When I was young, I wanted to do something. Something important, something all of Jamaa would appreciate. Something that would give me a big award ceremony where Sir Gilbert himself was there to congratulate me. (He was my favorite alpha at the time, but Greely is now.) I didn't know about membership, apart from the fact that some animals were and some simply weren't. My parents had kept me shielded from all that for quite a while, until I went to Crystal Sands Prep Academy.

Let me explain about that school: it has a very high reputation, so the tuition is very expensive. But my parents wanted me to get a great education, so they sent me there. It was in Crystal Sands, as its name implies, so I had to leave the sea every day. Up there, on land, was where most of the action took place, so I was reasonably excited - until I learned that I was the only non-member student, and most of my fellow students were not happy about it. Now, most members are just as good as anyone decent, but these ones were the greatest snobs in the world. They had rich parents and lived in huge waterfront homes (not some old shipwreck). They had their own "popular" group, which I (unsurprisingly) was not in. But still, I hoped to earn their friendship. That is, until the field trip to Jamaa Township.

I remember being so excited. I was going to the place where everything happened! Most importantly, though, I wanted to take a look inside the Diamond Shop and see the wonders inside. I didn't have any diamonds, but that didn't dampen my excitement, not one bit. By the time I got to Jamaa Township, I was practically bursting with excitement. The otter next to me rolled her eyes, muttering something about how her father had taken her here more times than she could count. I ignored her and went to the Sol Arcade. I started to play The Claw. The first few times, I lost, and a few of the "popular" students started making fun of me. Desperate to gain their admiration, I tried as hard as possible, and won myself a tiger plushie. I kept playing, getting a streak of seven plushies in a row. The lead "popular" member, Raya, narrowed her eyes in envy.

"Can't you see she's cheating?" She growled.

"Yeah, she is!"

"Scammers and cheaters are always non-members. Am I right?"

"Yeah! Get off that game, cheater!"

The cries of the animals that I once wanted to befriend echoed in my ears, when it dawned upon me that nothing I could do would make them like me. As long as I was identified as a non-member, they'd ridicule me. Tears welled in my eyes, and I ran towards the Diamond Shop. I simply had to do one thing I wanted to do. As I neared the shop entrance, an alligator stopped me.

"What're ya doin' here?" He demanded.

"I just wanted to go into the shop." I explained.

"Uh-huh? Show me yer diamonds."

"I-I don't have any. I just wanted to look around."

"Look around? I know what yer doin', thief!"

"But-,"

"No buts! Get outa here NOW!"

Reluctantly, I turned and raced away. Tears slid down my face, and I began to weep. After a few minutes, I stopped. Now I knew what I needed to do. I was going to make Jamaa a better place for non-members, no matter how long it took.

I worked at my goal for a long, long time. First, I applied as an omega in the Jamaa government, then rose to be a psi, then climbed up the ranks until I was a gamma.

Then, I became a beta. A beta is the highest role a normal Jammer can become, second only to the alphas. Being a beta meant I had to leave my comfortable home in Bahiri Bay and live in Jamaa Township. There I stood, at the entrance to the town that I hadn't visited since I was nine. Gathering my courage, I stepped into town. I walked to Jammer Central, nervously adjusting my patched hood. Almost immediately, I was greeted by a cheerful - looking cheetah with a flower hat.

"Hi! Are you the new beta? Hmm, let me look at my list...are you Snowbelle Senkira?" She squeaked.

"Yeah. You can call me Snow." I replied.

"Cool! Here's your beta certificate, your den key and licence, your pay contract, your beta badge, and all of those important things!" She said, handing me the papers.

Thanking the cheetah, I ran to the den complex. My den was number 2753. I walked along busy paths, counting the numbers of dens. 456, 457, 458… I imagined what my den might look like. Would it be one of the cottages, or a burrow, or a snow fort? Would it be large, like the Sky Kingdom den, or a small den, like the sunken ship I used to live in? My hopes fell as I came to a large section of small houses with grey walls, a red tiled roof, and a small yard, all in the two thousands. Eventually, I found my den: one of those small dens, with a wooden table and a rug. Sighing, I laid down on the rug, and soon I was asleep.

The next morning, after breakfast, I took a long walk back to Jammer Central. Stepping inside of the building, I passed room after room, looking for the one labeled betas. But I couldn't find any room like that, no matter how hard I looked. Finally, I came upon the front desk. A white arctic wolf sat there, adjusting the blue spiked collar around her neck.

"Um...do you know where the beta room is?" I asked. The arctic wolf stared at me for a moment, rolled her eyes, and pointed to a door a few feet away. Flustered, I opened the door, and saw a meeting room with a chalkboard and many tables. Almost every seat was taken. Eyes stared up at me at every angle.

"You're late." The odd looking wolf at the head of the meeting room said cooly. I realized he must be Greely.

"I didn't know where the beta room was." I explained. Greely snorted.

"You were supposed to have gotten a map when you moved here."

"The map was kind of confusing."

Greely stared at me for what felt like an eternity, his yellow eyes boring into mine.

"Well, we have a new beta, Snowbelle Senkira." He announced drily, shooing me into an empty seat. Dozens of eyes latched onto me, and I couldn't help shuddering. Stop it, I told myself. If you want to make something of yourself, stop being so scared!

I sighed. What had I gotten myself into?