Hey guys, this is my first story on here in like ….six years and my first 100 fic ever. I'm excited to be back writing and hoping I don't disappoint you!
Chapter 1: "Welcome to Polis"
"Welcome to Polis University. Congratulate yourself on making it here, on becoming a Timber Wolf. Our program here, as you may know is a successful one. In order to keep such a reputation we expect a lot from you ladies, especially those of you new to our team. Our veterans know what to expect and you can look to them as your guide, but ultimately it is your choices and your choices alone that will determine your playing time and how successful you are on the court." The head coach spoke.
Clark scanned the room; she could tell which girls were veterans by their expressions. Stoic, motivated and cold. The few rookies on the other hand, showed their cards by revealing their nerves that were etched into their expressions. She looked finally to her best friend Octavia, like her, not a rookie but new to this program. Octavia looked as she normally did, eager, and determined. She silently wondered how her own curious expression would come off.
" Now…I am Coach Titus, your head coach. This is Coach Indra your assistant coach. You will address us by that and nothing else. We will not begin training today, but here is your schedule for the next two weeks of training camp. It is also accompanied by team rules and regulations. Failure to comply with these hold great consequences so do your best to keep them in mind, both on and off the court. We'll see you ladies tomorrow. Get aquatinted with your teammates, and veterans; be nice." Coach Titus smirked and left the gym with Coach Indra in tow.
As soon as the doors closed, a player sitting closest to the front stood. Everything about her seemed hard, Clarke noted. From her harsh, ridged bone structure, to the incredibly well toned arms and legs. Clarke recognized her as the starting point guard for Polis.
"Alright ladies, I'm Anya, your captain. I'm in my fourth and final year here. We're excited to have all of you rookies here to join us this season. Many of you I've met on your recruiting trips, but lets introduce ourselves shall we?" Clarke knew her well, last season when she and Octavia were rookies playing for Arkadia, she admired how well the girl moved on the court; and hated her flash temper. She wasn't one to be messed with and asserted her dominance with every step despite her inviting tone now.
Anya looked to her left and raised her eyebrows, summoning another girl who sat next to her. She stood and introduced herself as Luna, a third year post player. From what Clarke could remember from playing against Polis last year, Luna was vicious in the paint. Other girls began standing, introducing themselves without prompting. Emori, Niylah, Echo, and Caris were all veteran players. The new players were slow to their feet and lacked the cool confidence of the vets. Mel and Harper barley spoke over a whisper, but Luna smiled and welcomed them encouragingly.
"Alright, I'm Raven Reyes, I'm not a rookie but transferred from a tech school out East. I'm excited to be here and ready to kick some ass." The girl spoke excitedly; her confidence in the face of such intimidating veterans was admirable.
Now that it was her turn, Clarke made a note to copy Raven's confidence. So she stood and cleared her voice trying not to look at the older girls as they nudged each other with realization of who she was. "I'm Clarke Griffin, a second year transfer. I play the 4. I-."
"You're and Arker, right?" Emori abruptly interrupted.
This is what Clarke wanted so desperately to avoid, the label, coming from the Ivy League Arkadia; Polis's number one rival. At this point, she'd prefer not to speak of Arkadia at all. Before she had to, Octavia was on her feet, at her side as she so often was. "We were at Arkadia, but were here now. I'm Octavia, a second year transfer with Clarke-y here."
Clark gave her new team a tight-lipped smile and wordlessly thanked God for Octavia's intervention. Anya quickly took the attention back, giving instructions for the next days training, where to find their locker room, and general notes about the upcoming varsity basketball season. With the more Anya spoke, the more excited Clarke became. Sure, she was incredibly nervous but the prospect of a new team and a fresh start made it easier for her to get excited about the game again; a feeling she had lost after experiences at Arkadia.
"Hey Anya, where's your little second?" Emori asked before everyone was dismissed.
"Lexa will be here tomorrow, and she's not my little anything. She your Co-Captain." Anya said sternly, settling the tension from the topic.
While Clarke had never known the girl-in-question's first name, she was certain they were referring to Woods, number 15; the incredibly quick shooting guard that buried the Arkadia women's team from the 3 point line in their game last season. Before she could think much more, people stood and began excitedly catching up, leaving the rookies and transfers to themselves.
Raven approached Clarke and Octavia. "Hey fellow transfers. That got a little tense back there huh? Like I said, I'm not really from here, so I'm oblivious to these western rivalries. Anyways, I see you guys got all your stuff with you here, so I'm guessing you haven't been shown to your dorms."
"No, we haven't, we were running a little late so came just here. We actually don't really know where we're going…" Clarke said.
"Well, I've been here a few days, and if you two are 'O. Blake and C. Griffin' assigned to Forrester Dorms, then I think I'm your pod mate" She said excitedly.
Clarke and Octavia exchanged a knowing look. Unsure of how they would handle someone so high energy for the whole year. "…. I guess that's perfect. Coach said we'd be rooming with teammates so I guess it makes sense. You lead the way?" Octavia clarified.
"Let's go!"
With brief goodbyes and shy waves, the team dispersed. Clarke and Octavia followed Raven through the small campus to their dorm. Their room was marked with cheaply printed welcome signs greeting "Welcome, , O. Blake, R. Reyes". Inside, Clarke was pleasantly surprised with the size of the dorm, unlike most university accommodations. This was laid out more like an apartment with a small kitchenette, living room, washroom, and three bedrooms allowing for privacy. After a long day, the three girls went to the respective rooms, Clarke not bothering to unpack, crawled into bed. Before she rolled to her side to sleep, her cell phone buzzed with an unknown number. She opened the message that read.
[+1 786 947 6016]:
"Hello Ladies, I apologize for my absence tonight but I look forward to meeting you all. Tomorrow morning Anya and I will be going for a voluntary run before training camp begins, this is not mandatory but I hope to see you there. Meet at the Gym for 6:30 am.- Lexa"
A voluntary run at 6:30 in the morning? Before a 3-a day training camp? No wonder the Polis girls are hailed for their athleticism, Clarke thought. To properly assimilate into this team, it was in her best interest to be at that run.
[ +1 786 947 6016]:
"Oh and welcome to Polis.- Lexa"
