot print.

"Why, yes, this is a custom. I'm sure of it. I sold these boots two months ago to..."

Jemisha and I exchanged a quick glance, and I knew from the look in her eyes it was time to go.

"Thank you so much for your help Ellia," Jemisha said kindly. "But we really must be going now. I'm looking forward to seeing your newest collection!" With a sweet smile and a wave farewell, Jemisha turned to leave, and I followed right on her heels.

Once outside, we stopped to come up with our next plan of action.

"I didn't know Nat and Raya were friends before tryouts," I sighed.

"Neither did I," Jemisha replied solemnly. "Nat is so sweet, but they are a bit of a perfectionist. If they had a grand plan to make the team with their long time best friend... I just don't know what lengths they would go to to make sure that happened."

"Well, we know Nat was in Coach's office, so it must have been them who stole the computer!" I quipped. We were getting so close to solving the mystery of who had kept me off the team, but I could tell by the tone in her voice that Jemisha didn't want it to be Nat.

"You're right." Jemisha's brow furrowed and a renewed spark of determination flickered in her eyes. "No matter their intentions, if they are responsible for this, it's wrong. Let's head to Nat's Neohome, they will probably be waking up for their morning workout soon, we can sneak inside as soon as they leave!"

***

The morning sun was just starting to shed some light on the dark night sky as we approached Nat's Neohome. We crouched behind a nearby bush, watching the house closely for signs of life.

Just as Jemisha predicted, Nat soon appeared through the front door, stretching their arms up high to greet the sunrise. Jemisha and I waited with baited breath as they spent a good five minutes stretching on their front porch. Finally, Nat jogged down the porch steps and took off down the road. As soon as they were out of sight, we darted for the front door, stealthily utilizing what little bit of darkness was left to creep in.

I gasped as I saw what was sitting right there on the kitchen table...

It had been hastily shoved beneath a towel, but one corner of the familiar blue casing peeked out. The charging cord still dangled from the side, trailing onto the floor.

“We found it,” I said as relief washed over me.

“Maybe,” Jemisha said, her expression remained cautious. “All we know for sure is that we found a computer.” She stepped closer and carefully lifted the towel without disturbing anything else on the table. The screen was turned off, but the power button remained lit up.

I stepped forward and gingerly shifted the mouse, bringing the screen to life. There was no login screen, just a blank desktop with a single message window sitting in the middle.

‘The roster has been corrected. Destroy the original records and do not contact me again.’

It wasn’t addressed to Nat or Coach, and there was no signature. There was no way to tell who had even sent the message.

“This has to be proof!” I exclaimed. “Right?”

Jemisha still didn’t look convinced. Her eyes drifted to a notebook lying next to the computer. A page had been hastily torn out, leaving jagged edges hanging out. She opened the book to the last remaining page. Rows and rows of handwritten training schedules filled the paper. Morning drills, strength sessions, every hour of every day had been carefully planned.

“Nat really is obsessed with training,” I muttered.

Jemisha slowly nodded and looked back at the computer. “It doesn’t make sense for a perfectionist like Nat to just leave incriminating evidence lying out in the open, does it?”

My heart sank as I realized she was right.

“I don’t know Caldwell, I feel like we are missing something,” Jemisha said as she flopped the notebook back onto the table.

“Wait a second!” I grabbed the notebook and tore a page out of the back. I laid the fresh sheet over the first page beneath the torn one and began to use Nat’s pencil to shade the paper. “I guess I learned from the best,” I winked at Jemisha as words began to form, revealing what had been written on the torn out page…

-Find office with this IP.

-Probe Coach about her team deals. Don't bring up message.

-Talk to Raya. Don't bring up conspiracy, just ask if and how he knows the suspects."

I read the words over and over, Jemisha reading over my shoulder. We realized and turned to each other at the same time.

I went first. "This almost sounds like-" "Nat’s investigating too," Jemisha finished.

I stared back at the computer, a dull look in my eyes. "If it were them, we could've told Coach, and then I could've..."

I trailed off. But Jemisha didn’t seem that attentive to what I said. "...While they're a perfectionist, they're sweet, and they look out for the team. If not for Tidye, I would’ve voted for them as Coach. I'm... ashamed I doubted them."

We stood there, in our respective incompatible feelings, not knowing what to say to the other.

"...Nat's still going all out," Jemisha finally said. "Their heart's in the right place, but they're not sneaky. Their plan could go very wrong." She turned to go, waving me on. "C'mon, let's get out of here and catch up to Nat. We need to rope them in.”

I hesitated, not moving.

"...You coming?"

"...We might be able to cover more ground if we split up," I offered. "While you catch up to Nat and explain, I'm gonna see if I can find the office this IP belongs to."

"Oh yeah, smart!" Jemisha grinned. "I'll make a Stealthy Acara of you yet! Alright, I'd better go if I'm gonna catch Nat. Meet me at the front of the gym when you've got the office figured out!"

"Yeah, I will." I left Nat's house with Jemisha and let her run ahead. I turned and started running for the gym, where the team trained and where Coach and the mystery messenger kept their offices.

I just had to get there before Nat or Jemisha did...

***

The gym had just opened by the time I got there. Early morning athletes were filing in. I entered with them, waved my membership card, and immediately went down the halls towards the offices.

There was no need to trace the IP to the office or anything like that. Everything had come together for me. I already knew where to go, and exactly who to confront.

I found the office I sought and rapped my paw on the door...

How will this story end?

I rapped my paw against the door one more. I heard a couple small thuds before the doorknob turned. Without a sound, the door opened slightly. I paused for a moment, waiting for the door to open more. The door didn't open wider, but through the crack I saw a couple small shadows skittering about the floor.

With a deep breath, I opened the door to see... Crabbybots? Is that what they were called? Two were crawling around on the floor. As I took a tentative step in, I saw a third hanging from the doorknob. How it managed to get up that high, I do not know. I knew Dacardia was a far way from Neopia Central, but I had no idea why the team brought a few over.

As I was surveying the office, I heard footsteps behind me. I whipped my head around. Walking into the room was a periwinkle Kougra, adorned in purple runes. A bright orange braid swung behind her head. She did a double take when she saw me.

"Oh, hello there," Tyrra greeted warmly. She shut the door behind her. "Who may you be? Do you need anything from me?"

While she smiled towards me, my face twisted into a scowl. "I think you know who I am."

Tyrra backed up. "Hey, what's the matter? I swear, I don't know you."

"Caldwell? Caldwell Price? Ring a bell?"

A flicker of recognition crossed her face. "Oh, Caldwell. I think I heard of about you. How were tryouts?"

"I mean, I didn't make the team, thanks to you."

Tyrra was taken aback. "Caldwell, what are you talking about?"

I took a step forward. "I didn't make the team because of you. I don't know why you'd do such a thing, but-"

The Kougra held up her hands. "Caldwell, listen. I'm not involved in whatever you're upset about. I don't know why Tydie chose who she did. You play well, you did much better than Raya or Nat during the tryouts, if you have concerns about who she picked, you talk to her, not me."

I raised an eyebrow. "How did you know how I scored? I thought try out information was kept to Neopia Central only to avoid getting to know the players ahead of time."

Tyrra opened her mouth to speak, yet nothing came out. She repeated this a couple more times before quitting. Her concerned expression melted away into one of frustration.

"Okay, fine, you caught me," Tyrra spat. "How on Neopia did you find that out?"

"I think the more pressing question here is why, Tyrra?" I growled.

"I'm just trying to even the playing fields, is all." Tyrra paced around the room. "Our first Altador Cup, not only did we receive little support, but we placed so low in the entire cup. Now Neopia Central joins and everybody's raving about it? It's not fair. Do you know how hard it's been on my team to see how Neopia Central is already garnering such a fanbase when the teams haven't been announced in the media yet?"

"And so you changed our roster?"

"If Dacardia had such a low ranking in their first Altador Cup, why shouldn't Neopia Central?"

I shook my head. There was no way I was going to talk some sense into her. "Just wait until the Yooyuball officials hear about this."

Tyrra tilted her head to the side and smirked. "And who do you think they're going to believe? A rookie who's upset he didn't make the team or an Altador Cup team captain?"

I glared at Tyrra for a long moment. The thing that finally broke my gaze was a soft blink of a red light. I looked past Tyrra and towards the door. Not only was it cracked open once more, but a hand camcorder was peeking in.

"I think they'll believe whatever is on that tape," I said, pointing towards the door.

Tyrra looked back to see the door. She huffed and angrily bolted from the room. A loud grunt could be heard from the other side of the door as she shoved it open. I quickly walked out of the room and checked behind the door. A golden Poogle - Nat, that was their name - was on the floor with Jemisha at their side. Next to Nat was the camcorder. The lens lay shattered around it.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked, holding my right paw out to them.

Nat reached out their arm in turn. Only now did I realize they were missing that paw. I sheepishly pulled it back and gave a nervous grin. Nat laughed.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," they said cheerfully. They stood up and dusted themselves off. "It takes more than that to keep me down."

"You know that was really stupid, right?" Jemisha asked. "Confronting Tyrra on your own? I know she wouldn't have hurt you, but-"

"I knew if it was you or Nat, it would have looked worse for either of you." I motioned outwards. "What would have everybody thought about an official Neopia Central player confronting Dacardia about sabotage?"

"I suppose that's true. You could have at least told us." Jemisha looked back towards Nat. "And you could have mentioned something, as well."

"I said I'm sorry, okay? I just didn't want this getting to the wrong people," Nat said. "Coach was already stressed enough, I don't know you or Miri as well, and..." they gritted their teeth, "Raya is great, he's my best friend, he cannot keep a secret for his life."

I waved a paw. "I'm just glad that-"

Movement out of the corner of my eye stopped my thoughts. I turned to see the three Crabbybots skittering off. In one of the bot's pincers was the camcorder. I quickly chased after it and took the camcorder from it.

"Shame the camcorder broke," I said. "Think it still has the recording?"

"I think it's just the lens that broke. The recording should be fine," Nat answered. "I'm surprised that's all it took to break it."

"That's good at least. Let's get this to somebody before something else happens."

***

"There's seriously nothing that can be done?!" Tidye shouted.

"I'm sorry, but the teams have already been submitted and schedules are already in place. We can't take Dacardia out of the cup this year," the desk attendant said. "It's the same reason we can't edit your team main roster. I'll talk to the others about docking their standings, but-"

"This is ridiculous I'm going to..."

"And there she goes again," Jemisha sighed. She looked over at Miri. "Dear, do you think you can-"

Miri began to walk over to the desk. "I'm on it."

I watched as Miri heaved Tidye up from the ground and carried her back to us. The moment Tydie was on the ground again, she began to stomp back to the desk. Miri placed a hoof on her shoulder and smiled meekly. Tidye turned back to us and pouted.

"It isn't fair that Dacardia can still play despite tampering with our team line up," Tidye groaned.

"It isn't, but it sounds like we don't have much of a choice," Raya replied.

Nat looked down at their feet. "If we had just figured this out sooner-"

"Don't beat yourself up about it, Nat," I said. "We did our best. And I while I'm bummed about not being part of the team, I'm at least happy that you all are. I can see how passionate you all are about it."

Jemisha looked back over at the desk. Then back at us. Then back at the desk. I began to ask her what she was thinking, but she walked to the desk before I could. I quickly followed behind her.

"So you said we can't make changes to our main roster, right?" Jemisha asked.

The desk attendant nervously looked over at Tidye. "Yes, that is exactly what I said," he nervously answered.

"What about back ups? You know, in case one of us get injured during the game?"

The attendant typed on his keyboard. He clicked his mouse a couple of times. He even waved over another Neopet and briefly whispered about something.

After a moment, he looked back up at Jemisha. "Putting in back up players should be okay, it seems."

"Well, we would like to put down a back up." Jemisha proudly said. "Caldwell Price."

"Normally, the captain has to be the one to make that call, but..." the attendant looked back up to the rest of the team, "...given the conversation we just had, I'm just going to assume she's on board."

I smiled softly and looked at Jemisha. "You didn't have to."

"You deserve to be on the team," she said. "I went through all of this to get you to be one of us. I'm just sorry that it's as a back up instead of on the field proper."

"That's still better than a few days ago." I tilted my head. "So since team Neopia Central is official and everything, why don't we go check out the stadium itself?"

"I think that's a good idea." Jemisha turned back to the group. "Hey folks! Wanna check out where we're playing? I'll catch you all up while we do."

Miri, Raya, and Nat cheered in agreement. Tidye was still pouting, yet seemed to agree with the statement. Jemisha hurriedly made her way back to them. I just looked over at the team and smiled.

My team. Even if I was just a benchwarmer for the time being, I had made it. And with how I got to know Jemisha and Nat, I'm proud to say I play alongside them.

The End.