The sun rose over the American school known as Reiver Academy, the birds seemed to come to life, chirping cheerfully and spreading their wings to express their enjoyment of the warm but breezy morning. Below them, students pointed and smiled. Soon, however, Fall would be coming, and the cute little creatures would begin migration.

Standing only a few yards from the garage door, Lupa took a second to admire the iconic scenery, before she turned her attention to the door again. The impatient girl checked her wristwatch, the student council president had told them to be there by 8:30, it was almost 9:00 and she wasn't known for being late, despite what her cheery, bubbly demeanor suggested otherwise.

There were butterflies in her stomach, anticipation building up like the shell of a high caliber tank gun. From what she had learned from the web, tankery could be intense. The sensation wasn't helped by the other girls chattering about what tank they hoped to get. Luckily, for the most part, the atmosphere was serene with a hint of cheery. I never want this moment to end.

The girls were all divided into self-appointed cliques, based on collective shared interest. "I wonder what tank we'll get?" the co-captain of the girls' basketball team asked.

"Maybe a Tiger II so we can slam dunk the enemy." another member, Alessa, piped in.

"No, a tank destroyer, so we can smash the enemy with speed and firepower!" another one interjected.

"That's it!" they clapped their hands and did an esoteric handshake which meaning was known solely to them. "Basketball team forever!"

Lupa took a moment from her worrying to glance over and smile for a second. Breathing in the fresh air, she turned to try and find the rest of her friends, who were a few feet behind her. Wolf, Edda, and Erika. The four of them had signed up together, although they barely knew one another, with the exception of Erika and Edda. She had known Wolf in elementary school, but a lot had possibly transpired since then.

Almost like magic, the garage door started shaking, before slowly opening. Four to six, Lupa had a hard time counting, pairs of legs could be seen. Suddenly, there was a bam and the door came down again.

"Maria!" the loud voice of the student council vice-president could be heard.

"I'm sorry! It was an accident!" someone repeatedly apologized, before the door started opening again, revealing the student council, six students tasked with running the school.

"See Clarisse?" the president said, patting her second-in-command on the back and smirking.

Growling, Clarisse turned her head. "So you did." she grumbled.

The student council president smiled, revealing a row of pearly white teeth. Her blonde, curly hair was in perfect condition, and she looked and smelled like she had just taken a bath. Her grandfather, a wealthy Southern gentleman, had struck black gold in the Appalachian mountains, and used the money to found the school. Since then, it had been tradition that his daughter and later, her daughter, would assume the role of president of the student council.

Georgia quickly counted the number of groups, waving her finger around erratically. About nine in total, including a few individuals who didn't seem to have a group, and finally themselves.

"As you all know, we've decided to restart tankery this school year." she said nonchalantly, pulling out a muffin from her pocket, unwrapping it, and biting into it, chewing as she spoke. "Mmm... So, vhat ve gaught to do iz..." she swallowed. "So what we've got to do is practice, practice, practice. If we make it to the nationals, it could earn our school a lot of recognition, which we need." the students started chattering. "If you'll follow me."

Like the rest of the group, Lupa followed the student council president, amazed to see eight tanks already up and ready to run. From left to right a M4 Sherman and M4A3E2 Jumbo, a Cromwell, a T-28, SOMUA S35, a M3 Lee, a Semovente 75/34, and at the very end, a Carro Armato M11/39.

Another member of the student council, who had been surprised at the number of participants, whispered into Georgia's ears. "How do we decide who gets what?"

"That's a very good question." she chewed into the muffin and swallowed once again before speaking. "I reckon we have around nine teams." she gazed at the loners. "Hey, you all." she pointed at them. "Why aren't you in a group?"

"Those are the outcasts, ma'am." Clarisse murmured into Georgia's other ear, hand covering her mouth. "Snitches, cheaters, and rats in general."

"Hmm..." Georgia pondered for a few minutes. "You all get the M3 Lee!"

The loners looked surprised, but they wouldn't get anything but snubs from the other students.

"Now let's move onto you." she pointed at Sylvia. The pale, grey haired girl who looked like she never got out into the sunlight walked up. "You and your group will be in charge of the T-28." the other girl nodded in obedience. "Good. Congratulations, Wolf Team!"

Lupa kicked the ground in frustration at her rival getting a cool team name. She was interrupted from her brooding by Erika tapping her on the shoulder. "Did you come up with a team name last night?"

Hanging her head low, Lupa shook. "I wracked my brain out for hours." she explained, apologizing for her writer's block.

After a bit more organizing and random guesses on the president's part, the teams were all paired up with their vehicles.

"A Semovente 75/34." one of the girls, a member of a study group, spoke after being assigned the Italian tank destroyer.

"Never used by the Italian Army." another girl, the history buff of the study group, added. "Such a shame. Marshal Rommel and the Ariete could have used it." she started to tear up. "We should have won, dammit!" before being comforted by the other study group members.

"Looks like it's the Jumbo for us!" Georgia proclaimed merrily, walking past Lupa and her team. "Looks like you got the M11/39... Dog Team." Lupa winced at the team name. "When we first started the revival, all we had were Sherman tanks, and what fun would that be? I'm beginning to suspect trading it in for that might have been a mistake. Ciao." she walked away.

Utterly confounded, all of Dog Team stared at the Italian tank, not knowing how to respond. Two machine guns were in the turret, while in the hull rested a tank gun. "I know next to nothing about tanks," Wolf broke the ice, scratching the side of her head. "But even I know that can't be right."

Edda was the next person to respond, laughing in joy and stretching her arms out over the hull of the tank like she was giving a longtime friend an embrace. "Oh, M11! You served my ancestors in Africa to the best of your abilities." the Italian American immigrant said, oblivious to the weird looks the rest of her team were giving her.

"What are you going on about now?" Wolf asked, annoyed by Edda's random outburst. The two were polar opposites, Lupa had decided. One was the cold Teutonic daughter of the North, the other was the warm extroverted child of the Mediterranean.

"My ancestors drove this tank." Edda explained, letting go of the hull and glancing at Wolf. "They drove almost every tank in the Italian army, starting with the L3 in the Spanish Civil War, and ending in the P40 in the Waffen SS." she continued patting the hull gently, like it was a child.

The heartfelt explanation was interrupted by the student council president. "That's all for today," Georgia clapped her hands. "Tomorrow, the tankery instructor will arrive. I declare the school day off!"

The teams cheered, except for the study group, who looked like they had Christmas cancelled. "Umm, prez, are you sure you're allowed to do that?" the other member from before asked.

"It'll be fine." Georgia waved her hand dismissively. "Think of it as a field trip, or special project. I expect you all to do research on your tank and tankery in general. Dismissed!"